FRAMINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MARY E. STAPLETON ELEMENTARY 

TITLE:

Adjustment Counselor - Therapeutic Learning Center

2024-2025 School Year

POSITION SUMMARY:

To provide services to address the social and emotional barriers to student achievement; to assist students with academic learning by providing strategic services that identify and address the social-emotional concerns and environmental issues that interfere with the educational process; to work with parents/guardians, school principal, and community based resources to implement strategies that promote students’ positive school adjustment; and to provide services to help develop age-appropriate skills and promote social, emotional, and academic growth in children in the school setting in order to deliver Framingham Public Schools’ high expectations for achievement, equal access to high levels of instruction, the achievement of academic proficiency for all students, and the closing of the opportunity gap among subgroups within the schools.

OUR MISSION:

Framingham Public Schools is committed to excellence for all students. Our mission statement guides our work: Through a comprehensive education, we aim to create and empower free-thinking, responsible citizens who can participate equally in our rich and diverse community. FPS and the community stand united in our core values: Providing a safe, inclusive, culturally responsive teaching and learning environment; Engaging antiracist and responsible civic advocates; Respecting diversity of thought, learners, cultures, and community; Fostering learning and healthy growth of all students and staff; Ensuring every school will be an active, participatory, equitable community.

Diversity among teachers undoubtedly advances the academic achievement of students. Compliance obligations establish a baseline which we seek to exceed. As a district, Framingham Public Schools is committed to achieving, developing, and maintaining a workforce reflective of the rich racial, linguistic, and cultural diversity of our students. Framingham Public Schools aims to teach our children, and ourselves, to be culturally proficient and inclusive in order to live, learn, and work together in a vibrant and diverse world.

Indeed, Framingham Public Schools is committed to inspiring our school community to be accepting and willing to learn from individuals with differing backgrounds. Our goal is to reflect the diverse community we serve and create a great place to work for everyone by embracing the individual skills, perspectives, and experiences our people bring to the workplace and harnessing these for high performance and improved service delivery. We want our employees to feel included, valued, and respected and have access to equal opportunity, which supports full participation at work. Framingham Public Schools seeks to retain the diverse talent in our workforce and support our people to maintain a long and productive working career.

Framingham Public Schools is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment and strongly encourages applications from persons with disabilities and who identify as members of historically underrepresented groups.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATIONS:

Current and valid MA DESE as a School Social Worker/Guidance Counselor. Please note that licensure requirements are subject to change at the discretion of DESE.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Experience supporting students in the academic, social/emotional, and career domains. Excellent interpersonal skills. Experience working collaboratively with teachers, administrators, support staff, parents/community, and outside agencies.

Framingham Public Schools seeks candidates whose background, teaching, or service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging in all aspects of education. Also, we are interested in candidates who will bring to their professional practice the perspective that comes from a non-traditional educational background or an understanding of the experiences of those underrepresented in the educational field.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustration of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee, and is subject to change by the employer, as the needs of the employer and the requirements of the job change.

Students

• Identify and assess academic and behavioral concerns through analysis of factors impacting student adjustment including factors in the home, school, and community
• Develop and implement measurable goals and objectives which address student’s social/emotional needs (related to school adjustment)
• Provide individual and group therapeutic counseling to students
• Assist students in identifying, modifying and/or changing behavior that interferes with achievement and school adjustment
• Provide strategies and preventative interventions for clinical issues related to all school-age children, including issues surrounding substance abuse, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, violence, health, and changes in the family system
• Provide individual and/or group counseling as appropriate, utilizing knowledge of principles of therapeutic relationships, personal and systemic change, and use of self in a problem-solving relationship
• Serve as in-building liaison/coordinator for McKinney-Vento students
• Convene re-entry meetings for students returning to school from a treatment facility to ease the transition back to an academic setting

Staff/School

• Provide strategies, support and resources to assist teachers manage social/emotional issues in the classroom
• Collaborate with school staff and other school district personnel in implementing strategies to promote student learning
• Provide crisis intervention services
• Conduct classroom meetings, psycho-educational social skills groups, and classroom presentations on identified areas of concern for the students
• Participate as a member on school based teams to develop interventions for promoting students’ academic success
• Provide staff consultation to support and promote student participation in the learning process
• Attend/convene SCAN meetings as needed; file reports with the Department of Children and Families when necessary
• Serve as the school’s liaison to the Department of Children and Families
• Provide data collection, assessment and intervention in response to referrals from teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, students, families and community agencies

Family/Community

• Serve as liaison between families and the school to positively promote collaborative processes in educational planning for students by encouraging family participation in the school setting
• Determine and implement appropriate therapeutic strategies to effect changes in behavioral and social interactions of students and their families
• Help students’ families to identify strengths and weaknesses which promote or interfere with students’ functioning
• Consult and collaborate with outside agencies and hospitals
• Refer students and/or families to appropriate community agencies
• Act as a resource person for students, families and staff regarding any adjustment or social/emotional related problems
• Increase the understanding of teachers, parents, and others in the community of the causes for the problems that students may have
• Serve as a liaison with Psychiatric Emergency Services, District juvenile court, and all outside treatment facilities, as appropriate
• Provide assessment and intervention in response to referrals from teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, students, families and community agencies. Identify problem behaviors and develop strategies for intervention. Refer students and families to outside treatment as necessary
• Provide consultation for faculty, administration and families

Management

• Maintain comprehensive records of student progress
• Ensure the security and maintenance of clinical confidentiality at all times
• Complete all reports in relation to IEP goals and progress monitoring for students with special needs
• Fulfill special education responsibilities including: member of evaluation team and home assessments

Other

• All other responsibilities as assigned by the Building Principal

PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Must be required to move about and may be required to traverse occasionally throughout the school building;
• Must often remain in a stationary position for considerable periods of time;
• Is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and sit, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; 
• Is expected to lift at least 20 lbs (i.e. books, school supplies, etc.);
• Must frequently use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and use hand strength to grasp tools; 
• Must be able to assist students who have physical difficulties;
• Operate a computer and other office productivity machinery (i.e., a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer);
• Must be able to input information into a computer and as well as read material from a computer monitor as well as handwritten or printed matter with or without visual aids;
• Must be able to communicate effectively with students, parents, and other staff members in person, via email, and on the telephone;
• In the classroom, must be able to see and hear on a continuous basis in order to ensure the safety of students as well as speak frequently to provide instruction;
• Must be able to assist students who have physical difficulties;
• May be required to move quickly across even or uneven surfaces;
• Working in a normal school environment with an acceptable level of noise;
• Must interact with students, parents, and other staff members;
• Must be able to kneel, sit, stand, crawl, push, and pull to assist and teach children throughout the day;
• Is directly responsible for the safety, well-being, and work output of students;
• Must be able to interact with students, parents, and other staff members and occasionally must meet multiple demands from several people;
• While the majority of the workday is spent inside, must spend time outdoors for recess, fire drills, and special activities;
• May be exposed to bodily fluids, disease, or pathogens; 
• May receive unintentional injuries from aggressive students; and
• May be required some degree of physical interaction with students who have difficulty controlling physical behavior.

REPORTS TO:

Building Principal and the Director of Health and Wellness.  The performance of this job will be evaluated as per the Framingham Teachers Association (Unit A) Contract.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

None.

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) CLASSIFICATION:

This position is classified as Exempt (Professional).

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

Covered under the Framingham Teachers Association (Unit A) Contract. Please note that the District reserves the right to transfer all personnel among buildings on an as needed basis to serve the best interests of all students as long as this does not conflict with the Framingham Teachers Association (Unit A) Contract.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Framingham Teachers Association Contract

Click here for more information about our amazing benefits! 

Framingham Public Schools provides equal employment. opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Framingham Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the District has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Framingham Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, ancestry, marital status, or veteran status.

Rev. 2023