Friends Select School is looking for a full-time school counselor/mental health professional  who can support the needs of middle and upper school students (grades 5 - 12).

This individual will work in close coordination with the school’s psychologist and other members of the Wellness team.  They will be able to provide both individual and group-based counseling services to middle school and upper school students.  Additionally, this person would communicate with families and with faculty members regarding the students that they are serving and programming they are involved with implementing.  The successful candidate will be flexible, dynamic, and team-oriented.  They will possess the ability to create and implement new programs and systems to positively impact individual students and the community.  

This role reports to the Director of Middle School, while meeting regularly with the Director of the Upper School. It is a 10-month position.

Responsibilities 

• Provide direct individual counseling services to students, which includes recognizing and responding to student mental health needs and assisting students and families in connecting to resources for therapeutic support and long-term counseling outside of school as needed.
• Manage an individual caseload of students, which may include conducting crisis assessments and interventions around safety concerns and other urgent mental health matters in collaboration with the school’s wellness team.
• Serve as a member of the school’s wellness team, collaborating with faculty members, administrators, families, and the community for student success and to promote the physical, social, emotional, educational, and health needs of students.  
• Facilitate various support groups for students.
• Consult with parents/guardians and teachers/advisors to provide mental health informed guidance, including promoting the Friends Select Health and Wellness Program for all students.
• Attend and contribute to faculty meetings, consulting as a resource to faculty and administration, and provide psychoeducation as appropriate.
• Assist with professional development of teachers and provide them with appropriate instructional strategies, as well as host talks about parenting, various mental health issues, and child development topics.

Qualifications

• Minimum of Masters degree required; Candidate must be a Certified School Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Social Worker, Licenced and/or Certified School Psychologist, or license-eligible in one these areas. 
• Five or more years of experience working in a school or counseling setting with students ages 10 - 18.
• A strongly collaborative, inclusive, and flexible mindset and approach
• Strong and creative problem-solving skills
• Ability to connect with pre-teens, teens, and families.
• Ability to develop relationships and connections with students, colleagues and families
• A commitment to Quaker values, social justice and anti-racism

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume and list of three professional references to Desiree Harmon, Director of the Middle School via the school’s website at: 

https://www.friends-select.org/about/employment-opportunities  

References will not be contacted unless the candidate is a finalist for the position.  Materials accepted until August 21, 2024 or the position is filled.

Friends Select School is a co-educational, pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, college preparatory, independent school located in Center City Philadelphia, serving over 600 students. As a Quaker school committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, FSS actively seeks and warmly welcomes applicants from diverse and underrepresented populations. Friends Select School provides programs and services and equal opportunity in the administration of its educational and admissions policies, financial aid programs, employment and the selection of its governing board without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected class status.

About Friends Select School

Teaching and learning at Friends Select is tangible. We’re located in the cultural heart of Center City Philadelphia, right on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. At every age, students visit museums, attend cultural events, participate in community service, and use the finest educational resources Philadelphia has to offer. Through interaction with the real world, students become resourceful learners and active citizens of our school, city, and global community. Our Pre-K through 12 academic program is an engaging and connected educational journey. It’s carefully constructed to guide students through every stage of learning in a warm and welcoming environment where failure is not feared or believed to be fixed. At the core is a firm foundation of Quaker values. During weekly Meeting for Worship, our students and teachers sit in silent search for Truth and if moved to speak, rise to share. Seniors graduate from Friends Select with the knowledge and understanding of peaceful resolution to conflict, empathy, service to others, mutual respect, inclusion, and stewardship.

Connections working at Friends Select School