School Adjustment Counselor Summit Academy (Therapeutic Day School)

Summit Academy Therapeutic Day School

Summit Academy the Districts therapeutic day school is seeking a skilled compassionate and collaborative School Adjustment Counselor to support students with significant social-emotional behavioral and mental health needs.

The School Adjustment Counselor will serve as an integral member of Summit Academys multidisciplinary team providing intensive therapeutic support that enables students to access instruction strengthen self-regulation skills maintain relationships and make progress toward their individualized educational and treatment goals. The successful candidate will understand how trauma mental health disability family circumstances and other environmental factors may affect a students attendance behavior engagement and academic performance.

This position requires a professional who can build trusting relationships with students and families respond effectively during periods of crisis and contribute to a structured predictable and supportive therapeutic learning environment.

• Provide individual and group counseling consistent with students Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) treatment plans and identified social-emotional and behavioral needs.

• Develop and implement therapeutic interventions that strengthen emotional regulation coping communication problem-solving conflict-resolution and relationship-building skills.

• Establish trusting culturally responsive relationships with students while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.

• Provide in-the-moment counseling de-escalation and crisis support when students experience emotional or behavioral distress.

• Conduct developmentally appropriate screenings assessments and risk evaluations including assessments related to student safety in accordance with District protocols and the counselors professional training and scope of practice.

• Collaborate with students to develop individualized coping regulation crisis-response and safety plans.

• Support students as they transition into Summit Academy return following hospitalization or an extended absence or prepare to transition to a less restrictive educational setting.

• Help students identify and address barriers to attendance engagement academic progress and successful participation in school.

• Contribute to a therapeutic school culture grounded in consistency dignity relationship-building trauma-responsive practice and high expectations for student growth.

• Work collaboratively with educators behavioral staff administrators and related-service providers to understand the function of student behavior and develop effective interventions.

• Participate in the development implementation monitoring and revision of behavior support plans safety plans re-entry plans and other individualized interventions.

• Consult with classroom staff regarding trauma-responsive practices regulation strategies classroom supports and effective responses to student behavior.

• Assist students with generalizing counseling and self-regulation skills across classrooms community-based activities and other school settings.

• Collect and review relevant student data to evaluate the effectiveness of counseling and behavioral interventions and recommend adjustments when needed.

• Participate actively in IEP Team meetings student-support meetings clinical consultation and other multidisciplinary planning processes.

• Complete social-emotional assessments progress reports present-level statements measurable annual goals service-delivery recommendations and other required documentation.

• Monitor and document students progress toward counseling-related IEP goals.

• Provide consultation regarding students social-emotional functioning and how mental health or environmental factors may affect educational access and progress.

• Collaborate with the IEP Team to determine appropriate supports services accommodations and transition plans.

• Maintain timely accurate and confidential counseling records in accordance with federal and state law DESE requirements District procedures and applicable professional standards.

• Develop respectful collaborative partnerships with parents caregivers and other individuals who support the student.

• Maintain regular communication with families regarding student progress concerns interventions and strategies that may support consistency between home and school.

• Connect students and families with community-based mental health social service health care housing and other resources when appropriate.

• Coordinate with appropriate authorization with outside therapists hospitals state agencies service providers and other members of a students treatment team.

• Participate in discharge re-entry transition and continuity-of-care planning following hospitalization residential treatment or other intensive services.

• Support families in understanding and navigating school-based services and community resources.

• Participate in crisis response threat-assessment safety-planning and mandated-reporting procedures consistent with District protocols and applicable law.

• Serve as a resource to staff regarding student mental health trauma crisis intervention and social-emotional development.

• Attend staff meetings professional learning clinical supervision or consultation and required District meetings.

• Work collaboratively and flexibly within a small therapeutic-school setting in which staff members share responsibility for student safety engagement and success.

• Protect student and family confidentiality while sharing information appropriately with staff who have a legitimate educational need to know.

• Demonstrate cultural humility and recognize the effects that identity disability race language culture poverty trauma and systemic inequities may have on students and families.

• Perform other duties consistent with the role and responsibilities of a School Adjustment Counselor.

• Masters degree in social work or counseling.

• Valid Massachusetts DESE license as a School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor All Levels or eligibility for an appropriate license or District-sponsored waiver as permitted by DESE.

• Current Massachusetts clinical license or credential such as LCSW LICSW LMHC LMFT or LRC.

• Experience working in a therapeutic day school substantially separate program alternative school residential program or other intensive clinical or educational setting.

• Experience supporting students with trauma histories anxiety depression emotional disabilities school avoidance behavioral dysregulation or other complex mental health needs.

• Training in trauma-responsive care crisis prevention and de-escalation restorative practices functional behavioral assessment or evidence-based therapeutic interventions.

• Experience conducting student risk assessments and developing safety stabilization re-entry or transition plans.

• Experience collaborating with families hospitals outpatient providers state agencies and community-based organizations.

• Experience providing special education counseling services and developing measurable IEP goals.

• Fluency in Spanish or another language spoken by District students and families.

• Full-time school-year position

• Salary and benefits in accordance with the applicable Unit A collective bargaining agreement

• Reports to the Summit Academy Principal or designee

The District is committed to building a diverse inclusive and culturally responsive workforce. We strongly encourage applications from candidates whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our students and families.

The District does not discriminate on the basis of race color religion national origin ethnicity sex gender identity sexual orientation age disability genetic information pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law.