School Counselor

REPORTS TO: Director of Counseling and Wellness

SCHEDULE: 10-month faculty

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

Reporting to the Director of Counseling and Wellness, the School Counselor helps students to manage the social, emotional, and personal challenges of adolescent development. Through individual counseling and/or small group counseling and all-school programming, the School Counselor supports students in developing wellness, personal awareness, and skills for life.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide counseling to students in need of support with school adjustment, interpersonal conflicts, academic challenges, and/or mental health struggles.
• Triage, counsel, and/or refer students who seek help for mental or emotional health crises.
• Consult with teachers and other staff on interventions and wellness in the classroom.
• Serve as a member of the health team, working collaboratively to identify students in need of further support.
• Model effective practices and continuous progress in school counseling while adhering to professional codes of ethics, legal mandates, and all School policies.
• Maintain frequent communication with off-campus mental health providers, advisors, faculty, and caregivers in support of students.
• Collaborate with community life and academics to create and implement health and wellness curriculum for all grade levels.
• Collaborate with fellow health and wellness staff to offer relevant orientation, and/or workshops on topics related to the social, emotional, and developmental needs of adolescents.
• Serve on the on-call rotation.
• Attend all mandatory programming portions of community weekends.
• Some evening and weekend work will be required for dorm check-ins and residential programming.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree with LCSW, LMHC, or School Counselor licensure required. Master’s Degree preferred.
• At least 2 years’ experience in the educational field and/or being a part of a support team for students is preferred.
• Demonstrated effectiveness counseling adolescents and recognition of appropriate boundaries in working with adolescents.
• Personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and interest in creating an inclusive experience for all Cheshire Academy constituents.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Ability to work collaboratively with multiple teams.
• Critical thinking and analytical skills
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with students, colleagues, family members, and members of the public in a diverse population.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills; experience with records security, student information systems, and web-based information systems preferred.