Guidance Counselor, BEAM Discovery

BEAM for Summer Roles•Los Angeles, NY

14h•Onsite

About The Position

Embark on a life-changing summer as a Guidance Counselor with Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM), a program dedicated to empowering bright, underserved students to discover the world of enrichment math. Whether in Los Angeles or in New York City, you’ll play a vital role in creating a supportive, inspiring, and transformative environment for middle schoolers exploring their love of learning. This is a chance to make a lasting impact on students as they navigate an exciting yet challenging new chapter. By fostering connections, addressing emotional needs, and helping build a thriving community, you’ll be instrumental in ensuring students flourish both socially and academically.

Requirements

Having an MSW degree and/or a social work license.
Having a degree in counseling and/or counseling certification.
In the absence of such formal training, 3+ years of counseling work history.

Nice To Haves

Prior work experience with middle school students.
Prior work experience with students in LA or NYC public schools or serving students from a comparable background.
Fluency in Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Korean, or another language commonly spoken by BEAM’s LA families or NYC families.
Experience running training workshops for adults.
Mediation training and/or experience.
Restorative justice training and/or experience.
Interest in mathematics and/or broader curiosity about learning new things.

Responsibilities

Complete required BEAM onboarding, including background checks and a mix of asynchronous and synchronous virtual training.
Read and internalize the BEAM Leadership Handbook and engage with BEAM’s full-time staff in virtual meetings to understand the various components of running a BEAM camp.
Site Directors are allowed to make selected customizations for their camp and are expected to create a site-specific Leadership Handbook that documents such customizations and can be shared with the other leaders.
Participate in virtual meetings with the other members of the Leadership Team to start building a collaborative leadership community and to prepare for “Pre-camp Week.”
Attend the leadership retreat day
Facilitate team-building activities
Lead a training of your design to prepare staff for working with middle school students
Support the setup of the facilities (signage, supplies, room assignments, etc.) in preparation for student arrival
Support the leadership team in establishing a set of working norms and communication expectations among one another and staff, especially regarding communication about student 1-1 support needs.
Build relationships with students from the start of the program, opening lines of trust with them during non-academic activities.
Support students in addressing common challenges (especially those who experience shyness or anxiety).
Assess student needs and recommend next steps.
Lead mediation (student/student or student/staff).
Implement restorative justice processes.
Implement behavior contracts.
With other leadership staff, make calls home to keep families informed.
Serve on a 5-person leadership team (along with the Site Director, Associate Site Director, Academic Director, and Director of Student Life) to ensure the program runs smoothly.
Provide advice to this group and handle the next steps that you are best suited to handle.
Guide other staff as they work to address and support mental health and other student needs.
Review daily attendance records.
Implement attendance next steps (including calls home by you or office staff for unexpected absences).
Lead an activity of your choice daily with students (such as sports, arts & crafts, board games).
Staff the main office and answer student questions.
Eat breakfast and lunch with students (except when this is the best time to meet with a student one-on-one).
Organize daily afternoon snack distribution.
(Occasionally) cover the responsibilities of counselors due to staff absences, including covering additional activities or supporting Open Math Time.
Accompany students on field trips.
foster a supportive attitude towards students' math learning, which you could do by visiting students in classes, inquiring about their learning or growth, or simply displaying curiosity about the math in the program.