Duration:  12 month contract with 10-month work/school year schedule (2022-2023)

Reporting to: Director of Wellness

FLSA: exempt/contract

Schedule: Monday through Friday (plus events as required)

Hours: 7:50 am to 3:20 pm

Mission:   

Rooted in the Catholic, Dominican tradition, St. Agnes Academy challenges young women through exceptional academic preparation and transformational experiences to lead with integrity, joy and a commitment to social justice.

Faith, Community, and Dominican Charism

• Ensure that the four pillars of a Dominican education (prayer, study, community, preaching) are developed and promoted among   the school community
• Develop an active faith community and models Christian values
• Incorporate prayer and spiritual formation within the student, faculty/staff and parent communities
• Uphold and implement the Dominican charism and the Houston Dominican Sisters congregational goals

Job Purpose: 

The purpose of the wellness counselor is to serve as a student, parent and community support and advocacy representative in the areas of social, emotional, mental health and well-being as it relates to student success in a school setting. Counselor provides short-term, solution-focused, strength-based and trauma-informed counseling in the school as a non-clinical setting.

The main responsibilities will include: 

• Provide social, emotional support for alpha assigned students in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade levels.
• Build rapport with 9th grade student alpha split and serve as their academic advisor.
• Provide crisis intervention.
• Advocate for overall community mental, emotional health and creatively offer ideas for stress management, balance and well-being.
• Develop and implement preventative, psycho-educational group/classroom guidance on wellness topics for all grade levels.
• Provide presentations, programming and coaching for parent community  Provide feedback, coaching and offer support to faculty and staff.
• Offer trauma-informed, support/process groups throughout the year.
• Provide crisis intervention for students and families, advise administration and teaching staff on student academic needs in time of crisis.
• Provide feedback and collaborate with classroom instructors as needs arise for students.
• Partner with Dean of Students office in discipline cases that necessitate social, emotional follow- up and case management.
• Advise, inform admin, faculty/staff about developmental needs and characteristics of adolescence.
• Support office of Academic Dean with 9’s registration and course planning.
• Collaborate with the college counseling department with shared alphas.
• Cultivate relationships in the mental health community of Houston and surrounding areas/refer out when applicable.
• Maintain a membership to the American School Counseling Association or membership to a professional organization.
• Willingness to be trained as a Certified Daring Way Facilitator (CDWF) and facilitate BOLD small groups with students or participate in continuing education.
• Collect and document data on services provided during the year
• Attend a grade level retreat

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in either Counseling or Social Work required
• School counseling certificate preferred.
• Commitment to embracing the mission of St. Agnes Academy
• Complete Safe Haven training
• Must have experience working with diverse student populations
• Strong public speaking skills
• Work experience in a school setting
• Teaching experience preferred
• Excellent judgment, confidentiality, discretion, and diplomacy
• Ability to work independently as well as a team member; ability to set priorities and schedules to meet deadlines with minimum of supervision
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Strong self-care skills.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional/education/office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

Physical Demand

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit at desk area, communicate via phone/face to face, manually input data into a computer, walk to different office areas, reach with hands and arms, and minimal lifting.