Mental Health Counselor - Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 : Job Details

Mental Health CounselorQualifications:

• A Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, a related human service field, or a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) credential issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of human development, mental health practices, and case management techniques in educational settings.
• Successful experience working with children and adolescents in school, counseling, or behavioral health environments.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and collaboration skills with multidisciplinary teams, families, and community service providers.
• Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board may find appropriate and acceptable.

Essential Responsibilities:

• To develop positive interpersonal relationships between members of the pupil services team and external referral agencies, community and neighborhood organizations, and the student's home; to assist staff cooperation with community resources and social work agencies; to facilitate optimal schooling opportunity and personal development of the pupil; to facilitate, coordinate, and supplement the educational process for special education and regular students encountering social and emotional barriers to learning by providing counseling services and related services to students, their families, and the schools.

Responsibilities:

• Provide assessments or screenings in order to determine appropriate interventions.
• Provide individual and group counseling to address problem-solving, coping, and social skills.
• Provide case management to students receiving special education or regular education, along with supportive services through County agencies, IBHS providers, and other community resources.
• Assist parents/guardians in exploring supportive services available in the community.
• Attend meetings as needed, including MDT, IEP, CASSP, 45-day review, and interagency meetings.
• Provide consultation with Administration, Supervisory staff, psychological staff, and Teaching staff of the Intermediate Unit and school districts.
• Provide crisis management as needed.
• Provide ongoing counseling services as assigned.
• Participate in the Student Assistance Program (SAP) and the process of student referrals.
• Performs all other duties assigned by the Administration.

Program/ Classification:

• Program: Maple Avenue Campus and/or Schuylkill Technology Centers.
• Classification: Compensation Plan

Reports To:

• Director of Special Education and/or Designee

Method of Evaluation:

• Performance of this position will be evaluated annually in accordance with the provisions of the Board's policy on evaluation of Compensation Plan employees.

Terms of Employment:

• Salary to be established by the Board of Directors for ten (10) months/200 days of employment, with actual days of service to be determined by the Administration

Physical/Sensory Requirements:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This is an active position requiring the ability to stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, stand, walk, and occasionally lift and/or move objects up to 50 lbs.; verbal and hearing skills to effectively communicate; visual acuity to oversee projects, and make observations. Work is done mainly indoors but could include working outdoors.