Creative Arts Therapist - San Mateo Medical Center (Open & Promotional)

Salary : $92,352.00 - $115,481.60 Annually
Location : County of San Mateo, CA
Job Type: Regular
Job Number: F029V
Department: San Mateo Medical Center
Opening Date: 10/13/2026
Closing Date: 10/27/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Bargaining Unit: 01A

Description

San Mateo County Health - San Mateo Medical Center is seeking a qualified and compassionate Creative Arts and Recreation Therapist to develop, coordinate, and deliver evidence-based creative arts therapy services for patients across a variety of healthcare settings. This position provides therapeutic interventions that support patients' emotional, cognitive, physical, and social well-being through music and other creative arts modalities as part of an interdisciplinary treatment team.

The Creative Arts and Recreation Therapist will assess patient needs, develop individualized treatment plans, facilitate therapeutic group and individual sessions, and contribute to comprehensive patient care. This role serves diverse patient populations ranging from acute care, behavioral health, long-term care, and specialty treatment settings including inpatient and outpatient.

The current vacancy is a regular, full-time position. The assigned schedule is Tuesday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with potential holiday coverage as needed. The schedule may be adjusted based on departmental operational needs.

The ideal candidate is a compassionate, patient-centered clinician with strong therapeutic skills and experience working with adult and/or geriatric populations in healthcare or clinical environments. They are comfortable supporting patients with complex medical, cognitive, psychiatric, and behavioral health needs and can tailor interventions to individuals with varying levels of functioning.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• At least two years of hands-on therapeutic experience in a healthcare, behavioral health, long-term care, or comparable clinical setting.
• A strong background in music therapy, creative arts therapy, recreation therapy, therapeutic activities, or a closely related field.
• Experience working with adults and/or older adults, particularly individuals with medically complex conditions, dementia, cognitive impairment, psychiatric conditions, or behavioral health needs.
• Experience conducting patient assessments; establishing treatment goals; implementing therapeutic interventions; and evaluating patient outcomes.
• Experience facilitating both individual and group therapeutic sessions.
• Ability to modify activities for patients with physical, cognitive, communication, emotional, sensory, or behavioral limitations.
• Strong clinical documentation, report-writing, and electronic health record skills; experience using Epic is highly desirable.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with an interdisciplinary healthcare team.
• Sound clinical judgment, initiative, accountability, and the ability to navigate crucial or difficult conversations constructively.
• Flexibility to adjust priorities and provide services across assigned units based on patient and operational needs.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining a high standard of patient care, professionalism, and communication.

The following are also highly desirable:

• A master's degree in Music Therapy, Creative Arts Therapy, Recreation Therapy, or a closely related field.
• Certification as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS).
• Advanced specialty certifications relevant to music therapy, creative arts therapy, recreation therapy, geriatric care, dementia care, or behavioral health.
• Experience using Epic or another electronic health record system.
• Experience providing therapeutic services in long-term care, inpatient psychiatric, acute care, outpatient, or other healthcare settings.

NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.
Examples Of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Evaluate needs and interests of patients; define creative arts therapy goals; and plan individual therapy programs.
• Participate in multi-disciplinary meetings, case conferences and unit rounds to discuss patients' progress and coordinate creative arts therapy with other services.
• Supervise and conduct a variety of individual and group therapeutic activities.
• Lead adult therapy groups.
• Keep records and prepare reports.
• Order supplies and equipment.
• Supervise creative arts therapy interns.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

• Principles, procedures, techniques, trends and literature of rehabilitation services.
• Special techniques of creative arts therapies, including those relating to mental disabilities.
• Scope and activities of private and public health and welfare agencies.
• Characteristics of mental, emotional and developmental disorders.
• Current trends in mental health, public health, and public welfare.
• Federal and state programs in mental health, public health, and public welfare.
• Creative arts therapy materials, tools and processes used in providing therapy services to psychiatric, physically disabled and geriatric patients.
• Physical and psychological problems of geriatric, physically disabled, psychiatric and medical patients.
• Behavioral disorders and theories of group management.

Skill/Ability to:

• Establish and maintain the confidence and cooperation of persons in therapy.
• Secure accurate clinical data and record such data systematically.
• Work with patients with communications dysfunctions.
• Write clear, accurate and concise reports.
• Interpret statistical data.
• Supervise, instruct and lead creative arts therapy activities.
• Integrate creative arts therapy activities with other medical and institutional programs.
• Work effectively with volunteers.
• Discuss patient activities and create interest and support for them with members of the community.
• Work without close supervision.

Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

Option 1 Art: Eligibility for or registration with the American Art Therapy Association.
Option 2 Dance: Eligibility for or registration with the American Dance Therapy Association.

Option 3 Drama: Eligibility for or registration with the National Association for Drama Therapy.

Option 4 Music: Eligibility for or registration with the National Association of Music Therapy or equivalent professional organization.

Option 5 Recreation: Eligibility for or registration with the National Association of Therapeutic Recreation or California Therapeutic Recreation Society.
Experience (options 4 and 5): Two years of post-baccalaureate experience as a therapist.
Licensure/Certification:
Possession of a Certificate of completion for a course in Basic Life Support as approved by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association; or must be obtained within six months of appointment.

Special Requirements:
Individuals assigned to Canyon Oaks Youth Center, must have the ability to complete 40 hours of mandated training annually.

Application/Examination
Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, extra-help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.
The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.
IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to http://jobs.smcgov.org/to apply. Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE

Final Filing Date: Tuesday. October 27, 2026 11:59PM PST
Application Screening: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Combined Panel/Departmental Interviews: Week of Novemvber 9, 2026
Analyst: Debbie Kong (10132026) (Creative Arts Therapist - F029)
We invite you to explore our page for a snapshot of the comprehensive and competitive benefits available to eligible employees of the County of San Mateo. From health and wellness to financial security, our benefits are designed to support you at every stage of your career. (Please note that benefits are subject to change.)

In addition to core benefits, the County is proud to offer a variety of wellness and professional development programs to help you grow both personally and professionally. Most of these enriching opportunities are available during work hours and come at no cost to you.

As a County employee, you'll also be covered by the federal Social Security system, earning valuable retirement benefits based on your salary and years of service.
01

IMPORTANT: Applicants for this position are required to submit responses to the following supplemental questions. Your responses will give us additional information about your background and experience related to this position and will be used in the selection process. Be concise and specific. Neatness, clarity of expression, grammar, spelling and ability to follow instructions will be considered in the evaluation process. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for your responses to these questions.

• I have read and understand these instructions.

02

Possession of a Certificate of completion for a course in Basic Life Support as approved by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association; or must be obtained within six months of appointment. Which of the following certifications do you possess? (Check all that apply. Please include information on the Certificates & Licenses section of the application.)

• Basic Life Support Certificate (BLS) issued by the American Heart Association
• Basic Life Support Certificate (BLS) issued by the American Red Cross
• None of the above but I will be able to obtain above certification within six month of hire.

03

Please indicate your current status (select all that apply) and include any CTRS or equivalent credentials:

• Eligibility for or registration with the American Art Therapy Association.
• Eligibility for or registration with the American Dance Therapy Association.
• Eligibility for or registration with the National Association for Drama Therapy.
• Eligibility for or registration with the National Association of Music Therapy or equivalent professional organization AND Two years of post-baccalaureate experience as a therapist.
• Eligibility for or registration with the National Association of Therapeutic Recreation or California Therapeutic Recreation Society AND Two years of post-baccalaureate experience as a therapist.

04

Describe a specific situation in which you identified or worked with a patient at risk for social isolation. In your response, explain how you assessed the patient's needs, the therapeutic interventions and engagement strategies you implemented, how you collaborated with the care team as appropriate, and the outcome of your efforts to promote social connection and participation.
05

Tell us about a time when you independently identified an opportunity to improve a process, workflow, or team outcome. How did you take initiative, what actions did you implement, and what was the result?
06

Please describe your experience utilizing electronic health record (EHR) systems, including EPIC, with emphasis on high-volume clinical documentation and adherence to