Counselor

Miss Porter's School; Farmington (CT); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Miss Porter’s School seeks a skilled mental health professional to provide individual and group counseling within an all-girls boarding school setting. The Counselor will also teach the 9th grade Health and Wellness course and collaborate with the Colgate Wellness Center team to support student health and well-being.

Applicants should have a Master’s degree in a mental health field and be licensed in Connecticut or in the process of licensure.

Qualifications

• Experience implementing mental health programs in educational settings.
• Commitment to equity and inclusion in a school community.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual and group counseling to students and refer to local providers as needed.
• Serve as On-Call Counselor for urgent mental health situations approximately 11 weeks per academic year.
• Manage crises and coordinate follow-up care with outside providers.
• Develop student wellness programs with a focus on equity and inclusion.
• Maintain electronic records of student mental health services and participate in SST meetings.

Education

Master’s degree in counseling, social work, psychology, or related field

Job description

Job Status: Full-time, academic year (10 months) with shared on-call/night weekend duty

Reports to: Director of Counseling

Position Summary

Miss Porter’s School seeks an experienced, dedicated and skilled mental health professional. The Counselorprovides the necessary counseling interventions appropriate in an all-girls boarding school setting. An ideal candidate should have both professional experience and a strong commitment to promoting social justice, equity and inclusion; as a portion of their work will be focused on supporting students of color. The Counseling Department works together to provide students with health and mental health counseling services including individual and group counseling along with crisis assessment and intervention as needed. The Counselor will also teach the 9th grade Health and Wellness course along with the other members of the Colgate Wellness Center team and Office of Student Life. The ideal candidate for the position is a clinically skilled, creative, and flexible clinician who is approachable and deeply committed to promoting the mental health and well-being of all students. This individual will thrive in an all-girls boarding school environment that values belonging, equity, and inclusion, and will collaborate closely within a tight-knit community of dedicated educators.

Responsibilities

Clinical

• Provide individual and group counseling to students and make appropriate referrals to local mental health providers and the school Consulting Psychiatrist as needed.
• Serve as On-Call Counselor for students experiencing urgent mental health situations with a total of approximately 11 weeks/weekends per academic year.
• Effectively manage crisis situations and make clinical recommendations for appropriate follow up care. This may include collaborating with outside providers, mobile crisis services, and accompanying a student in crisis to the Emergency Room.
• Support and develop student leadership programs and groups in collaboration with other departments to promote health and wellness and enhance student connection and access mental health care.
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative and trusting working relationships with families, faculty, staff, and external clinicians to ensure students receive appropriate and excellent mental health care.
• Meet with House Directors individually on a regular basis regarding the mental health and well-being of boarding students.
• Facilitate student mediations to resolve roommate/peer conflicts in collaboration with the Office of Student Life.
• Participate in weekly Student Support Team (SST) meetings to identify students of concern, create support plans for those students, and follow up with SST as needed.

Educational

• Collaborate with the department to train faculty and staff regarding adolescent mental health including social-emotional skills.
• Develop innovative and creative mental health and wellness programs for students with a focus on equity and inclusion in collaboration with the Office of Equity and Inclusion to ensure all students are supported.
• Teach 9th grade Health and Wellness course in the fall trimester along with members of other departments.
• Collaborate and consult with The Director of Academic Growth to support students and faculty.

Administrative

• Maintain electronic records on all student mental health services provided.
• Participate in case management meetings with the Director of Counseling, Associate Director of Counseling, Consulting Psychiatrist, Medical Director, and Colgate Wellness Center team.
• Provide case management for students with outside providers in collaboration with students and their caregivers/guardians.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in counseling, social work, psychology, or other mental health related fields.
• Must be a licensed mental health provider in the state of Connecticut or in the process of obtaining Connecticut State licensure. LCSW supervision hours are available with the Director of Counseling and LPC hours with the Associate Director of Counseling.
• Experience in implementing successful mental health programs and services in an educational or mental-health care setting.
• Demonstrated commitment to working with a diverse student community in collaboration with community members in a school that highly values equity and inclusion.

Miss Porter's School provides equal employment opportunities for employees and job applicants without regard to their race, creed, color, religion or national origin, age, gender, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. It is a non-smoking campus.

The essential functions and basic skills have been included. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills, and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate.