Temporary High School Mental Health Counselor

Job Description

Job Description

Educators for Quality Alternatives

EQA serves students who have dropped out, been expelled from, or have struggled academically or behaviorally in traditional settings and are looking for an accelerated path to graduation. There are three high school campuses, The NET: Central City which opened in 2011, The NET: Gentilly which opened in 2017, and a third high school campus, NET: East / New Orleans Accelerated High School (NOAH), which opened in 2020 as a merger with ReNEW Accelerated High School. Students at the high schools earn a high school diploma and participate in internships, career counseling, and career training in various fields including construction, medical, and digital media.  EQA also serves middle school students through The Bridge Middle School, a therapeutic program for 7th and 8th grade struggling students. For all settings, our goal is that our students leave school with the skills, confidence and experience necessary to succeed in the career and education path of their choice. 

Position Summary

EQA Schools is seeking a highly skilled counselor to conduct the start of school assessments, and provide individual and group counseling to its students on a temporary basis as we look to fill the role permanently.  

More than half of EQA School’s students have behavioral struggles. A large percentage of students suffer from PTSD or C-PTSD due to exposure to high levels of neighborhood violence. In a city and state which lack appropriate mental health, crisis, and wrap-around services, EQA Schools believes it has more responsibility than schools normally do for providing high quality mental health services to its students.

This position is designed to join a team consisting of a combination of full and part time individuals such as: school counselors, deans of students, family coordinators, attendance coordinators, psychologists, and Special Education personnel.  EQA School’s culture is based on restorative approaches and all staff are selected for and trained in working with students with high levels of need and trauma.

EQA’s Counselors are responsible for:

• Assessing student needs
• Connecting students to resources
• Designing and providing interventions and counseling
• Managing crisis prevention and interventions
• Training, consulting with, and supporting staff

Position Requirements:

Education & Experience

• 5-10+ years experience effectively counseling adolescents with mental health, behavioral health, and trauma issues
• Experience with restorative approaches, SAMSHA’s 6 Principles of Trauma-Informed Approaches, and effective, culturally responsive interventions for adolescents with CPTSD
• Experience in schools preferred but not required
• LCSW or LPC required; all Louisiana certification/licensure must be in good standing

Skills & Approach

• Passion for improving educational opportunities for urban students and for being a part of a strong, mission-driven team
• Commitment to EQA’s mission, vision and growth
• Demonstrated record of effective collaboration with diverse teams and with building effective partnerships
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Careful, detail oriented data/file/information management
• Flexible and learning mindset focused on effective and innovative problem solving
• Dedicated to continually growing as a professional and as a servant leader

Details

• Compensation: Between $100-$200 per hour commensurate with experience 
• Start date: ASAP 
  • Location: 6601 Franklin Avenue 
• Reports to: Principal 

Detailed Responsibilities 

• Assessment

• Select psycho-social assessments that are informed of a knowledge of the impact of race, gender and social in justice on the family and youth.
• Complete psycho-social assessments on every student every semester
• Effectively and appropriately assess needs, characteristics, and interactions of students, families, staff, and community
• Use DSM V and current research to accurately assess student needs
• Conduct compliant and productive Functional Behavior Assessments
• Maintain electronic and paper records of assessments and share with students, families, and staff as appropriate to insure empowerment and appropriate interventions and in keeping with confidentiality mandates

• Resources
  • Research and vet resources and build partnerships with high quality providers
  • Collaborate with team to insure all students are connected with appropriate referrals, supports and resources 
  • Track referral outcomes and advocate for students and families to insure they receive appropriate care
  • Assists students in accessing formal and informal community resources
• Interventions & Counseling
  • Design effective intervention strategies for students, parents, and staff which lead students to be more successful in school including but not limited to students with IEPs, 504s, and BIPs
  • Serve on SBLC to review student needs and make decisions regarding interventions, placements, and supports 
  • Manage caseload of short and long term cases, insuring all students have appropriate treatment plans and that all students make progress on those plans
  • Provide high quality individual counselor using cognitive behavioral therapy or other best practices
  • Design and provide high quality group counseling around student needs including, but not limited to, grief, trauma, substance abuse, conflict resolution, anger management using C-BITs and other best practices
  • Engage families, do home visits, mediate with family members and otherwise include families in students’ growth and development
  • Provide all services in ways that build upon students’ individual strengths and assets and maximize students’ opportunities for agency their healing/growth
• Crisis Prevention and Intervention
  • In collaboration with students, families, and staff, design crisis plans for high needs students
  • Train students and staff to handle crisis in safe, restorative, and appropriate ways
• Staff training and consultation
  • Design and provide training for staff on trauma informed care, mental health issues, best practices, and secondary trauma
  • Consult with staff and leaders on issues such as attendance, confidentiality, ethnicity and diversity, mental health, behavioral management, discipline, crisis intervention,  and child abuse and neglect
• Program Management & Accountability
  • Design evaluation systems and collect and analyze data to insure evidence based decision making 
  • Collect, communicate, and analyze student records and data to insure appropriate student progress 
  • Conform to the National Association of Social Work Code of Ethics and Standards for School Social Work practice 
  • Maintain appropriate communication and confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA, FERPA, state law and school policy.
• Constantly Develop your Craft
  • Set goals for student development and professional growth
  • Actively reflect on your own work and monitor progress toward goals
  • Productively seek, give, and use feedback
  • Positively contribute to the school’s collegial community 
  • Participate in all scheduled professional development activities and seek out additional opportunities 
  • Involve yourself in the continual development and improvement of the school’s curriculum, culture, and program.

EQA encourages individuals of all identities and backgrounds to apply for this position. We are an equal opportunity employer, fully committed to hiring a talented and diverse group of individuals. EQA does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other category protected by applicable law. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. Being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment. EQA does not sponsor employment visas.

EQA encourages individuals of all identities and backgrounds to apply for this position. We are an equal opportunity employer, fully committed to hiring a talented and diverse group of individuals. EQA does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other category protected by applicable law. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. Being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment. EQA does not sponsor employment visas. In compliance with state law, all persons hired will be required to verify eligibility to work in a Louisiana public school via the appropriate background checks.

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