School Counselor

Chicopee Public Schools•Chicopee, MA

About The Position

The School Counselor provides high-quality, comprehensive counseling services to students in grades Pre-K–12. Using a multi-tiered system of support, the counselor assists students with social and emotional well-being and overall mental health. In collaboration with stakeholders, the counselor helps students develop the skills, knowledge, and understanding needed to succeed academically and socially. Specific duties are shaped by each school’s needs and building or district administrators’ expectations; supervisors may assign additional responsibilities. The role includes schoolwide and individual supports, family engagement, consultation, crisis response, intervention coordination, and collaboration with school staff, families, administrators, and community agencies. Elementary, middle, and high school counselors also perform duties specific to students’ developmental and educational transitions. The position requires a master’s degree in Counseling or Social Work and Massachusetts Department of Education licensure as a School Counselor/Guidance Counselor or School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor. Candidates must have strong time-management and communication skills, be able to work with diverse stakeholders, and be trained or willing to train in the district’s de-escalation and physical restraint techniques. Physical demands include operating office equipment, occasionally exerting up to 10 pounds of force, and standing, crouching, or bending for extended periods at intervals throughout the day.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Counseling or Social Work.
Licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Education as a School Counselor/Guidance Counselor or School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor.
Excellent time-management skills, including the ability to triage and prioritize competing needs.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with students and families from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Ability to relate to and work with stakeholders including administrators, teachers, school staff, parents/guardians/caregivers, students, visitors, and community and social service agencies.
Must be trained, or willing to be trained, in the de-escalation and physical restraint techniques used by the District.
Ability to operate office equipment such as computers, copiers, and adding machines.
Ability to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, or a negligible amount of force constantly, to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body.
Ability to stand, crouch, and bend over for a long period at intervals throughout the day.
Ability to compare and judge observable characteristics of data, people, or things.
Ability to communicate information verbally or by signaling, including giving instructions, assignments, or directions.
Ability to read varied materials and prepare correspondence, reports, forms, evaluations, procedures, and other documents using prescribed formats and correct writing conventions.
Ability to speak before groups with poise, voice control, and confidence.
Ability to apply logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, draw conclusions, interpret technical instructions, and handle abstract and concrete variables.
Ability to record and deliver information, explain procedures, and follow oral and written instructions; ability to communicate in technical or professional terminology, including medical, legal, accounting, and marketing terminology.
Ability to use mathematical formulas and perform arithmetic, including work with decimals, percentages, algebra, and geometry.
Ability to inspect items for proper length, width, and shape.
Ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately when using office equipment.
Ability to handle office equipment and hand tools, with minimal eye, hand, and foot coordination.
Ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions and to adapt to stress and emergency situations.
Ability to speak and hear, including communicating by telephone or radio.

Responsibilities

Provide support to staff for social-emotional learning (SEL) integration.
Consult with stakeholders on trauma-informed mental and behavioral health supports.
Collect and coordinate data to assess intervention effectiveness for attendance, academics, and behavioral health and improve student outcomes.
Provide solution-focused individual and group mediation, responsive services, and crisis intervention.
Provide orientation activities for students new to the school.
Collaborate with building administrators with students and families to improve attendance.
Maintain accurate and detailed records, including communication and guidance logs.
Serve as a liaison between outside community service providers and the school or district.
Develop and provide family engagement activities and parent, guardian, and caregiver education.
Coordinate and facilitate Section 504 Plans.
Help create inclusive and equitable classroom cultures and whole-class positive behavior supports.
Refer students to community service providers as needed and provide resources, referrals, and support to families.
Participate in treatment planning and discharge meetings with area agencies.
Facilitate re-entry meetings for students returning from non-disciplinary extended absences.
Create safety plans with the Administration Team or designee.
Participate in home visits as needed.
For elementary students, facilitate the IST referral process for social, emotional, and behavioral needs; provide career and college introduction or exploration activities; support staff in creating individual student incentive charts as needed; and assist with schoolwide positive behavior programs and supports.
For middle school students, assist with transitions between levels; advise students on decisions related to future jobs and careers; assist with student schedules and changes; facilitate the IST referral process for social, emotional, academic, and behavioral needs; and organize high school presentations and a CTE Career Fair.
For high school students, provide presentations and transition activities for eighth-grade students; help students develop post-secondary educational plans aligned with their interests, abilities, and career plans; assist with college admissions and scholarship applications; develop and adjust schedules aligned with student abilities and educational and career goals; organize and promote standardized assessment opportunities and interpret test results upon request; explain graduation and college admission requirements; and organize and staff college fairs and area campus tours.
Perform other responsibilities or duties assigned by supervisors.