School Counselor - 2024-2025 - (MLK, Jr. Charter School of Excellence K-5)
"Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School of Excellence (MLKCSE) prepares kindergarten-through-5th grade students of Springfield for academic success and engaged citizenship through insistence on rigorous, challenging work. The school incorporates Dr. King's commitment to the highest standards in scholarship, civic participation and the ideal of the beloved community.
MLKCSE is looking for a school counselor who is passionate about promoting social justice through educational equity - someone who deeply believes that all children can learn and be academically successful with access to a quality education
Description
A Counselor at MLKCSE works collaboratively with the Administration, Culture, Academic, and Operations teams to ensure that all students demonstrate dramatic student achievement gains and internalize our school's values. The Counselor helps lead the school's efforts to maintain a joyful, highly structured, consistent, caring, and routinized school culture. They help proactively maximize students' time on learning.
Responsibilities

• Support a positive school environment
• Provide preventive interventions to deal with emotional issues impacting on a student's academic achievement, e.g. trauma.
• Proactively circulating throughout classrooms and common areas during the day, to gain valuable context on student behavior and help support positive school culture
• Assist students referred out of class for unsafe or disruptive behavior and provides them with a safe space to de-escalate, refocus, and reintegrate as quickly as possible
• Model, train, and encourage students to utilize replacement behaviors
• Conduct individual and small group meetings
• Communicate clearly, effectively, and professionally with students, families, and colleagues, while maintaining appropriate levels of confidentiality
• Meet regularly with academic and student service team members to most effectively work together to support student success
• Development and implementation of goal-focused treatment plans based on assessment
• Provide and/or coordinate clinical services, that enable students and families to identify and change behaviors that interfere with students' academic, emotional and social performance
• Ensure equity for all students and families and value diversity of the school environment and community
• Attend weekly supervision, all required staff meetings, professional development, and clinical rounds
• Offer monthly parent and teacher training around supporting students with complex emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges
• Engage in professional development activities and remain current on best practices in the field
• Adhere to professional and ethical standards of professional behavior that contribute to addressing the needs of students and families
• Maintain accurate record keeping and documentation
• Consistently meet our school expectations for professionalism and fulfill required responsibilities in a timely and professional manner
• Services offered by Adjustment Counselor include, but are not limited to:
  • 504 coordination
  • Individual and small group counseling
  • Peer mediation
  • Bullying prevention
  • Social Skills groups
  • Parent Consultations
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Conduct FBAs
• Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Executive Director

Required Qualifications

• Strong understanding of techniques of consultation, referral, collaboration, crisis intervention and working with interdisciplinary teams
• Experience working in a school setting preferred
• Strong working knowledge of behavioral principles
• Knowledge of theories of psychopathology and of individual, group, family dynamics, and interventions
• Knowledge of federal and state laws related to schools, services to students, child abuse, and custody alongside an understanding of the implications of liability and requirements of due process
• Understanding of clinical and therapeutic intervention models, such as cognitive behavior therapy, collaborative problem solving, social thinking preferred
• Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college/university
• Required MA License (certification): Initial or Professional School Counselor/School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Social Work or Counseling
• Two or more years working with students in an elementary or middle school
• Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)
• Valid MA License School/Guidance/Adjustment Counselor
• Bilingual (Spanish) candidates strongly encouraged to apply

Salary from $55,000.00
Salary is competitive and based on experience and education.
Our community and students are diverse, and we are committed to reflecting that diversity in our staff. We strive to have the most diverse applicant pool possible and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply for any position at MLKCSE. By fostering a diverse and inclusive environment, we provide the best educational experience to prepare our students for a future reflective of the world we live in.