Student Support Associate / Guidance Counselor Job Opening

The Student Support Associate (SSA) maintains an important and effective place in the school. The SSA is uniquely positioned to provide school-wide services and small-group support that directly impact classroom environment and instruction, behavior and collegiality, student health and safety, family support, and community relations.

Direct services include individual student assessment, counseling referral, and student-specific input and collaboration with other faculty. This position also includes student specific input during Intervention and Referral Services, Child Study Team Meetings, and individualized education meetings. Additional services include individual conferencing concerning classroom dynamics and management and student review with teachers, parents, guidance consultants, child study team members, administrators and in some cases students.

School-wide services include the facilitation of staff in-service and student education on state-mandated topics including substance abuse, suicide, physical/sexual abuse, and sexual harassment policies. Also the delivery of group and small group education addressing social anxiety and school refusal, self-harm, and bullying for all School age children. The SSA is equipped to develop and implement, with support, school crisis response plans in the event of catastrophic emotional events that could impact multiple students and staff. The SSA acts as a liaison with community agencies as a regular participant in local and county meetings and on-going communication with local law enforcement officials.

Qualifications:

• Possesses a minimum of two years’ experience as a teacher, guidance counselor, SAC, BCBA, BCaBA, or school social worker.
• Has demonstrated successful experience in curriculum development, group counseling/support and staff development.
• Demonstrates ability to work effectively with students of all ages, staff, parents, outside agencies and community groups.
• Completes required criminal history check and has proof of U.S. citizenship or legal resident alien status.
• Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board of Directors may find appropriate and acceptable.

Report to: Behaviorist and Founding Director

Job Goals: To provide leadership and guidance in the support of school faculty, staff and students as it relates to Social Anxiety and school refusal, self-harm and suicide, physical/sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying. Develop educational programs to assure all Safe Place terms are understood and adhered to. Remain in touch with and where appropriate involved in related committees sponsored by the local community, county, and state agencies and organizations.

Performance Responsibilities:

Counseling

• Provides short-term group counseling for students with social problems or concerns.
• Provides short-term individual and/or group counseling for “at-risk students” (i.e., substance abuse, loss/grief, anxiety, self-harm, learning issues, self-esteem, bullying).
• Addresses the needs of students in crisis at the request of the Founding Director, learning and mental health consultants, and faculty.
• Provides intervention, recommendations for referral, and follow-up support for those students placed in out-patient or residential programs.
• Works in cooperation with a treatment facility, counselors, parents, school personnel and students in developing and following through with the aftercare plan for students placed in residential or out-patient programs.
• Facilitates conferences with parents or child’s guardian to review, discuss and or appropriate steps and stages of intervention and options.
• Promotes a proactive approach for students in abstaining from substance use, self-harm, and bullying through the implementation of a variety of programs and activities.

Staff Consultation

• Serves as a resource to school personnel addressing a concern for students regarding substance abuse, social anxiety, and school refusal, self-harm and suicide, physical/sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying issues and the availability of training programs, both in and outside of school.
• Assists with the development and annual review of policies and procedures regarding substance abuse, social anxiety and school refusal, self-harm and suicide, physical/sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying, and recommend changes to the administration.
• Assists the administration in the implementation of related policies.
• Provides leadership in the development, revision, implementation, and coordination of the Health Curriculum. Assists in ensuring that state mandates are incorporated into this curriculum.
• Assists in the identification and review of instructional materials for possible purchase and use.

Student and Parent Orientation

• Provides information to students and parents concerning the Student Support Program.
• Attends the Back-To-School Night and Community Forums to meet parents and disseminate information about the Student Support Program.
• Meets with students during designated times to familiarize them with the Student Support Program.
• Plans and implements, in cooperation with appropriate school personnel and community agencies, parent education programs related to awareness of trends and concerns in the areas of substance abuse, social anxiety, and school refusal, self-harm and suicide, physical/sexual abuse, sexual harassment, technology addiction, and bullying.
• Assists in the coordination of supplemental programs and guest speakers for student awareness and support.

Record Keeping/Reporting

• Maintains confidential records concerning students and student contacts in accordance with federal and state law and school policy.
• Provides monthly and annual summary reports to the Founding Director, individualized education team members, and consultants of activities related to the job description
• Supplies other data to the administration as requested.

Assessment

• Develops and coordinates a referral system and intervention services for early identification of students who are at-risk for demonstrating symptoms related to substance abuse, social anxiety and school refusal, self-harm and suicide, physical/sexual abuse, sexual harassment, technology addition, and bullying.
• Coordinates a referral system with local, state and other services, providers or agencies.
• Assesses students’ drug/alcohol/substance involvement, makes the appropriate referral to treatment facilities when necessary.
• Assists the administration in assessing at-risk issues.
• Assesses the school’s prevention/intervention programs on an annual basis and makes recommendations.
• During the intake process for new students, evaluate student documents to assess proper support needs for incoming students (IEPs, evaluations, etc.).

Professional Development

• Maintains professional standards through readings, attendance at conferences, workshops, memberships in professional organizations and other relevant activities in accordance with district guidelines.
• Maintains a continuing review of statutes and codes related to substance abuse, social anxiety, and school refusal, self-harm and suicide, physical/sexual abuse, sexual harassment, technology addiction, and bullying.
• Assists in the design, implementation, and coordination of staff development related to same.
• Assists in providing in-service for all teachers and staff.
• Provides training for school staff in intervention and referral procedures.

School and Community Relations

• Serves as a member of or participates in the community-based Drug and Alcohol, bullying or other related task force or alliance, to facilitate the liaison between school and community.
• Provides coordination of school-based prevention programs with community-based prevention programs.
• Develops program awareness through active participation as a school liaison to appropriate community, county and state groups and organizations in accordance with district procedures.
• Works in cooperation with resources available within the school (i.e. child study team, consultants, nurses, etc.)
• Strives to establish cooperative relations and makes reasonable effort to communicate with parents as necessary.
• Coordinates the activities and training of the faculty, including paraprofessionals and aides.
• Cooperates and shares professionally with members of the staff.
• Develops grant applications to obtain program funding from various federal, state and other sources.
• Maintains and regularly updates a directory of referral services to be utilized in crisis situations affecting students.
• Serves as a member of the school-community Crisis Intervention Team.

Other Assigned Duties

• Performs such other tasks and assumes such other responsibilities as may be assigned by the Founding Director.
• Facilitate the Student Judicial Committee.

Terms of Employment: Work year and salary to be determined by the Board of Directors

Evaluation: Performance of this job will be evaluated annually in accordance with the provisions of the School’s Policy on Evaluation of Professional Staff.

Equal Employment: It is the policy of Voyagers’ Community School to provide equal employment opportunities by which the school will recruit, employ and train all qualified individuals. This policy provides employment opportunities regardless of race, age, color, religion, sex, national origin, creed, disabled veteran status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or any status protected by Federal, State, or local law. Employees of Voyagers’ School are hired on the basis of training, experience, and personal qualifications.

Job Type: Full-time

Experience:

• Counselling or related: 3 years (Required)

License:

• BCBA (Preferred)