School Based Counselor

THE LINCOLN CENTER FOR FAMILY AND YOUTH•Boyertown, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The School-Based Counselor provides mental health therapeutic support and case management services to students within the Boyertown Area School District. This role involves identifying students needing trauma support, providing prevention, screening, referral, and treatment services. The counselor will offer counseling interventions (group, individual, and/or family), mentoring, and other intervention models to children and families who have experienced trauma or are at-risk. Case management for students and families requiring multiple resources is a key function, ensuring quality trauma support and behavioral health care services. Home-based services will be provided to families of students experiencing or at risk of trauma, including those who are low-income, homeless, in foster care, involved in the criminal justice system, unemployed, experiencing mental illness or substance abuse disorders, or at risk of dropping out of school. The counselor will also assist school personnel with behavior management strategies and provide training on trauma-informed approaches. Services to districts include consultation on school law and policy (IDEA, Section 504), assistance with positive behavioral intervention strategies, and development of alternative programs for issues like drop-out, truancy, and delinquency. For parents/families, the role involves facilitating support for children's school adjustment, alleviating family stress, and assisting parents in accessing school and community resources. The School-Community Liaison aspect includes coordinating community resources, providing health services and intervention strategies, fostering communication between the school, community, and law enforcement, and advocating for improved community/school services.

Requirements

Master’s Degree required in counseling, psychology, social work, or related field.
Excellent communication and relationship building skills.
Ability to work effectively on a multi-treatment team.
Proficient in numerous clinical interventions.
Knowledge of and ability to access community resources.
Strong substance abuse intervention skills.

Responsibilities

Identify students in need of trauma support and provide prevention, screening, referral, and treatment services.
Provide counseling interventions (group, individual, and/or family).
Provide mentoring and other intervention models to children and their families who have experienced trauma or are at risk of experiencing trauma.
Provide case management for students and families requiring multiple resources.
Provide quality trauma support and behavioral health care services.
Provide home-based services to the families of students who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing trauma.
Assist teachers with behavior management strategies.
Provide staff with essential information to better understand factors affecting a student’s performance and behavior.
Train school staff on trauma-informed approaches to education.
Provide consultation regarding school law and school policy including IDEA and Section 504.
Assist in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies.
Assist in developing and implementing educational programs, including programs on safety and bullying.
Develop alternative programs for drop-out, truancy, delinquency, etc.
Work with parents to facilitate their support in their children’s school adjustment.
Alleviate family stress to enable the child to function more effectively in school & community.
Assist parents in accessing and utilizing school and community resources.
Work with those problems in a child’s living situation that affect the child’s adjustment in school (home, school, and community).
Obtain and coordinate community resources to meet students’ needs.
Provide health services and intervention strategies by coordinating the services provided by eligible applicants and coordinated care organizations, public health entities, nonprofit youth service providers and community-based organizations.
Foster and promote communication between the school entity, community and law enforcement.
Increase access to quality trauma-informed support services and behavioral health care by linking the community with local trauma support and behavioral health systems.
Help school district receive adequate support from social and mental health agencies.
Advocate for new and improved community/school service to meet the needs of students and families.
Mobilize family, school, and community resources to enable the child to learn as effectively as possible in their educational program.
Help school districts receive adequate support from social and mental health agencies.