Middle School Counselor

The Nueva School

MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNSELOR

Full-time Position

Start date: July 1 2026

Position Summary

The Nueva School is seeking an experienced empathetic and trained mental health professional to serve as the School Counselor for grades 5-8 beginning July 1 2026. The School Counselor plays a key role as a part of our student support team to promote and ensure the social emotional academic and physical wellness of Nueva students. The School Counselor provides individual student guidance and counseling develops programming and supports faculty and staff professional development and parent School Counselor serves as a trusted resource for the community and liaises with outside professionals and agencies when necessary.

A Day in the Life

Each day at Nueva middle school is collaborative dynamic and grounded in meaningful relationships with students and colleagues. Your daily routine varies from day-to-day with such activities as middle school morning meetings on Zoom whole grade-level meetings led by our deans advisory and supervision duties. As a member of the student support team you participate in student support meetings where teachers learning specialists counselors and administrators gather to share celebrations concerns and strategies in support of students.

The middle school has created space on Fridays for special classes planned and facilitated by middle school teachers and support staff including workshops to prepare students for our annual week-long trips discussions of current events Lit Club and choice time at the end of the day. Fridays also feature assemblies many of which are performances by our student musicians. These Bonus Fridays are tech-free with students leaving their laptops at home. All middle school employees chaperone field trips and one annual week-long trip each year.

The School Counselors primary responsibilities include:

• Working collaboratively with school faculty and staff to identify students in need of counseling services
• Managing student crisis situations and facilitating crisis response work with students faculty and families
• Meeting with students in need on a short-term basis (one-on-one or in groups) to provide appropriate support during crisis situations and helping students develop coping strategies resiliency and communication skills through that work
• Collaborating with faculty deans learning support specialists and administration regarding students of concern and ensuring that appropriate support is provided
• Making referrals to outside professionals for students needing ongoing counseling therapy psychological testing etc
• Acting as a proactive and responsive resource for students parents colleagues and outside partners on emerging issues of emotional well-being in the community
• Attending weekly student wellness meetings student support team meetings and kid meetings with teachers
• Facilitating professional learning for faculty/staff and parent education
• Actively participate in other aspects of the student experience and school functioning: chaperoning day-long and multiple-day trips and events serving on committees developing new programs at the school and supervising students on additional duties
• Supporting the Admissions team with prospective families

Position Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Masters degree in school counseling school psychology psychology human services social work or a related field
• Excellent listening verbal and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team
• Strong organizational skills with keen attention to detail and the ability to manage and prioritize multiple responsibilities simultaneously
• Ability to manage competing demands and adapt to frequent or unexpected changes
• Demonstrated commitment to ethical practice including sound judgment confidentiality discretion and professionalism
• Alignment with the schools mission and a commitment to supporting the academic social emotional and extracurricular development of students

Preferred Qualifications

• Licensure or certification in school counseling psychology or a related field
• Experience working with middle school-aged students and their families
• Experience with gifted learners and/or a demonstrated interest in learning about giftedness and neurodivergence (including twice-exceptional students)
• Familiarity with independent school culture and environments

Successful candidates will have a minimum of 3 years of experience working in this capacity and have a deep knowledge of current research and best practices in the addition the successful candidate will be an all-around school person who wants to participate in and contribute to our vibrant learning community.

Encouragement to Apply

Nueva encourages anyone to apply even if they do not meet all the preferred qualifications. If you are excited about supporting gifted students committed to equity and inclusion and eager to grow your skills within a collaborative community we would welcome your application.

We are seeking applicants who represent the full diversity of our community in the Bay Area. Our ideal candidate will possess a deep appreciation for the diverse socioeconomic racial cultural disability gender identity sexual orientation academic and ethnic backgrounds present in our joining our team at Nueva you will become a part of an inclusive iterative and equity-minded community that recognizes that equity and social justice is a lens with which we examine all aspects of our school community in order to ensure an educational experience where all students and colleagues can thrive.

In deciding whether to apply for a position at Nueva you are strongly encouraged to consider whether your values align with Nuevas Mission Vision and Values.

Compensation and Benefits

The full-time salary range for this faculty position is $80800-$166000. The starting salary is based on but not limited to several factors including type and years of creditable experience education level and expertise.

We offer a full benefits package that includes fully paid medical dental vision and life insurance for employees; employer contribution toward dependent insurance premiums; a generous match on our 403(b) retirement plan; long-term and short-term disability insurance; flexible spending accounts; and free lunch. Eligibility rules apply.

To Apply

Please submit your application information - cover letter describing your interest and preparedness for the position a resume documenting your relevant experience and expertise and contact information for three professional references including an explanation of your relationship - to the Nueva Employment Website. To address specific questions please email Karen Tiegel at

The Nueva School is an Equal Opportunity Employer we do not discriminate against any employee or job applicant on the basis of race color gender national origin age religion creed disability or sex. We welcome applications from people of color and those with experience outside the education field.

About The Nueva School

The Nueva School an internationally recognized nonprofit independent day school has served gifted and talented students since 1967. Today Nueva serves nearly 1000 students PK-12. Nueva is located in the neighboring towns of Hillsborough and San Mateo equidistant between San Francisco and Silicon Valley serving six different counties throughout the Bay Area of Northern California.

A constructivist school Nueva is known for its distinctive inquiry-based interdisciplinary studies project-based learning and pioneering work in social-emotional learning and design thinking. The Nueva community instills a passion for lifelong learning fosters social and emotional acuity and develops the imaginative mind. Our school has received the US Department of Education National Blue Ribbon Award the US Department of Education National Green Ribbon Award and the American Institute of Architects Award for School Design and Sustainability; has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished Program and appointed an Ashoka Changemaker School; co-founded the Common Ground Speaker Series; hosts the biennial Innovative Learning Conference and was highlighted by the Pulitzer Prizewinning and New York Times best-selling author Thomas Friedman in his book That Used to Be Us in the chapter Average Is Over.

For more information about The Nueva School visit our website: