2024-25 Middle School Counselor

Join the Young Scholars Charter School team and help us Imagine New Possibilities in education. We have reimagined our schedule to be more sustainable for teachers and better for students.

Who are we?

Young Scholars Charter School (YSCS) is a free, lottery-based, open-enrollment charter school serving students from across Philadelphia in grades 6-8. The mission of Young Scholars is to provide a personalized middle school education that challenges, engages and prepares all students to passionately pursue their dreams and lead a life of active citizenship. We aim to inspire and equip every student to lead a life of achievement, service and success. Our structured and nurturing community, comprehensive programming and rigorous academic curriculum are designed to build self-motivated citizens, eager learners and strong leaders – regardless of circumstance. Our graduates are driven young people who are prepared for the future demands of high school, college, career, and eventually, the world.

We seek to provide project-based learning and high-quality instruction to help students grow as learners and citizens. We believe in rigorous and culturally relevant curriculum where all students are given an opportunity to reach high academic success. Our teachers engage in extensive planning, strong instructional execution, and common skill-based assessments. Our curriculum engages students in building their academic proficiency and social-emotional skills to be successful.

Who are we looking for?

We are currently looking for a passionate Middle School Counselor to join the YSCS team in 2024-25 School Year and work with us to Imagine New Possibilities in Education. The counselor in this position promotes and enhances our school's overall academic mission by providing services that strengthen home/school/community partnerships and alleviate barriers to learning. The person in this role significantly contributes to the development of a healthy, safe, and caring environment by advancing the understanding of the emotional and social development of children and the influences of family, community, and cultural differences on student successes and by implementing effective intervention strategies. The person in this role reports directly to our Director of Counseling Services.

Responsibilities

• The school-based mental health clinician delivers clinical services to identified students in the school setting, collaborating with youth and families to achieve treatment goals;
• Responsibilities include assessment of student need and planning of intervention/treatment;
• Facilitate individual and group counseling for special education and general education students utilizing evidence-based, behavioral, social and emotional interventions to address student concerns including problem solving, conflict resolution, self-esteem, coping strategies, peer relationships and other issues impacting student functioning;
• Keep detailed records of counseling sessions and behavioral/mental health interventions provided across all tiers;
• Participate in crisis intervention, including completing formal risk assessments and creating and implementing targeted safety/crisis plans to address specific student concerns;
• Makes referrals to outside agencies as needed and provides ongoing follow-up services to students and their families;
• Provide behavioral health support that fosters a safe and successful learning environment for students that fosters the academic, personal, social and career development of all students;
• Act as a liaison between the school and various community/governmental agencies that may provide services to students and their families;
• Assists with addressing transition of students to/from psychiatric placement and participate in discharge planning meetings and follow-up support;
• Help to gather and disseminate information on critical issues such as student substance abuse, child abuse, neglect, suicide prevention/interventions, preteen/teen pregnancy and homelessness, and provides professional development to staff as needed;
• Support the development and implementation of social emotional learning school-wide;
• Employ tact, diplomacy and sound judgment in dealing with sensitive or personal problems and challenging attitudes. 

Qualifications and Skills

• The ability to motivate students and cultivate a culture of achievement;
• A belief that ALL students should be held to high academic standards;
• Resilience and professionalism;
• Commitment to school transformation and continuous improvement;
• Open to feedback and coaching;
• Strong sense of personal accountability for student achievement;
• Collaborative approach to problem solving.

Educational Background and Work Experience

• A master’s degree in social work, counseling, creative art therapy (including art therapist, music therapist, etc.) or related field;
• Appropriate licenses/certificates;
• At least 1 years’ experience working with youth and adolescents, preferably in an urban middle school setting.

The Rewards

• Competitive salary and benefits package;

• Professional collaboration with grade and content teams;
• Weekly coaching and ongoing professional development;
• 1:1 Chromebooks in every classroom;
• Google Education platform for online assignment management;
• The opportunity to maximize your impact in schools where we are raising the bar for student achievement.