Middle School Counselor

MS School Counselor – Job Description

The Middle School Counselor supports the mental health and social-emotional needs of the Sinai Akiba sixth through the eighth grade school community, focusing primarily on students. The MS Counselor performs classroom and playground observations; develops written behavior plans in collaboration with classroom and learning specialists; coordinates efforts with the Director of Student Services and Division Directors; performs crisis intervention and brief individual and/or family therapy; conducts staff-development sessions; and maintains ongoing communication with outside therapists. The larger goal is to maintain as wide a range of students with special learning or emotional needs within the school. The Middle School Counselor reports to the Middle School Director.

 Teachers and Specialists:

• At the beginning of the school year, provide information and advice to teachers regarding their new students.
• Throughout the school year, advise teachers and specialists regarding social, emotional, behavioral and/or academic needs of their students.
• Guide and collaborate with teachers in developing individual and/or classroom intervention plans, accommodations and modifications.
• Conduct meetings with grade level JS (Judaic Studies)/GS (General Studies) teaching partners to develop consistent support plans for individual students or for classwide concerns.
• Help teachers plan for parent communication by phone or in person.

Administration:

• Maintain ongoing communication with administrators regarding individual student challenges, progress, accomplishments, parent communication, etc.
• Advise administrators regarding internal and external issues affecting the mental health of students (e.g., divorce, cliques and bullying, emergency aftermath, etc.).
• Advise and collaborate with administrators to resolve conflicts between staff members.

Student Services Team:

• Meet with Lower School Counselor to learn about students who are coming up from the Lower School in order to articulate their needs to the MS division.
• Coordinate student support with the Director of Student Services.
• Participate in Student Services Team meetings.
• Join Student Success Meetings with colleagues and with students’ families to share observations and recommendations.
• In collaboration with the Director of Student Services, maintain up-to-date information regarding students with behavioral/emotional needs, including students’ neuro-psych, psycho-ed, IEP, and 504 reports.
• Make referrals to outside services or professionals, and maintain communication with them as they work with students and families.

Students:

• Observe individual students and classes as a whole.
• Monitor progress of students throughout the year, in collaboration with the Middle School Director and Director of Student Services.
• Develop home and school behavior plans in consultation with administrators, parents, teachers, and students (e.g., a morning routine plan, a homework plan).
• Provide crisis intervention and short-term individual therapy.
• Consult with students regarding social, emotional, behavioral and/or academic issues.

Parents:

• Consult with parents in order to provide support and suggestions.
• Deliver crisis intervention and short-term individual therapy.
• Make referrals for individual or family therapy.
• Conduct Parent Association workshops on relevant subjects.
• As-needed, lead parent education sessions to address students’ developmental and/or social-emotional needs.

 Curriculum and Instruction:

• Conduct faculty workshops on relevant topics regarding learning, behavioral, social and emotional issues (e.g., language, attention, social cognition).
• Collaborate with teachers in the development and implementation of lesson plans to address social and learning-related issues.
• Work with the LS School Counselor to develop a school-wide wellness curriculum.

Time: Full time