School Adjustment Counselor - Orchard Street Academy (OSA)

Job Description

Job Description

Assabet Valley Collaborative is seeking a School Adjustment Counselor for our Therapeutic Day School, Orchard Street Academy 

NOTE :  Before you read on, please read the Commitments to Educational Equity that AVC strives to adopt across our organization. We seek to add employees to our team who can help us make these commitments a reality and influence how we lead, learn, innovate, design, collaborate, and serve our students, families, partners, and communities. Within this role, examples of how we strive for Educational Equity includes ongoing, in depth examination of individual and interpersonal beliefs and how they impact our work within micro and macro systems. Still interested? See below:

Who We Are:

Assabet Valley Collaborative (AVC)  is an educational service agency in Metrowest/Central Massachusetts. Our services include school programs, wraparound services, transportation services, professional development, cooperative purchasing and consulting. 

We are in the process of developing a shared leadership model to engage stakeholders across the organization in learning, leading, designing, and decision-making. To achieve shared leadership, we need to engage in continuous study of the principles of cultural proficiency, culturally responsive practices, human-centered design, design thinking, and social innovation. 

AVC's Orchard Street Academy (OSA) is a small public therapeutic school (grades 6th- 12th). OSA’s programming includes academics, individual and group counseling, art and music therapy, a range of high-interest electives, and clinical case management.

The ideal candidate would possess or demonstrate the following:

• Ability to engage with conflict and core tensions. 
• Bilingual or multilingual is a plus.
• Ability to thrive within a team while also being able to work independently.
• Encourages and fosters passion and enthusiasm for teaching and learning
• Adhere to established federal, state, and local laws and regulations. (FERPA, HIPAA, and IDEA)
• Experience working in schools, nonprofits, human service organizations.
• Personal and/or professional commitment to and/or experience with working towards educational equity.
• Experience and expertise working with students, families, districts, and stakeholders. 
• Experience with Restorative Justice Practices.
• Effective and clear oral and written communication skills. (i.e Google Suite) 
• Clinical support for students with a wide range of social and emotional abilities.
• Investment in the future of the program and willingness to take on additional initiatives within the team (curiosity, innovation, problem solving, sustainability).
• Investment in family and community engagement.
• Ease with ambiguity and uncertainty.

Qualifications :

• Masters Degree (Required). Massachusetts licensure and/or working towards one of the following – Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) as per M.G.L. Chapter 112, Sections 130 to 137. 
• Candidates also possessing DESE licensure as a School Social Worker/ School Adjustment Counselor are desired.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Believes students are successful when they are given positive reinforcement and equitable resources and supports
• Prioritizes a clinical and instructional focus with a blend of the following:
  • Social emotional learning, restorative practices, culturally relevant teaching, wellness, healing centered, collectivism, student driven learning.
• Empowers and fosters the skills for students to become problem solvers and independent decision makers.
• Is skilled at co-designing and adapting school wide and individual programming and data systems to best meet the daily and personalized learning needs of students through individual, small and whole group activities.
• Balances high expectations with necessary accommodations and modifications.
• Provides individual and group therapy and all aspects of case management.
• Co-designs and collaborates with families/guardians, sending districts and providers.
• Partners with students and all those invested in their success to develop, present, and implement team drafted IEPs.
• Works with team members to establish and implement student centered assessments and sustainable data systems that will inform programming.
• Monitor the restrictiveness and effectiveness of interventions through ongoing analysis of data and monitoring of student progress.
• Provide coaching to team members to infuse research-based clinician support strategies within classroom, group, milieu, leisure, vocational, and home settings.  
• Provide consultation and/or professional development for faculty as needed.
• Complete necessary documentation.
• Demonstrates an ability to be flexible and adapt to the evolving needs of students and the school environment.
• Participate and engage in professional development and community events.
• Comply with collaborative wide policies and procedures.
• Uphold discipline ethics and/or licensure requirements.
• Be flexible to take walkie calls as needed.
• Perform all other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Physical ability to execute job responsibilities that may include (depending upon assignment):

• Meet the physical requirements necessary to physically intervene in a crisis or emergency as trained and per AVC Physical Restraint protocol, policy and applicable regulations.

Schedule: 185 day schedule. Operating hours of the program, 8am-3pm. Summer hours are also available, but not required.

Competitive Benefits Include :

• Compensation competitive within public school educators. (salary schedule with steps and lanes)
• School year (185 days)  with additional summer hours available at additional compensation.
• 75% health insurance premiums covered by AVC.
• High deductible Health Insurance Plan + Health Savings Account. (AVC contributes 50% of deductible into your HSA)
• Participation in MA State Retirement or Teachers Retirement pension systems.
• Voluntary benefits: Health Savings Account, Life, Short-term, Long-term Insurance and Dental Insurance.