Upper School Counselor

ABOUT US: Oregon Episcopal School occupies a wooded 59 acre campus where 880 students in Pre-K through 12th Grade share an excellent faculty, an inquiry based curriculum, and a strong sense of community. The School values employees who seek to continually develop the OES Essential Competencies in themselves and others and are prepared to engage in a vibrant, culturally diverse learning community.

JOB SUMMARY: The Upper School counselor supports the health and well-being of all 9-12 students through individual student and small group work, triage, and close collaboration with teachers, advisors, and administrators. The successful counselor thrives working with a globally diverse student body composed of both day and dorm students, commits to making a positive impact on the lives of teenagers through personal and differentiated relationships, and seeks to ensure that students feel a sense of belonging in the community. In keeping with an integrated approach to student wellness, the counselor supports faculty and parents in their work with children, coordinates with mental health professionals in the community, builds and implements grade level programming focused on social-emotional learning and other important mental health topics, and in conjunction with the other members of the Student Support Team, coordinates mental health accommodations to work towards student success and growth  Though this role is not supervisory, the counselor, who reports to the Head of Upper School, is expected to be fully involved in all aspects of the Upper School community.

This is a full-time, academic year, staff position that comes with a competitive salary, abundant professional development opportunities, and a generous benefits package including tuition remission for up to two admissions eligible children. For more information on benefits at OES visit the OES Benefits Guide. Starts August 23, 2021. Open until filled.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Provide direct service, including crisis counseling, time-limited interventions, and assessment for triage and referral purposes for those students struggling with social, emotional, mental health or behavioral challenges.
• Contribute to an overall school climate that promotes healthy adolescent development, student wellness and the school’s mission and vision.
• Maintain an awareness of overall mental health of the US student body.
• Work with students and families if needed to make referrals for additional support, and coordinate and consult with outside care teams of those students receiving mental health services outside of school.
• Stay up-to-date on relevant professional development and provide education on relevant social-emotional topics to students and faculty.
• Keep current with laws governing confidentiality as they pertain to adolescents and mental health services in schools.
• Assist in the development of school programs to promote wellness, safety, and resilience by reinforcing communication and social skills, problem solving, anger management, self-regulation, self-determination, and optimism.
• Assist in crisis situations by providing leadership and/or direct services.
• Maintain documentation as required by State Law and Health Services policies and procedures.
• Develop and facilitate family education through interactive workshops and presentations.
• Assist, when appropriate, in transitioning students and their families into the OES community, between grade levels, and between divisions.
• Engage in the co-curricular life of the school to be known and recognized by students.
• Teach a class, as deemed appropriate for this role.
• Develop and implement a peer counseling program with components of health education, coping-skills education, group problem solving and sharing, and social wellness.
• Work closely with advisors, teachers, learning resource coordinator, international student support coordinator to assist students who have been assessed as needing additional academic and emotional support.
• Identify and ensure effective communication to administration and Student Support Team regarding any at-risk student.
• Maintain an active and positive and collaborative role with MS and LS counselors regarding the overall needs of the school, students, and families.
• Help facilitate and ensure effective communication and coordination between all parts of the school community for those students with psychological, psychiatric, and/or mental health needs.
• Attend and participate in weekly Student Support Team and Residential Life Team meetings to identify and support students of concern.
• Engage in professional growth and development opportunities including the Schools DEI development activities.
• Serve as consultant to faculty, advisors, and administrators regarding the social/emotional needs of students.
• Coordinate with the director of residential life to support dorm students outside of school-day hours.
• Attend annual dorm staff retreat and coordinate dorm parent training around mental health concerns; perform DHS required mental health screenings of dorm students upon entry into the program.
• Be a trusted, available, and reliable resource for parents and guardians and provide families with information about and strategies on adolescent development and parenting adolescents.
• Maintain an updated list of counseling referral sources for students and families.