School Counselor - Long Term Substitute - 1.0 FTE - SY 26/27

Middle School Counselor

A long term substitute will work with an assigned group of grade six students and grade seven students during the length of the position (Approximately 08/31/2026 - 01/29/2027). The counselor is part of a department that is supervised by the counseling department head.

The Middle School counselor provides a full range of counseling services to a population which is primarily in the early stages of adolescence, although segments of the population are also pre or late adolescent in their behavior.

The counselor's educational and career counseling responsibility is to help students in identifying their own skills and competencies and to provide information about educational program offerings and their relationship to career opportunities.

The counselor's consultant function is to help parents, teachers, administrators and others who have primary responsibilities for students to better understand adolescent issues. The counselor also coordinates, and integrates the efforts of professionals and non-professionals in educating young people.

The counselor aims to build mutual respect and trust to foster an atmosphere of open communication. The counselor/student relationship is developed both through an organized system for offering support to students and through a spontaneous, informal approach enabling students to contact counselors for assistance with personal and school related problems. Personal counseling at this level, by the very nature of adolescent development, is both preventative and crisis oriented.

The counselor's appraisal function is to help students realistically examine their potential abilities and achievements, to determine their areas of strength as well as weakness. The counselor must be able to provide a clear and unbiased interpretation of data based upon classroom achievement, teacher reports, aptitude and achievement tests, and student personal goals, after school activities and jobs. The counselors are responsible to communicate this information to the student, parents, teachers, administrators and others authorized to have access to student records.

The counselor's referral function is to provide students and parents with access to a wide variety of services not always found in the school. These services might include psychotherapy, family counseling, drug and alcohol treatment, tutoring and other educational and recreational opportunities.

In addition to the counselor functions dealing directly with students, the counselors participate in staff development and professional growth.

Explain the role of the counselor and the counseling services available to all students, parents and school personnel.

Educate and conduct a series of meetings for students to assist them in appropriate course selection. Work on schedules and placement of students on Clusters and Teams.

Review each student's course selection for appropriateness of selection and facilitate resolution of any parent/student/teacher differences regarding courses and/or levels.

Consult with sixth grade teachers regarding Middle School transition, and participate in an orientation program for all fifth graders and their parents.

Meet with all new students to assess their overall school adjustment and the accuracy of their academic placement. Also, to maintain contact with all students throughout the year for the same purposes and to provide routine contact with certain students in need of more consistent support.

Oversee 504 plans for students on the counselor caseload.

Intervene with students in crisis re: family, peers, school, community, and when needed to provide short- and referral for long-term counseling. Provide parent consultation and education re: developmental adolescent issues, crisis intervention and necessary support.

Facilitate parent/student/teacher discussion of appropriateness of course and/or level change and to contact all staff involved in schedule change.

Consult with administration, parents, and teachers about specific adolescent issues; with special educators about students with educational plans; and HRS representatives regarding individual case management.

Help students realistically examine their academic strengths and weaknesses based on available data and to communicate this information to those authorized to receive it.

Inform parents, students, and staff that counselors have information available about community resources and agencies and when requested can refer them to a community agency.

Effectively coordinate and follow-up referrals of students and parents by working in conjunction with the community outreach worker, mental health agencies, and private therapists.

Along with the department head, evaluate counseling curriculum and services each June and develop professional development goals and objectives for the upcoming year.

Participate in on-going training through HRS, TEC, professional reading, conferences, workshops and advanced degree university programs on adolescent issues and counseling skills.

Must possess or be eligible for a MA DESE license as a School Counselor.

Must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and possess a high level of capability with technology.

Diversity is a core value of WPS. We are committed to building and sustaining an inclusive school environment for all and seek to hire team members who will enrich our diversity.

Evaluated by: Director of School Counseling (6-8)

Work Year: In accordance with the terms of the WEA Unit A collective bargaining agreement

Salary/Benefits: In accordance with the terms of the WEA Unit A collective bargaining agreement

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk, and/or hear. The employee is occasionally required to move throughout a building; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands or arms, climb or balance and stoop.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. The employee is required to have the cognitive ability and focus to manage multiple detailed tasks at once with frequent interruptions.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work is performed in an educational environment. Majority of the work is performed in a moderately noisy environment with frequent interruptions.

Non-Discrimination Statement: Applicants for employment are considered without regard to age, physical, mental or psychiatric disability, genetics, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, or military status.