School Adjustment Counselor OR School Psychologist, Anticipated Opening

Anticipated Opening School Adjustment Counselor OR School Psychologist

Responsible to: Building Principal(s), Director of Counseling and Psychological Services

Primary Functions:

The Dedham Public Schools seeks to hire a 1.0 mental health provider. A DESE licensed School Adjustment Counselor or School Psychologist is preferred. The primary role consists of providing effective services to help children and adolescents succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. It is expected that the school adjustment counselor or school psychologist will provide direct educational and mental health services for students, respond to crises, and improve family-school collaboration.

Qualifications:

• A Master’s degree in Social Work, School Adjustment Counseling, or School Psychologist
• General knowledge of regulations and procedures stipulated in the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
• General knowledge of regulations and procedures stipulated in the American Disabilities Act (ADA) with emphasis on Section 504.
• Demonstrated knowledge and completion of a variety of formal assessment techniques.
• Successful completion of QBS/SafetyCare training preferred.

• Effective organizational and interpersonal skills; strong ability to work collaboratively with administrators, colleagues, parents/guardians, and others in the delivery of effective services.
• Familiar with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) teaching model and PBIS preferred.

Details:

Direct Service

• Conduct individual and small group counseling sessions with students with a focus on skill building.
• Assist students with processing personal problems, plan goals and action; promote positive behaviors.
• In formal and informal settings, meet with parents and teachers to discuss learning, behavioral, familial and social problems.
• Conduct classroom observations of students using time-sampling and event recording procedures.
• Develop, implement, and collect data to evaluate individual behavioral interventions.
• Promote family-school collaboration by creating behavior communication systems between teachers and parents, and facilitate implementation.
• Participate in special education, DCAP, and 504 meetings with parents/guardians, and staff members.
• Participate in the development of IEPs for identified students, and adhere to IEP regulations regarding family communication and progress reporting.

Assessment/Pre-referral

• Participate in building-based Student Assistant Team (SATs).
• Support pre-referral activities by completing screenings and applying Response to Intervention (RtI) strategies.
• • Complete comprehensive evaluations and re-evaluations comprised of standardized testing, social, emotional, and behavioral assessments, classroom observations, and student interviews. Maintain and manage assessment materials.
  • Score, interpret, and report cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional assessments.

• 
  Specific for School Psychologist applicants

Referral and Consultation

• Evaluate, support and advise school disciplinary practices for students.
• Meet regularly with educators, administrators, and related service providers regarding issues and concerns around student needs.
• Routinely participate in programmatic staff meetings.
• Research, create and implement behavioral management techniques.
• Consult and collaborate with teachers, staff members, and administrators to create individual and class-wide interventions.
• Counsel parents/guardians on topics such as bullying prevention, substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, and mental health issues as requested.
• Refer students and families to appropriate outpatient and community-based agencies for support.

Professional Expectations

• Attend faculty meetings/in-services/professional development activities as requested.
• Support and participate in all mandated DESE monitoring activities as requested; complete educational forms and reports as directed by the school, and/or local educational agency.

Other

• Carries out any other appropriate responsibilities assigned.