Residential Counselor

St. Ann's Home & School • Methuen, MA

4d • $20 - $22 • Onsite

About The Position

St. Ann's Home & School, in Methuen, MA, is a leader in special education and residential programming, offering private day programs, child and adolescent residential services, along with a broad range of outpatient services. We are currently seeking Residential Counselors for our residential program. We are looking for solid individuals who possess the ability to work effectively, collaboratively and respectfully with individuals, care providers, family and community members. Candidates must possess a valid driver’s license. Residential Counselors at St. Ann’s Home are among the most important members of our treatment team, providing day to day support and positive role modeling for emotionally troubled children or adolescents while maintain a nurturing and safe environment. The mission of St. Ann's Home & School is to provide a continuum of assessment, treatment, educational, and community-based services for children, adolescents, and young adults who present with a variety of mental health, emotional, and educational challenges. We seek to provide state-of-the-art programming and services in collaboration with these clients, their families, and other community and state agencies to help them manage their disabilities through our residential, day school, and community outreach programs with the goal of supporting the child in the least restrictive setting.

Requirements

• Minimum of a high school diploma
• Capable of forming appropriate relationships with children
• Able to respond to challenging situations
• Enjoy working with children
• Capacity to modify their concepts and ideas through experience and through formal supervision and training
• High level of responsibility and professional conduct
• Embrace St. Ann’s community values of caring, inclusivity, teamwork, safety, self-care, and integrity.
• Valid driver’s license

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree or an associate degree in human services or a childcare related field

Responsibilities

• Always ensure the safety and well-being of our youth.
• Manage groups, since much of the very active lives of children in the residential program occurs in group settings. Residential Counselors must develop techniques for supervising groups of children in activities which include wake-up, meals, activities, games, free time, and bedtime. These group activities require a great deal of attention and skill for them to be positive experiences for the children.
• Develop the ability to structure and control situations, when necessary, develop understanding and appropriate relationships with children, and the ability to put one’s own feelings in the context of what would be most effective in helping particular children. These skills are gained through effort, questioning, sharing, and sometimes personally difficult experiences.
• Develop one-to-one relationships with children, coming to know the individual personalities of the children, those things which pose difficulties for particular children and those things which provide satisfaction. This knowledge of the children puts the Residential Counselors in a position to make major contributions to each child’s treatment plan in the residential program.
• Carry out more concrete parenting functions such as preparing meals, buying clothing with children, and attending to unit housekeeping and school liaison duties. These functions embody an essential aspect of caring. Residential Counselors will be assigned to any number of unit jobs such as food shopper, clothes shopper, activities liaison, medication liaison, keeping vans clean, tracking residents’ allowances, preparing requisitions for hygiene products and office supplies.
• Staff are required to complete the Department of Public Health’s Medication Administration Program (MAP). The staff must then pass a theoretical knowledge test, and a practical skills demonstration to become certified to administer medication.
• Residential Counselors will be instructed in the preparation of written documentation including service notes and case conference reports, after which they may be required to prepare them on their own.
• While Residential Counselors are initially assigned to a particular unit, they may be transferred to another unit on a temporary or permanent basis according to the needs of the agency.
• Residential Counselors are administratively responsible to their unit director or assistant unit director and will participate in regular supervision.

Benefits

• $1,500 Sign-On Bonus
• Additional $1.00 per hour for an Associates or Bachelor's Degree
• Up to $4,000 Per Year Tuition Reimbursement
• Most schedules for Residential Counselors are 48 hours per week which include 8 hours of overtime pay
• Additional overtime shifts generally available
• Shift Differential for Overnight Hours
• Holiday Pay Differential
• Tremendous opportunity to gain valuable experience and skills that will position you for success in any aspect of the human services field!
• Opportunities for further advancement at St. Ann’s Home
• Generous Paid Time Off (Vacation, Personal, and Sick)
• 13 Paid Holidays
• Health and Dental Insurance
• 401K and Employer Contributions to Your Retirement Plan
• Vision Plan
• Flexible Spending Account
• Employer Paid Life and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Friendly, Welcoming, and Inclusive Environment
• Employee Assistance Program
• Fitness Room
• Ongoing Professional Development Opportunities
• Excellent Supervision
• Monthly Staff Appreciation Events
• Employee Referral Bonus

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED