Middle School Counselor (2025-26)

Title: Middle School Counselor

Reports to: Middle School Division Head

Desired Credentials: Master’s Degree in Counseling, LMFT, LCSW, or LPCC with 4 years of working in schools, strongly preferred.

Primary Responsibilities: Serve as the primary point of contact for parents, guardians, faculty, and administrators about the social-emotional well-being and mental health of girls in Grades 5-8.

Hours/Classification: Full-Time Exempt; In-Person 

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Expectation of Employee Civility and Commitment

The Hamlin School seeks to hire employees who will support and implement the school’s mission and Creed at all times. Hamlin employees are known for being compassionate, collaborative, and dedicated professionals who treat their colleagues and supervisors with respect and who take seriously the daily care of Hamlin students. As such, Hamlin employees pay close attention to the students’ social-emotional wellbeing, their physical and mental health, and their moral development. Hamlin employees are committed to their own personal and professional growth; thus, they pay close attention to the research and innovations that impact their respective fields. All employees are expected to be flexible thinkers and nimble actors in support of the school’s overarching strategic goals and demonstrate a commitment to their colleagues’ success.

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At The Hamlin School, we are committed to a policy of equal employment for all applicants and employees. As part of our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace, we recruit and hire applicants with diverse backgrounds and professional experience that show their commitment to K-8 education and being a contributing member of a learning community. 

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Required Skills and Experience:

• Excellent clinical, interpersonal, and communication skills
• A passion for working with high-achieving girls and their families
• Cultural responsiveness/competence and a demonstrated commitment to anti-bias education
• An open, collaborative approach to working with students, teachers, parents, administrators, and outside care providers
• Experience facilitating conversations and training with Social-Emotional Learning
• Crisis management experience
• A demonstrated commitment to lifelong learning and professional growth

Professional Responsibilities:

1.Counseling

• Supports individual students on a short-term basis and advises families as needed about psychotherapy outside of school
• Provides direct service, including crisis counseling, time-limited interventions, and assessment for triage and referral purposes
• Teaches Health & Wellness, SEL & Sexuality Education in each grade level in collaboration with classroom and science teachers; leads small SEL groups and conflict resolution check-ins with students; and provides support as needed per class
• Supports the scope and sequence for Health & Wellness, SEL & Sexuality Education in the Middle School
• Assesses risk to children and families; works closely with Director of Community Well-being, Middle School Division Head, & Head of School
• Supports faculty with best practices with regard to children’s needs
• Serves as a member of the Student Support Services team
• Remains current on developments in the field (i.e. law & ethics, mandated reporting, and risk assessment)
• Recommends, in close partnership with Director of Community Well-being, full neuropsychological reports, therapy, or medication
• Remains current with laws governing confidentiality as they pertain to children and mental health services in independent schools
• Generates records of recommendations for Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions (RTI model) specific to mental health
• Maintains and updates confidential records & documents (i.e. records of conversation, classroom observations using official notes in Hamlinet)
• Participates on Safety Council & crisis management teams
• Supports guest speakers & does follow up with the children
• Provides counseling around mental health diagnoses with children, families, and faculty
• Files and follows court orders and offers any follow-up needed from outside support services
• Attends monthly Bay Area Counseling meeting

2. Student Life

• Engages fully in co-curricular activities and in the extra-curricular life of the school, with the goal of being known and recognized by students
• Teaches (including lesson planning) Middle School Seminar classes and supports other Seminar teachers with curriculum planning
• Supporting GLCs with advising/SEL curriculum planning

3. Parent Connections

• Consults with parents regarding issues of social and emotional concern for themselves and/or for their daughters
• Attends and participates in meetings with parents, Director of Community Well-being, Middle School Division Head, teachers, and outside student support, such as therapists, learning specialists, doctors, etc.
• In partnership with the administration, supports the continuing education of Hamlin parents (i.e. meetings, the facilitation of parenting groups, recommendations of appropriate books, speakers, workshops)
• Maintains a robust webpage on the HamliNet that includes pertinent information and valuable resources for parent & faculty support

4. Faculty Connections

• Leads and facilitates components of faculty meetings concerning emotional and psychological health and well-being of students and or student support meetings
• Consults with teachers regarding students’ social and emotional needs
• Offers professional development to faculty during division meetings, either in small groups or individually
• Works in partnership with the health and wellness team and Middle School teachers to develop appropriate social and emotional learning tools, incorporating them into the existing Grades 5-8 curriculum.
• Consults with the Director of Community Well-being and Middle School Division Head and faculty regarding clinical and legal matters about the mental health of students
• Maintains and updates protocols for the faculty on responding to students in crisis
• Consults with Middle School Learning Specialist regarding students of concern
• Consults regularly with the Director of Community Well-being and Middle School Division Head
• Meets weekly with Director of Community Well-being and Learning Specialist as the Student Support Services team to discuss and strategize about students of concern
• Works closely with the Lower School Counselor and division heads to coordinate the K-8 program and facilitate student transition and support

Salary : $100,000 - $125,000