Evening Mental Health Counselor (Part-Time)

Description

Please note that this Part-Time position will be 8-16 hours per week in the evening at $50/hour.

School Profile

The SEED School of Maryland is a statewide, public, college-preparatory boarding school that opened in August 2008. The school educates and boards 400 students in grades six through twelve. The SEED School is an extraordinary educational opportunity for students across the state to receive a tuition-free, college-preparatory, boarding education.

The SEED School of Maryland combines a rigorous and engaging academic curriculum with life skills and enrichment activities to provide students with a thoughtfully balanced learning and living experience. Students and their families commit to a seven-year educational program that offers small class sizes, high quality teaching and learning experiences, mentoring, community service, and extracurricular activities such as sports and arts.

The SEED School is centered around its character values: compassion, growth, gratitude, perseverance, integrity, respect for oneself and others, and responsibility. The SEED School staff are in partnership with parents, families, and communities to guide and support student success. The school follows a typical academic school year calendar.

SEED Network

SEED is the pioneering national network of public, college-preparatory boarding schools, offering a unique 24-hour, 5-day per week learning environment. Our tuition-free schools, the first of their kind in the U.S., are intentionally designed to serve traditionally underserved students. Supported by The SEED Foundation, we operate in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Miami, and Los Angeles. The Foundation's College Transition & Success (CTS) team provides comprehensive support to SEED graduates from junior year through college graduation. SEED's success has gained recognition from media outlets like 60 Minutes and The New York Times, and former President Obama has lauded it as "a true success story." Learn more at www.seedfoundation.com.

Position Summary

The SEED School of Maryland is seeking a part-time mental health counselor to provide counseling, prevention and intervention services to students, primarily during after-school/dormitory hours. Along with other members of the Student Support team, this Mental Health Counselor identifies and provides developmentally appropriate supports to students, with the goal of increasing self-esteem, raising student expectations for achievement, enhancing life and social-skills development, and promoting The SEED School character values. The Mental Health Counselor also provides appropriate mental health intervention that will promote student success and academic persistence during The SEED School enrollment and after graduation.   

This position reports to the Director of Student Support.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Mental Health Counselor will provide:

Direct Student Mental Health and Counseling Services

• Serve as a primary source of mental health support during the Student Life Program hours (Monday – Thursday between 4-9 pm).
• Provide psychoeducation sessions for identified cohorts in various grades
• Provide support in crisis situations (e.g., students expressing suicidal ideation, risk to others, or self-harm). 
• Collaborate with the Student Support Team (Director of Student Support, Mental Health Lead, School Psychologist, School      Counselors, Social Workers, and Deans of Students), as well as Student Life Managers and Directors to determine best practices for clinical intervention, student growth, and academic success. 
• Develop and assist with the implementation of effective strategies to support healthy emotional, behavioral, and academic      functioning for students within the Student Life Program. 
• Assist students in developing long-term academic, career, life planning, personal, and interpersonal goals.

Administrative

• Maintain appropriate clinical documentation 
• Collect and submit accurate and timely data 

Crisis Intervention/Emergency Management

• Provide crisis intervention and management of mental health emergencies for all students during the Student Life Program, as      needed, with support from Mental Health Lead. 

Professionalism/Professional Development

• Attend staff meetings, professional development, in-service programs, and other school-sponsored events as scheduled by the      Student Support Team when schedule permits.
• Work within an academic interdisciplinary environment with teachers, special educators, parents, Student Life staff, and other      specialists to best meet the social, emotional, behavioral, and academic needs of SEED Maryland students.
• Maintain licensure requirements.  
• Complete regular self-evaluations as part of performance review with supervisor.
• Participate in ongoing professional development programming for staff. 
• Assist with development of relevant trainings for staff as needed. 
• Commitment to self-care and social support as a model for students and colleagues.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Student Support.
• Ability and willingness to be flexible within an innovative boarding school environment that requires the coordination of multiple professional tasks, agendas, and priorities 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:

Experience and Education

• Master’s Degree or equivalent working experience in counseling, or social work, or related field. 
• Maryland Licensed Professional Counselor or Social Worker (LGPC, LMSW minimum required licensure).
• 2-3 years of direct experience in adolescent and family counseling, residential/boarding education, college-preparatory academic settings, counseling/psychology, and/or related fields. 

Expectations

• Commitment and alignment to The SEED School mission, vision, and belief that all children can succeed socially and academically with the appropriate support. 
• Expansive understanding of adolescent development and the bio-psychosocial characteristics, needs, and strengths of students 12-18
• Ability to manage stressful crisis situations with a calm, solution-oriented professionalism
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a range of ages
• Commitment to professionalism, excellence, and high expectations for students and faculty
• Ability and willingness to be flexible within an innovative boarding school environment that requires the coordination of multiple professional tasks, agendas, and priorities 
• Excellent communication skills, both one-on-one and in group settings 
• Clear judgment
• A strong conceptual grasp of academic discipline and social emotional competence
• Considerable knowledge of multicultural issues and gender based academic concerns 
• Knowledge of procedures and policies for addressing learning differences and ensuring appropriate access to the educational curriculum for students with varied learning styles 
• Working knowledge of instructional technologies