The Calhoun School, a leading progressive, independent, co-educational day school in Manhattan, seeks a full-time experienced Middle School (5th-8th grade) Counselor.  Reporting to the Middle School Director, the Middle School Counselor is a member of the Middle School Leadership Team and leads the division in supporting students' social and emotional well-being. The ideal candidate for this position possesses counseling and classroom teaching skills and has experience in a school setting working with students, as well as working with and assisting faculty and families.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES


 

• Assist students, administration, faculty, and families with intervention in academic and emotional situations by:
  • Facilitating ongoing communication among teachers, administration, families, and outside tutors and therapists
  • Working with administration and faculty to identify students in need of counseling and evaluations
  • Providing short-term counseling when emergencies arise
  • Participating in Middle School student life by actively engaging in the community (clubs, recess, advisory, field trips)
  • Providing insight and expertise during anecdotal sessions
  • Attending weekly Student Resource Team meetings
  • Making referrals for outside support and serving as a liaison with mental health professionals
  • Interviewing and maintaining lists of prospective therapists
  • Creating and maintaining files on students with a need for support
  • Offering guidance and strategies to teachers and parents/guardians for dealing with a variety of social and emotional issues

• Serve as a resource to the community on adolescent and pre-adolescent issues and, in the process:
  • Working with the Middle School faculty to promote a positive emotional and academic climate in the school
  • Strengthening effective advocacy for student needs throughout the school
  • Promoting constructive communication among all members of the community
  • Organizing and running peer education programs and workshops, or groups on special needs (grieving, eating issues, substance abuse, coping with the illness of someone close, etc.)
  • Working closely with the health education teachers on curriculum and instructional activities (e.g., Middle School health), and on identifying resource materials for students and adults on health education
  • Teaching or co-teaching life skills courses
  • Offering assistance to families via phone calls, parent conferences, and evening workshops
  • Developing and implementing programming and culture around decision making, communication, life skills, and character values.
    
     
• Participating in day-to-day activities that will ensure the counselor's accessibility to students and adults (e.g., orientation programs, trips, open houses, faculty meetings, workshops, informal conversations, etc.)

• Assisting the Admissions Office with reviewing files of prospective students with psychological or learning issues and, if appropriate, contacting their outside support specialists.

SUCCESS FACTORS/JOB COMPETENCIES

• Attentive Listener
• Flexibility and a desire to collaborate
• Insight into developmental stages and generational conflict issues
• Excellent interpersonal and communication abilities with adolescents, parents/guardians, teachers, and administrators
• Excellent problem-solving skills, creativity, judgment, initiative, a strong sense of humor, and the ability to see things from a "glass half full" perspective
• Ability to organize, manage, and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to work well in a busy and sometimes noisy environment
• Commitment to progressive education and the core mission and values of the school