School Counselor/School Adjustment Counselor

JOB DESCRIPTIONGARDNER PUBLIC SCHOOLS POSITION: School Adjustment Counselor- Secondary Level QUALIFICATIONS: Massachusetts Certificate as School Adjustment CounselorMaster's Degree in counseling or appropriate fieldREPORTS TO: Director of Pupil Personnel Services and Principal JOB GOAL: The role of the School Adjustment Counselor (SAC) is to provide social, emotional, and therapeutic support to students. The SAC facilitates the diagnosis and treatment of student learning, behavioral, and emotional disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, autism, among others. Services may include meetings with parents, teachers, administrators, or community health providers to address concerns that may potentially affect a student's success in school.

The School Adjustment Counselor also works as part of a collaborative counseling team to implement a comprehensive school wide counseling program. PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:Maintains accurate and appropriate records. Collect, analyze, and use data to develop, implement, and evaluate the school counseling programProvides classroom lessons and individual/group counseling for students and ensures that at least 60% of time is devoted to counseling of studentsWorks cooperatively with school counseling team to implement evidenced based practices such as PBIS, CBT, and Trauma Informed CareProvides classroom consultation and in-service to give teachers and administrators in the school information, strategies, and evidence based approaches for maximizing the total development of studentsWork cooperatively with students, teachers, and other appropriate staff to ensure trainings on specific topics such as bullying, substance use prevention, and suicide prevention are provided to teachers and studentsParticipates on transition team for students transferring into the school as re-entry from hospitalization to facilitate a positive adjustment and provides transitional counseling as neededMeetings with families and staff to address needs and services for students on caseload and other cases as identified by building principalClosely working with state agencies such as DYS, DCF, and the juvenile court probation service in providing services for students and families, as well as assisting in tracking of studentsAssist in development of Functional Behavioral AssessmentsDevelop behaviors plans for students with IEP's and 504's, as neededDevelop and implement IEP goals as it pertains to counseling, and participate in team meetingsAct as student's education liaison for student with IEP services delivered solely by SACAttend and provide input at all appropriate scheduled IEP, 504, RTI meetingsAssist with the Crisis Team for the school systemServes on school wide MTSS SEL teamsCollaborate with wrap-around servicesProvide crisis response and risk assessment with students in acute crisis, as determined by school principalPrepare school reports to and for the Director, Principals, and other administrators as neededAttend district committees/meetings as determined by the Director or administrationOTHER DUTIES:Maintains professional competence by attending staff development programs, and other professional activities.Performs any other related duties as assigned by the Director of Pupil Personnel Services or other appropriate administrator.TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: School Year plus professional development daysSALARY AND BENEFITS: As per MTA/GEA contractEVALUATION: As per MTA/GEA contract ____________________________School Adjustment Counselor