Worcester HEARS Support Team - Behavioral Health Specialist - Worcester Public Schools - Worcester, MA

TO: ALL APPLICANTS

SUBJECT: Worcester HEARS Support Team – Behavioral Health Specialist

REPORTS TO: Chief Academic Officer, HEARS Principals

ANTICIPATED START DATE: September 1, 2016

ACCOUNTABILITY OBJECTIVE:
This position is accountable for the delivery of social casework services to students; to identify a student’s needs and to make use of internal and community resources to help bring about positive changes so as to function to his/her fullest potential in the school and community through actions consistent with the policies of the Worcester Public schools and relevant state laws and regulations.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Assist with Worcester HEARS related activities across all five Worcester HEARS school sites.

2. Assist Worcester HEARS schools in connecting with behavioral health agencies

3. Assist Worcester HEARS school sites during severe student behavioral health crisis

4. Assist school personnel in counseling and behavioral health intervention services

5. Assist in pre-referral conferences with school personnel in a team context for the appropriate intervention for a student.

6. Assist school personnel during individual and/or group short-term counseling with, or otherwise assisting referred students.

7. Responsible for cooperating and consulting as a team member with teachers, principals and other school personnel for

purposes of diagnosing, evaluating and recommending interventions for the adjustment of students.

8. Responsible for providing crisis intervention and conflict resolution services when requested by school personnel.

9. Responsible for making home visits to parents of referred students and counseling with parents at school and in the home to

help them understand the social, emotional and academic needs of the student.

10. Assist school personnel in serving as a referral agent and case manager for the student and parent(s) in developing a network

of social services with community agencies.

11. Responsible for assisting in providing career education awareness.

12. Assist school staff in compiling, summarizing, maintaining, and submitting data or other records of pupils referred for appraisal to appropriate school personnel.

13. Responsible for safeguarding the student’s right to privacy against disclosure of information in the student’s case history, or if disclosures of confidences during counseling within the framework of applicable laws and systemwide policies.

14. Responsible for being knowledgeable and conforming to state and systemwide regulations and guidelines on student records.

15. Responsible for assuring equal educational opportunity to all individuals regardless of race, color, gender, age, marital status, religion, natural origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, homelessness, or disability.

16. Participate in Worcester HEARS Community of Practice working group

17. Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Licensed Mental Health Clinician (LMHC) by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

2. Evidence of mastery of social case work techniques.

3. Ability to understand the dynamics of families from various cultural backgrounds.

4. Two years’ experience working with school-age children and their families.

5. Familiarity in working with consultants, resource personnel, community groups, etc.

6. Ability to produce concise reports concerning relevant developmental, social, and medical information.

7. Group work experience.

8. Ability to deal with typical issues, such as eating disorders, pregnancy, alcohol and other drug abuse, sexual identity, family conflict, and physical, sexual and psychological abuse.

9. Prior experience delivering Professional Development to adults

10. Willingness to visit students’ homes throughout the Worcester community.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Ability to speak Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Albanian, or an African Language.

2. Training and experience in conflict resolution techniques.

3. Experience working in schools and/or social service agencies with clients from culturally and socio-economically diverse backgrounds.

4. Experience in providing consultation services, including workshops to professionals relative to child development, behavior modification, adolescent issues, etc.

5. Demonstrated experience supporting students with special needs

6. Demonstrated experience with second language acquisition

7. Licensure as a School Adjustment Counselor, with SEI Endorsement.

WORK YEAR: School Year with 10 days over the summer.

WORK DAY: 8 hour days, five days per week. Hours will be flexible to accommodate the needs of a variety of schools, with different start/end times.

SALARY: $60,000 per year

Note: This is a grant funded position, and is subject to grant approval. The maximum length of the grant is three years, after which employment cannot be guaranteed.

TO APPLY: Any person interested in this position must submit a resume, cover letter, licensure information, and answer all questions on-line at www.worcesterschools.org. This information must be submitted on-line on or before August 22, 2016.

This deadline date does not preclude further advertisement or recruitment