Upper School Counselor

Upper School Counselor

Saint Andrew's School - Boca Raton, FL 33434

Description

Saint Andrew's School is an independent, co-educational school for grades PK-12, Saint Andrew's is both a day school and a boarding school, educating students from across the United States and throughout the world. As a college preparatory school in the Episcopal tradition, Saint Andrew's welcomes students of all faiths, customs, cultures, and beliefs. "Honor Above All," academic excellence and education in Mind, Body, and Spirit reflect Saint Andrew's experience. We are committed to educating the "whole child" while instilling a dedication to lifelong learning.

Saint Andrew's School employees are committed to the mission to provide educational excellence in an inclusive community, fostering lifelong learning and nurturing each individual in mind, body, and spirit in the Episcopal tradition.

Position Summary: The Upper School Counselor position is responsible for providing social-emotional wellness guidance and consultation to students, their families, and the faculty in support of the students' well-being and the overall school mission, in accordance with Saint Andrew's policies. The counselor works together with the head of the division, director of wellness, dean of students, director of learning support, learning specialist(s), and the teaching faculty in both promoting and responding to the needs of individual students and the student body as a whole.

This is a temporary, one-year position for the 2026–2027 academic year. Depending on the school's needs and the successful candidate's qualifications and performance, there may be an opportunity for the role to transition into a permanent counselor position for the 2027–2028 academic year.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide short-term, solution-focused, and goal-oriented individual counseling sessions to meet the needs of individual students and support them in achieving their full potential and most authentic expressions of themselves
• Conduct short-term, small-group counseling sessions for students who share a common issue or concern. Examples of such issues include regulating emotions, coping with anxiety, navigating peer relationships, coping with loss or changing family dynamics, managing academic and social demands, and practicing stress management and self care
• Facilitate developmentally appropriate peer mediation and conflict resolution, both proactively and responsively
• Develop and promote social-emotional-health-and-wellness curricula and programming for grade level classrooms, advisory programs, and weekly divisional assemblies, as divisionally appropriate, in order to create and sustain an inclusive community and sense of belonging for students
• Coordinate and mentor student leaders in cooperation with the dean of students
• Collaborate with the director of wellness to create educational programming that supports a socially and emotionally healthy culture and community
• Provide immediate and short-term support for students experiencing mental health crises; manage referrals and mandated reporting to appropriate community resources and agencies
• Provide social-emotional support to students and parents during the management of behavioral incidents
• Serve as a member of the divisional leadership team; attend grade-level-team meetings, team-leader meetings, and Student Support Committee meetings, as divisionally appropriate
• Work with faculty to support individual student behavior in the classroom to facilitate a positive learning environment and social climate
• Work collaboratively with members of the administrative team and learning support teams by:
• Attending weekly meetings to discuss identified students of concern
• Assisting in the review of psychoeducational and psychological evaluations
• Supporting the development and effective implementation of learning support plans
• Liaise with professionals in the community who work with students and families to align best approaches to supporting individual students in the school setting
• Work with the director of wellness, nurse manager, and learning specialists to assist students with the medical leave of absence process and support their return to school
• Provide parent education experiences and faculty in-service training focused on topics related to healthy social, emotional, and behavioral development
• Coordinate the programming and orientations for students making the transition across divisions, (e.g. from moving from grade 5 to grade 6 or grade 8 to grade 9)
• Serve as a resource for parents in understanding child and adolescent development; provide referrals to professional resources in the community for assessment and/or interventions related to developmental, learning, emotional, and/or behavioral needs, as appropriate
• Maintain appropriate documentation of counseling services
• May be asked to chaperone overnight immersion class trips
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor(s), such as assisting in the coordination of standardized testing (e.g. ERB CTP, PSAT, etc.), as needed.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• The candidate must be a licensed (or license eligible) counselor in the state of Florida
• Master's degree in counseling, psychology, or a related field is required
• Three years of Master's or Doctoral level clinical experience with children and adolescents is preferred
• Ability to understand psychological and psychoeducational assessment results and to facilitate recommended supports/accommodations in the school setting
• Honesty, integrity, and professionalism
• Superior interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
• Capacity to calmly manage student behaviors
• Significant related experience and a passion for working with children and adolescents
• Familiarity with relevant laws and regulations regarding school counseling
• Ability and judgment to interact, communicate effectively, and maintain appropriate boundaries with students, parents, and colleagues
• Ability to maintain the privacy of personal and highly sensitive information, (such as psychological records, evaluations, and communications with professional providers), sharing only with the appropriate school personnel, as necessary
• A warm and empathetic demeanor balanced with energy and enthusiasm
• Collegiality and a willingness to collaborate with colleagues
• Strong work ethic and experience with diverse cultural populations
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds and promote a positive work environment
• Possesses problem solving capabilities with a high degree of integrity, ethics, and dedication to the mission of the school

Physical Demands: Must be able to sit, stand, walk, bend, lift, and for the majority of the work day. May be required to lift up to 25 lbs.

Saint Andrew's School is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment practices without regard to age, gender, race, religion, color, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital or familial status, pregnancy, disability or handicap, genetic information, military status, or any other protected status in accordance with the requirement of all federal, state, and local laws.

Saint Andrew's is a drug-free workplace. All employees must successfully maintain an acceptable Level II criminal background check. Saint Andrew's School may, in its discretion, modify or adjust the position to meet the school's changing needs.