School-Based Mental Health Counselor

At Youth Guidance, 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 Chicago’s 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, Youth Guidance is a leading provider of outcomes-driven programs serving more than 11,000 youth while touching the lives of more than 14,000 youth, parents, teachers, and community members.

Positively Impacting the Lives of Chicago Youth!

Our Counselors get to know youth. They have a strong desire to see each child succeed and help them do so by providing individual, group, and family counseling and crisis intervention and by rendering direct counseling and/or support services to students and others within agency policies and programs. Our Counselors work together for the success of youth by participating within teams, helping formulate programs, and working together with school administrations to ensure cohesive collaboration.

Impact the Lives of Chicago Youth by:

• Being your authentic self and doing your best work

• By believing in and working to exemplify the Youth Guidance mission

• By believing in our youth

• Developing counseling interventions and programs that meet students’ needs within the school community

• Providing clinical assessments for each assigned student

• Providing individual counseling for students in a school setting

• Providing family and crisis intervention as needed

• Participating in teacher training and school in-service presentations

• Performing weekly required documentation and special administrative assignments

• Participating in staff development and required trainings within Youth Guidance and assigned school

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

Use your training to Impact the lives of Chicago Youth:

• Master’s degree in counseling, social work or a related human service field from an approved and accredited college/university
• LSW, LCSW, LMFT, LCPC, or LPC licensure, preferred
• Demonstrated experience with youth engagement and positive youth development
• Demonstrated 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

Our  Counselor exemplifies:

• Communication: Able to use effective written and oral communication with internal and external audiences and stakeholders; demonstrates empathy and listening.

• Client orientation: Can recognize needs of diverse stakeholders and approaches relationships with a service orientation to ultimately maximize 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 change is required; Demonstrated ability to be solutions-focused, self-reflective, and dedicated the continuous improvement of service quality.

• Ownership and quality of work: Effectively manages own work and work of internal and external stakeholders ensuring delivery of high-quality work.

We believe in Your Power to Impact. You'll enjoy:

• Supportive administration and staff
• Robust paid time off and holidays
• Health and wellness benefits
• Comprehensive EAP support for yourself and family
• Hybrid work environment

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:

• Must be able to sit or stand for an extended period of time.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee may need to frequently talk, hear, walk, write/type and occasionally bend, stoop, kneel or crouch.

• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.

• Vaccination is required

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 within a Chicago Public School environment and may occasionally need to use standard office equipment such as computers, phones and photocopiers.
• Occasional local travel. Vaccination is required.

Youth Guidance is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Youth Guidance does not discriminate on the basis of 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.

EOE/M/F/D/V/SO