Advocate Counselor

Our Open•New York, NY

16d•Onsite

About The Position

The Advocate Counselor supports New Directions Secondary School in The Bronx, a 9th - 12th grade transfer school. This role focuses on supporting students who are struggling academically, behaviorally, and who have a history of poor attendance. The Advocate Counselor provides supportive mentoring services, including attendance outreach, home visits, classroom support, crisis intervention, and individual and small group social-emotional support in partnership with school staff to help students achieve their academic and social-emotional goals. This is a part-time, 10-month position (September – June), 24 hours per week, with potential for more hours when available. The Advocate Counselor will be supervised by the Site Manager.

Requirements

Associate’s degree in social sciences; Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.
1 or more years' experience providing direct services in a school-based or residential program.
Knowledge of attendance outreach best practices.
Strong communication (verbal and written with proficiency in English) and interpersonal skills.
Ability to approach challenges in a collaborative, supportive, and creative manner.
Commitment to working from a strengths-based perspective.
Commitment to ongoing learning and development, with proven use of supervision to improve practice.
Excellent organization and prioritization skills.
Flexible schedule and willingness to work school hours, and on occasion some evenings to support school community events.
Bilingual English and Spanish required.

Responsibilities

Maintaining and managing all related data.
Attending Wediko, NY at The Home and LTW Professional Development opportunities.
Providing milieu support for arrivals, dismissals, transitions, and lunch time.
Managing a caseload of students, including attendance and educational progress, and providing continuous feedback and resources to families to ensure academic success.
Providing individual and group mentoring to students on a weekly basis.
Conducting daily student attendance outreach.
Providing outreach to students and their families via phone calls, written correspondence, and home visits (always conducted in pairs).
Facilitating communication between students, families, and school staff.
Completing required documentation, including Dr. Cloud notes, in a timely manner.
Providing crisis support, conflict mediation, and social-emotional support.
Completing regular assessments and providing resource referrals in support of school-based services (with support from the site manager).
Ensuring student exposure to further education opportunities (high school and college) and building college and career readiness skills.
Participating in staff meetings and staff development opportunities.
Collaborating with a transdisciplinary team of Wediko and school staff to create individualized plans to support student progress.
Occasional evening and weekend hours required for college visits, school events, etc.