Lower School Counselor

Desired Credentials: Ed.D, Ph.D, or Psy.D in clinical or school psychology preferred, or Master’s Degree in Counseling, LMFT, LCSW, or LPCC with 2 years of working in schools, strongly preferred.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Excellent clinical, interpersonal, and communication skills
• A passion for working with high-achieving girls and their families
• Cultural competency and a demonstrated commitment to anti-bias education
• An open, collaborative approach to working with students, teachers, parents, administrators, and outside care providers
• Experience facilitating conversations and training with Social-Emotional Learning
• Crisis management experience
• A demonstrated commitment to lifelong learning and professional growth

Reports to:  The Director of Community Well-Being and Belonging and The Lower School Division Head

Primary Responsibilities: Serve as the primary point of contact for parents, guardians, faculty, and administrators about the social-emotional well-being and mental health of girls in Kindergarten through Grade 4.

Hours/Classification: Full Time, Exempt

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The Hamlin School seeks to hire employees who will support and implement the school’s mission and Creed at all times. Hamlin employees are known for being compassionate, collaborative, and dedicated professionals who treat their colleagues and supervisors with respect and who take seriously the daily care of Hamlin students. As such, Hamlin employees pay close attention to the students’ social-emotional well being, their physical and mental health, and their moral development. Hamlin employees are committed to their own personal and professional growth; thus, they pay close attention to the research and innovations that impact their respective fields. All employees are expected to be flexible thinkers and nimble actors in support of the school’s overarching strategic goals and demonstrate a commitment to their colleagues’ success.

Hamlin employees are committed to their own professional growth; as such, they pay close attention to the research and innovations that impact teaching and learning. All employees are expected to be flexible thinkers and nimble actors in support of the school’s overarching strategic goals and daily commitment to academic and ethical excellence.

At The Hamlin School, we are committed to a policy of equal employment for all applicants and employees. As part of our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace, we recruit and hire applicants with diverse backgrounds and with professional experience that shows their commitment to K-8 education and to being a contributing member of the community.

The Lower School Counselor plays a central role in ensuring the health and wellness of the student community and is a partner with parents and teachers in supporting students’ emotional well-being.

Professional Responsibilities:

1) Counseling

• Supports individual students on a short-term basis and advises families as needed about psychotherapy outside of school
• Provides direct service, including crisis counseling, time-limited interventions, and assessment for triage and referral purposes
• Teaches Health & Wellness, SEL & Sexuality Education in each grade level in collaboration with classroom and science teachers; leads small SEL groups and conflict resolution check-ins with students; and provides support as needed per class.
• Supports the scope and sequence for Health & Wellness, SEL & Sexuality Education in the Lower School
• Assesses risk to children and families; works closely with Lower School Division Head & Head of School
• Supports faculty with best practices with regard to children’s needs
• Serves as a member of the Student Support Services team
• Remains current on developments in the field (i.e. law & ethics, mandated reporting, and risk assessment)
• Recommends, in close partnership with Lower School Division Head, full neuropsychological reports, therapy, or medication
• Remains current with laws governing confidentiality as they pertain to children and mental health services in independent schools
• Generates records of recommendations for Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions (RTI model)
• Maintains and updates confidential records  & documents (i.e. records of conversation, classroom observations using official notes in Hamlinet)
• Participates on Safety Council & crisis management teams
• Supports guest speakers & does follow up with the children
• Provides counseling around mental health diagnoses with children, families, and faculty
• Files and follows court orders and offers any follow-up needed from outside support services
• Attends monthly Bay Area Counseling meeting

2)Student Life

• Engages fully in co-curricular activities and in the extra-curricular life of the school, with the goal of being known and recognized by students
• Co-teaches Grade 4 Science: Health and Body Image Curriculum

3)Parent Connections

• Consults with parents regarding issues of social and emotional concern for themselves and/or for their daughters
• Attends and participates in meetings with parents, Lower School Division Head, teachers, and outside student support, such as therapists, learning specialists, doctors, etc.
• In partnership with the administration, supports the continuing education of Hamlin parents  (i.e. meetings, the facilitation of parenting groups, recommendations of appropriate books, speakers, workshops)
• Maintains a robust webpage on the HamliNet that includes pertinent information and valuable resources for parent & faculty support

4)Faculty Connections

• Leads and facilitates components of faculty meetings concerning emotional and psychological health and well-being of students and or student support meetings
• Consults with teachers regarding students’ social and emotional needs
• Offers professional development to faculty during division meetings, either in small groups or individually
• Works in partnership with the health and wellness team and Lower School teachers to develop appropriate social and emotional learning tools, incorporating them into the existing K-4 curriculum.
• Consults with Lower School Division Head and faculty regarding clinical and legal matters about the mental health of students
• Maintains and updates protocols for the faculty on responding to students in crisis
• Consults with Lower School Learning Specialist regarding students of concern
• Consults regularly with the Lower School Division Head
• Meets weekly with Lower School Division Head and Learning Specialist as the Student Support Services team to discuss and strategize about students of concern
• Works closely with the Middle School Counselor and division heads to coordinate the K-8 program and facilitate student transition and support