Temporary Summer Academy 2026 Lead Counselor

About FIU

Florida International University is a Top 50, preeminent public research university with 55,000 students from all 50 states and more than 140 countries, as well as an alumni network of more than 340,000. Located in the global city of Miami, the university offers more than 200 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels, including medicine and law. FIU faculty are leaders in their fields and include National Academy members, Fulbright Scholars and MacArthur Genius Fellows. A Carnegie R1 institution, FIU drives impactful research in environmental resilience, health and technology and innovation. Home to the Wall of Wind and Institute of Environment, FIU stands at the forefront of discovery and innovation. With a focus on student success, economic mobility and community engagement, FIU is redefining what it means to be a public research university.

Job Summary

The Center for Children and Families at Florida International University announces Lead Counselor positions for 2026. Eligible children for FIU Summer Academy are recruited from preschool programs in or around the Liberty City community and are receiving, or eligible to receive, services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for moderate-to-severe learning and/or behavioral needs. Services are provided at an early childhood center in Liberty City. The program provides treatment tailored to children's individual behavioral and learning difficulties.

For an NBC6 news report on FIU Summer Academy, please visit:

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The dates of employment for the Lead Counselor position are Monday, June 1, 2026, through Friday, July 31st, 2026. Lead Counselor hours of employment are 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Many Lead Counselors work additional hours on other evenings and on weekends finishing tasks and attending meetings.

Lead Counselors will receive a salary of $6,156.00 for the summer. In addition, practicum credits for current students can often be arranged on an individual basis through the student's own program.

Children and counselors are assigned to groups that remain constant for the duration of the program. Each group consists of four or five counselors and 10 to 15 children of similar age. Children participate in a variety of classroom-based and recreational activities. Staff members implement an extensive behavior modification treatment program during all program activities. The behavior modification program includes feedback and associated consequences for positive and negative behaviors, daily and weekly rewards for appropriate behavior, social praise and attention, appropriate commands, and age-appropriate removal from positive reinforcement.

In addition to participating in daily activities and implementing the treatment program, Lead Counselors have primary responsibility for supervising the counselors in their groups with their assigned duties. This includes reviewing plans for activities such as sports skill drills for appropriateness, reviewing daily recording and tracking forms for accuracy, and observing group counselors during daily activities to ensure that all group members are implementing the treatment components with fidelity. Lead Counselors will also review daily treatment records to determine individual areas of impairment and to determine target behaviors and any need for individualized programming for children or adolescents who do not respond to the standard treatment components. Finally, Lead Counselors will be responsible for daily communication with parents. Lead Counselors will work under the supervision of Ph.D. level clinicians and experienced FIU Summer Academy staff members and will receive regular feedback about their performance.

Lead Counselors in FIU Summer Academy supervise and deliver the treatment components within both classroom and recreational contexts. Counselors will assist in the following each day: (1) leading an academic center (i.e., English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Writing); (2) leading a sport (i.e., soccer, kickball, tee ball); (3) delivery of treatment components during large group instruction periods; (4) assisting in the delivery of an evidence-based reading intervention; and (5) tracking the daily behavioral
progress for assigned cases. Sports experience is not a requirement for the FIU Summer Academy program.

Prior to the start of employment, Lead Counselors will be required to read the applicable treatment program manual and to be extensively familiar with behavior modification program and rules and procedures for daily activities, including the rules and fundamentals for the sports played in the program and other daily activities. Lead Counselors will be required to memorize, verbatim, information such the operational definitions for the behavior modification system categories, activity rules, rules for classifying
behaviors, and other related information. Lead Counselors will need to spend a significant amount of time preparing prior to the start of employment.

During the first two weeks of employment, Lead Counselors will participate in a variety of training activities. Training will consist of lectures, slide and video presentations, testing, and daily active roleplays during which staff members will act as counselors and children during activities such as games, drills, discussions, and time out. Lead Counselors will participate in all training activities with the Counselors assigned to their groups and will be expected to take a leadership role in supervising and training Counselors in their groups.

During the last week of employment, Lead Counselors will complete rating scales regarding progress children made in the program and children's response to treatment. Lead Counselors will also write treatment summaries for each child in their groups. In addition, Lead Counselors will complete staff evaluations for the Counselors they supervise during the summer.

The Center for Children and Families was founded by William E. Pelham, Jr., Ph.D., who was a Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Florida International University. Paulo Graziano, Ph.D., and Katie Hart, Ph.D., are the Program Directors for the STP-PreK and FIU Summer Academy. The Summer Treatment Program (STP), from which FIU Summer Academy was adapted, has been conducted since 1980 and was named as a Model Program for Service Delivery for Child and Family Mental Health by the Section on Clinical Child Psychology and Division of Child, Youth, and Family Services of the American Psychological Association. The STP has also been used in clinical trials conducted under the auspices of the National Institute of Mental Health and SAMHSA and has been named a program of the year by CHADD, the national parent advocacy group for children with ADHD.

Lead Counselors who have worked in the Summer Treatment Program have found it a valuable opportunity to gain intensive experience and training in working with children and adolescents who have behavior problems, as well as an excellent chance to obtain supervisory and research experience and letters of recommendation to help them in their future careers. They have uniformly reported the experience to be the most demanding but also the most rewarding clinical experience of their careers.

Desired qualifications for Lead Counselors include graduate-level study in clinical psychology, school psychology, mental health counseling, social work, education/special education, or related field of study, or extensive experience in related programs. Applicants should also have research, clinical, leadership, or field experience working or volunteering with children or adolescents. Work in settings such as summer camps, after-school programs, sports programs, daycare programs, and educational
programs: and experience with activities such as organized sports, art, music, dance, theater, journalism, photography, and videography is preferred.

Participation in FIU Summer Academy requires staff members to ensure the safety, well-being and treatment of children and adolescents with mental health, learning, attention and behavior problems. Lead Counselors must be able to visually scan the environment, effectively attend to and hear verbal exchanges between children, provide neutral, corrective feedback on children's misbehavior (which can include aggression), provide a consistent, warm, positive climate for children, and actively engage in sports and physical activity. Applicants must be able to meet the above requirements of the position.

All finalists must clear a Criminal Background Check initiated by the Division of Human Resources at FIU before an offer of employment will be made. All finalists must be digitally fingerprinted and cleared by the FIU Division of Human Resource and the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

Temporary employees are not eligible to participate in all employee benefit programs (e.g., paid leave, retirement, or tuition reimbursement).

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), a temporary employee who works on average 30 hours or more per week may be eligible to enroll in health care benefits. As a temporary employee, you are also eligible to enroll in supplemental plans (e.g., dental, vision), which requires full payment on your part.

Florida International University is a member of the State University System of Florida and is an Equal Opportunity, Equal Access Affirmative Action Employer.

Applicants are required to complete an online application, submit 3 recommendations and a transcript. There is no cutoff date for applying. Applications received after all positions have been filled will be placed on a waiting list. Positions are competitive so interested individuals should apply as soon as possible.

For detailed descriptions of each program, and to apply for this position, please visit
Summer Academy in Liberty City | FIU Center for Children and Families

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Education, Behavior Analysis, Social Work, or related field and experience working with children and teenagers OR equivalent education and/or experience.

Desired Qualifications

Desired qualifications for Lead Counselors include:

• Graduate-level study in clinical psychology, school psychology, mental health counseling, social work, education/special education, or related field of study, or extensive experience in related programs.
• Applicants should also have research, clinical, leadership, or field experience working or volunteering with children or adolescents.
• Work in settings such as summer camps, after-school programs, sports programs, daycare programs, and educational programs; and experience with activities such as organized sports, art, music, dance, theater, journalism, photography, and videography is preferred

Job Category

Temporary

Temporary Disclosure

As a temporary employee, you will not be eligible to participate in all employee benefit programs (e.g., paid leave, retirement, or tuition reimbursement).

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), a temporary employee who works on average 30 hours or more per week may be eligible to enroll in health care benefits. As a temporary employee, you are also eligible to enroll in supplemental plans (e.g. dental, vision,) which requires full payment on your part.

Upon completing an assignment, employees may apply for a position on FIU Careers.

Work Schedule

• 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Monday - Friday
• Many Lead Counselors work additional hours on other evenings and on weekends finishing tasks and attending meetings

Advertised Salary

• Lead Counselors will receive a salary of $6,156.00 for the summer.

Pre-Employment Requirements

Criminal Background Check

Fingerprinting Check

How To Apply

Prospective Employee

If you have not created a registered account, you will be asked to create a username and password for use of the system. It is recommended that you provide an active/valid e-mail account as that will be the main source of communication regarding your status within the process. In this account, you are able to track your applicant status in " My Applications ".

To be considered eligible for the position as an internal candidate, departmental staff must meet minimum requirements of the position and be in good performance standing.

Before you begin the process, we recommend that you are prepared to attach electronic copies of your resume, cover letter or any other documents within the application process. It is recommended that you combine your cover letter and resume/curriculum vitae into one attachment. Attached documents should be in Microsoft Word or PDF format. All applicants are required to complete the online application including work history and educational details (if applicable), even when attaching a resume.

*This posting will close at 12:00 am of the close date.

How To Apply

Current Employee

As a current employee, you must log into Employee Self Service (ESS) to apply for this and any other internal career opportunity of interest. In this account, you are able to track your applicant status in " My Applications ".

To be considered eligible for the position as an internal candidate, departmental staff must meet minimum requirements of the position and be in good performance standing.

Before you begin the process, we recommend that you are prepared to attach electronic copies of your resume/ curriculum vitae, cover letter or any other documents within the application process. It is recommended that you combine your cover letter and resume into one attachment. Attached documents should be in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

*This posting will close at 12:00 am of the close date.

Disclosures

Clery Notice

In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, the University Police department at Florida International University provides information on crimes statistics, crime prevention, law enforcement, crime reporting, and other related issues for the past three (3) calendar years. The FIU Annual Security report is available online at:

To obtain a paper copy of the report, please visit the FIU Police Department located at 885 SW 109th Avenue, Miami, FL, 33199 (PG5 Market Station).

Pay Transparency

Florida International University will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

Notice of Non-Discrimination

FIU is a State University System of Florida member, Equal Opportunity, Equal Access, and Affirmative Action Employer for individuals with disabilities and veterans. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment decisions, programs, and events without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. For inquiries regarding non-discrimination, contact FIU's Office of Civil Rights at View phone number on click.appcast.io or email View email address on click.appcast.io.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement

Should you need an ADA accommodation to participate in a University event, program, or activity or need to request materials in an accessible format, please contact FIU's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at View phone number on click.appcast.io or View email address on click.appcast.io. All requests for ADA accommodation or accessible materials for this event must be submitted to OCR at least seven (7) business days prior to the event or at the earliest possible opportunity.