Alliance for Catholic Education
Duration: 12-month contract – 10 month work/school year schedule-extra days
Reporting to: Director of The Wellness Center
FLSA: exempt/contract employee
Schedule: Monday through Friday (plus scheduled events)
Hours: 7:50 am to 3:20 pm
Mission:
Rooted in the Catholic, Dominican tradition, St. Agnes Academy challenges young women through exceptional academic preparation and transformational experiences to lead with integrity, joy, and a commitment to social justice.
Faith, Community, and Dominican Charism
· Ensure that the four pillars of a Dominican education (prayer, study, community, preaching) are developed and promoted among the school community.
· Develop an active faith community and models Christian values.
· Support prayer and spiritual formation within the student, faculty/staff and parent communities.
· Uphold and implement the Dominican charism and the Houston Dominican Sisters congregational goals.
· Demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion by honoring the dignity of each member of the St. Agnes Academy community.
Job Purpose:
The purpose of the wellness counselor is to serve as a student, parent and community support and advocacy representative in the areas of academic, social, emotional, mental health and well-being as it relates to student success in a school setting. Wellness Counselors help deliver a school counseling program that improves student outcomes. Counselors connect their work goals to student success and the to the school’s academic mission and improvement plan. Counselor provides short-term counseling in the school as a non-clinical setting.
The main responsibilities will include:
· Provide short-term school focused social, emotional support for grade level assigned students in either 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade levels, as well as freshman caseload.
· Recognize when to refer out for long term support, as we do not operate as therapists within a school.
· Build rapport with grade level caseload and serve as their social/ emotional and or academic support.
· Advocate, develop and implement school wide programming for students on social and emotional growth?and creatively offer ideas for stress management, balance and well-being.
· Develop and implement groups lessons and programming for your assigned grade level.
· Provide presentations, programming and coaching for parent community.
· Provide guidance and offer support to faculty and staff regarding student concerns.
· Facilitate, in conjunction with Director of The Wellness Center, “Freshman Seminar” program, a one semester course that helps transition students into our community through social/emotional lessons.
· With the support of the Academic Dean’s office, Director of The Wellness Center and The Director of The Student Success Center identify tiered academic interventions for assigned students to help student achievement.
· Advocate for students academically, socially, or emotionally with proper constituents in student-focused meetings.
· Lead and advocate for equity and access for all students school-wide.
· Offer support/process groups throughout the year.
· Provide crisis intervention for students and families, advise administration and teaching staff on student academic needs in time of crisis.
· Partner with Dean of Students office in discipline cases that necessitate social, emotional follow- up and case management.
· Advise, inform admin, faculty/staff about developmental needs and characteristics of adolescence.
· Support office of Academic Dean with 9th grade registration and course planning.
· Collaborate with the college counseling department with shared grade levels.
· Cultivate relationships in the mental health community of Houston and surrounding areas/refer out when applicable.
· Maintain a membership to the American School Counseling Association or membership to a professional organization.
· Uphold the ethical and professional standards of ASCA to promote the development of the school counseling program based on the ASCA National Model.
· Participate in the CREST accreditation process or accreditation processes for the program in the future.
· Uphold professional goals and growth as it relates to your work and the school mission.
· Collect and document data on services provided during the year.
· Attend a grade level retreat.
· Other duties as it relates to the position and as assigned.
· Additional days in June/July, as determined annually by the Director of The Wellness Center. Extra summer days are included in salary.
Requirements
Qualifications:
· Complete Virtus Training
· Complete Human Sexuality Training
· Commitment to embracing the mission of St. Agnes Academy
· Master’s degree in either Counseling or Social Work required
· Must have experience working with diverse student populations
· Strong public speaking skills
· Work experience in a school setting
· Proficiency in Microsoft Office required
· Strong work ethic with the ability to manage multiple, and occasionally simultaneous, deadlines and projects
· Excellent judgment, confidentiality, discretion, and diplomacy.
· Excellent verbal and written communication skills
· Ability to work independently as well as a team member; ability to set priorities and schedules to meet deadlines with minimum of supervision?Meticulous organizational and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail
· Strong interpersonal skills in relating to multiple audiences, including students, parents, and educators with grace, competence, and warmth
· Strong self-care skills
Preferred Qualifications:
· Teaching experience
· School counseling certificate
· Fully licensed LPC, LCSW, LMSW
Work Environment:
St. Agnes Academy is committed to hiring, developing, and retaining a diverse and highly competent faculty and staff.
This job operates in a professional/educational environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit at desk area, communicate via phone/face to face, basic email correspondence, walk to different office areas, reach with hands and arms, and lifting up to 50 lbs. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and other technology.