School-Based Counselor

About our Organization

Youth Guidance creates and implements school-based programs that enable children to overcome obstacles, focus on their education, and ultimately, to succeed in school and in life.  We believe that no matter what challenges a young person faces, they are more likely to succeed when they have caring adults in their lives. Our highly trained staff guides kids to overcome the life and academic challenges facing the youth. We meet kids where they are — physically and emotionally — to help them focus on their education, make positive choices, and remain on the right path toward life success.

Founded in 1924 and celebrating 100 years of impact this year, Youth Guidance is a leading provider of outcomes-driven programs serving more than 18,000 youth around the country.  For more information, visit www.youth-guidance.org.

About You:

You have the passion and desire to work in a dynamic non-profit organization, you have the talent and skills to perform the job, and now you’re looking for just the right opportunity.  At Youth Guidance you’ll have the chance to use your passion and skills working alongside a team of talented individuals who share the same values.

Position Summary**:** The Counselor provides individual, group, and family counseling and crisis intervention. The Counselor is responsible for rendering direct counseling and/or support services to clients within agency policies and programs. The Counselor participates within a team, helps formulate team programs, and works with school administration to ensure cohesive collaboration.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Develops counseling interventions and programs that meet client needs within the school community

• Provides clinical assessments for each client

• Provides individual counseling for clients in a school setting

• Provides family and crisis intervention as needed

• Participates in teacher training and school in-service presentations

• Performs weekly required documentation and special administrative assignments

• Participates in staff development and required trainings within Youth Guidance and assigned school(s)

• May include service provision in home or community-based locations, as well as school-based services

• Collaborates with and/or coordinates services alongside school administrative and behavioral health teams

• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

Education/Experience/Training

• Master’s degree in social work or a related human service field from an approved and accredited college/university
• Experience with youth engagement/positive youth development
• Experience with or strong understanding of trauma-informed services and framework
• Experience working in schools or youth related systems, i.e. DCFS, juvenile detention, mental health facilities
• LSW, LCSW, LMFT, LCPC, or LPC licensure

Skills/Abilities

• Effectively communicates in verbal and written form
• Collaborates in team settings
• Works independently and with ownership of one’s work
• Demonstrates cultural competency, including understanding of effects of institutional racism and systemic oppression on marginalized populations
• Able to creatively engage youth
• Provides a positive, team-based approach to treatment and care of clients
• Fluent in Spanish and English highly preferred

Core Competencies:

• Communication: Uses effective written and oral communication with internal staff, teams, and community served; demonstrates empathy and listening
• Client orientation: Recognizes needs of diverse stakeholders and approaches relationships with a service orientation, to ultimately maximize the impact
• Equity mindset: Understands and is committed to goals of equity, consistently brings an equity mindset to the organization’s work and workplace
• Growth mindset: Views growth as important for personal and professional development; seeks out opportunities to expand skills, even if the change is required, demonstrates curiosity and eagerness to learn
• Ownership and quality of work: Effectively manages own work, and work of the team to ensure delivery of high-quality work
• Supervisory skills: Effectively manages and develops others
• Mission drive: Demonstrates commitment to the missing of the organization as a whole and alignment with organization values

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This job operates in a professional office environment, school setting, and working with the public, all Youth Guidance employees must be fully vaccinated or approved for a medical or religious exemption
• Occasional local and national travel

DEI Statement

At Youth Guidance, we understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are fundamental to realizing our vision of bright and successful futures for all young people. We celebrate the diversity of youth and recognize them as empowered leaders, problem-solvers, and experts of their own experiences. At the same time, we acknowledge that many systems and institutions meant to support youth are inequitable and unjust.

As such, we are committed to advancing DE&I through our words and our actions, both internally and externally, by:

• Strengthening cultural competence as well as policies, practices, and organizational structures that foster belonging and leverage the unique backgrounds and talents of staff;
• Offering youth-centered programs that are accessible and responsive to people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities, sexual identity, gender identity and expression, language, and cultural and religious beliefs and practices;
• Influencing systems that youth, their families, and communities are impacted by, such as schools, organizational networks, governmental bodies, researchers, and the funding community, to apply approaches that embrace DEI in addressing the needs and supporting the aspirations of young people.

Youth Guidance is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity, equity, inclusivity, and belonging. Youth Guidance does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law and is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity along all of these lines. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

EEO/M/F/D/V/SO

Keywords

CounselorYouthTraumaSchoolCrisisInterventionFamilyClinicalAssessmentCultural CompetencySpanishEnglish