The Priory School seeks a Wellness Counselor who will join our team and play a pivotal role in supporting student personal development and growth. The wellness counselor promotes and assists with healthy individual, relational, and academic development and resilience in our students through a variety of services, including brief counseling and check-ins with students in support of students’ social, emotional, mental, and spiritual health; collaboration with caregivers, teachers, administrators, and outside professionals; referrals for additional support; and crisis intervention, as needed. The wellness counselor aims to reduce barriers to learning by supporting the whole child within our diverse student body. Systemic and collaborative in nature, the wellness counselor meets the student where they are and leverages the partnership of caregivers, faculty, and other professionals as appropriate.

RESPONSIBILITIES WITH STUDENTS

• Provide human-centered, culturally-responsive, non-judgmental, individual and small-group counseling to middle and upper school students, including a small population of boarding students
• Cultivate healthy relationships and explore personal growth topics such as purpose, strengths, and values
• Create and deliver programming that addresses student well-being needs and concerns
• Use professional discretion to assess when it is appropriate to refer out for a higher level of care (ongoing psychotherapy, psychiatric evaluation, etc.)
• Uphold the department’s policy of confidentiality, and clearly and appropriately communicate the limitations of confidentiality to students
• Support mission-based programming through advisory, campus ministry retreats, and campus-wide committees

RESPONSIBILITIES WITH FACULTY, STAFF, AND ADMINISTRATION

• Implement programs and deliver presentations for the school community regarding mental health and wellness, adolescent development, parent/guardian support, and other topics, as assigned
• Assist in the management of individual and schoolwide crises in a manner aligned with best practices and community standards of care
• Effectively communicate, collaborate, and consult with faculty, staff, and administration regarding student well-being 
• Observe student behavior in classroom environments with the goal of reducing barriers to learning
• Collaborate closely with members of the student support team (Director of Learning Support; Wellness Counseling; Director of DEI; Benedictine Scholars Coordinator; College Counseling; Dean of Students; Dean of Residential Life; Head of Middle School and Head of Upper School) and other departments 
• Attend Middle School and Upper School Student of Concern meetings with other members of the student support team; weekly department meetings; and other mandatory school wide events

RESPONSIBILITIES WITH CAREGIVERS

• Serve as a resource to families on mental health and wellness in the context of individual, targeted family support and broader, community-wide containers (parent coffees and salons, Common Ground Speaker Series debriefs, etc.)
• Provide appropriate psychoeducation in support of student well-being and referrals for more robust, outside support, when appropriate
• Regularly update and deliver external-facing department information 

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Seek out and complete professional development to remain up-to-date on issues relevant to the Priory community
• Maintain an up-to-date and extensive referrals list and provide referrals to appropriate professionals both proactively and as requested by students and caregivers
• Keep records in accordance with professional best practices and the school’s systems

• Preferred: Coaches a sport or moderates a club or affinity space.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Earned Master’s Degree in a counseling related field
• Preferred: At least two years of counseling  experience in a school setting

• Preferred: Experience with purpose learning, belonging curriculum, or SEL curriculum development