School Adjustment Counselor - North High School 2026-2027

Worcester-Public-Schools; Bloomingdale (MA); On-site; USD 61,000 - 91,000; Full time

Job summary

North High School, part of Worcester Public Schools, seeks a School Adjustment Counselor to support students’ social, emotional, and academic growth. You will collaborate with staff to build a proactive, inclusive culture that centers belonging and equity.

The role emphasizes family engagement, data-informed practices, and district guidelines, with a 185-day work year and a salary schedule reflecting education level and experience.

Qualifications

• MA DESE Licensure as a School Adjustment Counselor or equivalent.
• Masters degree in counseling, social work, psychology, or related field.
• Evidence of mastery of social case work techniques.
• Two years of experience with school-age children and families.
• Ability to work with diverse communities and maintain student privacy.

Responsibilities

• Pre-referral conferences with school personnel for appropriate intervention.
• Individual and/or group short-term counseling for referred students.
• Collaborate with teachers and staff to diagnose and plan interventions.
• Provide crisis intervention and conflict resolution services when needed.
• Conduct home visits to support families and student needs.
• Coordinate with community resources to assist students and families.

Education

MA DESE Licensure as a School Adjustment Counselor

Masters degree

Evidence of mastery of social case work techniques

Job description

School Adjustment Counselor - North High School 2026-2027

Worcester Public Schools North High School - Worcester, Massachusetts Open in Google Maps Worcester East Middle School - Worcester, Massachusetts Open in Google Maps

Job Details

Job ID: 5900910

Application Deadline: Posted until filled

Posted: Aug 25, 2026 12:00 AM (UTC)

Starting Date: Aug 27, 2026

Job Description

SUBJECT: School Adjustment Counselor

REPORTS TO: Building Principal

We are seeking a highly motivated, student-centered School Counselor to join our dynamic and collaborative team. The ideal candidate is deeply committed to equity, excellence, and the social, emotional, and academic success of all students. This individual must bring both compassion and strategic leadership to their work—balancing responsive support with proactive, system-level thinking.

At our school, we believe in cultivating a learning environment where every child is known, supported, and empowered to thrive. We are looking for a counselor who not only responds effectively to students’ daily socio-emotional needs, but who also partners with staff to build a proactive, schoolwide culture of belonging and behavioral growth. The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to build staff capacity, contribute to the school’s continuous improvement efforts, and lead initiatives that align with our shared commitment to supporting the whole child.

Key Qualities and Expectations

• -Relational Excellence: Builds strong, trusting relationships with students, families, and staff. Serves as a consistent, positive, and caring presence for students across all grade levels. Demonstrates cultural competence and works effectively with students and families from diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds.
• -Strategic Systems Thinker: Eager to lead schoolwide initiatives that promote positive behavior, social-emotional learning, and a culture of belonging. Collaborates with educators to integrate proactive, evidence-based strategies into daily classroom practice.
• -Highly Organized and Reflective: Maintains effective systems for managing responsibilities and tracking student needs. Continuously reflects on their practice and identifies areas for growth and improvement.
• -Lifelong Learner: Demonstrates a commitment to ongoing professional development and remains current with best practices in counseling, equity, and student support.

ACCOUNTABILITY OBJECTIVE - District-based Description:

This position is accountable for the delivery of social casework services to students; to identify a student’s needs and to make use of internal and community resources to help bring about positive changes so as to function to his/her fullest potential in the school and community through actions consistent with the policies of the Worcester Public schools and relevant state laws and regulations.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Responsible for pre-referral conferences with school personnel in a team context for the appropriate intervention for a student.
2. Responsible for individual and/or group short-term counseling with, or otherwise assisting referred students.
3. Responsible for cooperating and consulting as a team member with teachers, principals and other school personnel for purposes of diagnosing, evaluating and recommending interventions for the adjustment of students.
4. Responsible for providing crisis intervention and conflict resolution services when requested by school personnel.
5. Responsible for making home visits to parents of referred students and counseling with parents at school and in the home to help them understand the social, emotional and academic needs of the student.
6. Responsible for serving as a referral agent and case manager for the student and parent(s) in developing a network of social services with community agencies.
7. Responsible for serving as a resource team member and/or supervisor of attendance for the court when indicated in cases of children in need of service.
8. Responsible for providing outreach and follow-up for students referred because of attendance problems.
9. Responsible for compiling, summarizing, maintaining, and submitting data or other records of pupils referred for appraisal to appropriate school personnel.
10. Responsible for safeguarding the student’s right to privacy against disclosure of information in the student’s case history, or if disclosures of confidences during counseling within the framework of applicable laws and systemwide policies.
11. Responsible for being knowledgeable and conforming to state and systemwide regulations and guidelines on student records.
12. Responsible for assuring equal educational opportunity to all individuals regardless of race, color, gender, age, marital status, religion, natural origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, homelessness, or disability.
13. Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 1. MA DESE Licensure as a School Adjustment Counselor, including the completion of a 900-hour field-based experience.
• 2. Masters degree
• 3. Evidence of mastery of social case work techniques.
• 4. Ability to understand the dynamics of families from various cultural backgrounds.
• 5. Two years’ experience working with school-age children and their families.
• 6. Familiarity in working with consultants, resource personnel, community groups, etc.
• 7. Ability to produce concise reports concerning relevant developmental, social, and medical information.
• 8. Group work experience.
• 9. Ability to deal with typical issues, such as eating disorders, pregnancy, alcohol and other drug abuse, sexual identity, family conflict, and physical, sexual and psychological abuse.
• 10. Willingness to visit students’ homes throughout the Worcester community.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 1. Ability to speak Albanian, Arabic, Nepali, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese or an African Language.
• 2. Training and experience in conflict resolution techniques.
• 3. Experience working in schools and/or social service agencies with clients from culturally and socio-economically diverse backgrounds.
• 4. Experience in providing consultation services, including workshops to professionals relative to child development, behavior modification, adolescent issues, etc.
• 5. Demonstrated experience supporting students with special needs
• 6. Demonstrated experience with second language acquisition
• 7. SEI Endorsement

WORK YEAR: 185 days

SALARY: Salary scale shown is based on the candidate holding a Bachelor's Degree with the potential to increase dependent on the highest level of education.

Position Type: Full-time

Salary: $61,410 to $91,240 Per Year

Job Categories:

Student Services > Adjustment Counselor

Welcome to North High School, Worcester East Middle School

Our Focus Statement Our school-wide focus will enable North High students to improve the organizational, critical thinking and language skills essential to effectively respond to the variety of writing prompts and multi-step problems across all curriculum areas. Progress in this endeavor will be measured by specifically targeted improvements in the scores of various student subgroups on MAP, MCAS, SAT and Advanced Placement examinations.View School Improvement Plan for more details about our school., Our Focus Statement Worcester East Middle School’s focus is to improve reading comprehension and writing skills across the curriculum.View School Improvement Plan for more details about our school.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Worcester Public Schools is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative ActionEmployer/Educational Institution and does not discriminate regardless ofrace, color, ancestry, sex, gender, age, religion, national origin, genderidentity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, disability,pregnancy or a related condition, veteran status or homelessness. TheWorcester Public Schools provides equal access to employment and the fullrange of general, occupational and vocational education programs. For moreinformation relating to Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action contact theHuman Resource Manager, 20 Irving Street, Worcester, MA 01609,508-799-3020.

Job Requirements

• To maximize the effectiveness of your application, it is recommended that you provide a cover letter which describes the specific training and experience that you have for the position(s) that you are applying for and that you ensure that the certification information in your SchoolSpring profile is updated. Your MA DESE certification number will allow us to verify that you possess the correct license. Please ensure that your SchoolSpring resume, specifically, is updated as this will be used to determine your Degree and Step placement on the Teachers salary schedule.
• Citizenship, residency or work visa required

Contact Information

• Edward Walker , Principal
• 150 Harrington Way
• Worcester, Massachusetts 01604
• Phone: [phone]
• Fax: [phone]
• Email: [e-mail]