School Social Worker/Clinical Counselor at Maya Angelou PCS SY 23 -24

The Organization

Maya empowers opportunity and justice-involved youth to transform the trajectory of their lives. We do this by engaging each of our scholars in a restorative, relevant school experience that prioritizes personalized academic support, well-being, and preparation for the post-Maya pathway of their choice. With an education in our network of schools, our scholars will do more than succeed – they will thrive!

If you would like to learn more about Maya Angelou Schools and See Forever Foundation, please visit Seeforever.org.

The Touchstone

At the Maya Angelou Schools, the key to our success is rooted in building trusting, respectful and nurturing relationships with each other. We strive to create safe spaces for all to be able to reach their limitless potential. We are at our best when we work together to ensure the unique needs of our community are met. We empower each other to grow successfully so we can see forever! This is how we live the Maya Way, even when no one is watching.

Position Overview:

The School Social Worker/Clinical Counselor will serve as a member of the Clinical Services Department, which is dedicated to working collaboratively with all school personnel (teachers, administrators, and support staff) to remove the barriers that prevent students from accessing instruction. We believe that every student benefits from having dedicated professionals whose significant responsibility is a student’s emotional growth and well-being. In order to reach this vision, the Maya Angelou Learning Center recognizes that incorporating mental health services as an integral part of the school program is critical to the success of our students.

Historically, Maya Angelou Schools have served students who present with a host of risk factors , with more than 80% of our students report that they have experienced significant trauma (i.e. being the victim of sexual trauma, having at least one parent who is incarcerated, having experienced the death of a close relative). Additionally, many of our students come to us having been unsuccessful in traditional public high schools and have a history of truancy and being disconnected from the school setting. To that end, School Social Worker/Clinical Counselor will play an integral role in providing direct individual, group, and familial clinical intervention to MAPCS students.

Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• Provide weekly behavioral support services (i.e. individual and group counseling) to all Exceptional Learners and general education students (as needed)
• Collaborate with other Clinical Services Team members to select and deliver targeted group counseling interventions
• Collaborate with other Clinical Services Team members in assessing clinical service gaps and establishing connections with external resources to effectively address these gaps
• Ensure that all pre/post assessments (e.g. Panorama Assessment and the Resiliency Scales for Children & Adolescents) are administered timely
• Provide crisis intervention and triage referrals to community support agencies as needed (i.e., substance abuse support and grief and loss counseling)
• Collaborate with core service agencies and other community-based organizations to provide robust clinical and case management support to all students
• Perform weekly outreach for students to ensure they remain engaged and connected with programs and supports offered by Maya Angelou PCS
• Facilitate professional development and training opportunities for the greater school community about the impact of untreated trauma and positive outcomes of implementing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and trauma-informed practices within the school program
• Collaborate with the discipline team and school administrators to provide support to students struggling to cope with the negative behavioral impact of external factors
• Assist the team by recruiting, selecting, training, and supervising graduate mental health interns from local colleges and universities
• Maintain a comprehensive file on all students, which includes a copy of their counseling intake, consents, academic records, etc.
• Adhere to the protocol for maintaining confidential clinical files and referral process to follow up on secured data
• When necessary, communicate with parents and/or guardians to engage them in improving the student’s attendance, behavioral, and academic performance
• Other duties as assigned 

Knowledge and Skills

• Demonstrates uncompromising ethics and personal integrity by adhering to the highest standards of ethical behavior
• Excellent documentation, organizational, and communication skills (both orally and written)
• Excellent clinical and case management skills
• Prior direct service experience working truant and disconnected youth
• Demonstrates team spirit, initiative, and a willingness to collaborate with all members of the school community
• Ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively as a member of a multidisciplinary team
• History of effectively assessing the psycho-educational needs of students and families
• Holds oneself accountable, sets high expectations for self and others, and works both independently and collaboratively
• Strong problem-solving and crisis intervention skills
• Strong skills in documenting efforts and interventions

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related field, social work, mental health/community counseling, or clinical/school/counseling psychology (required)
• License (required) and independent license. e.g., LICSW or LPC (preferred)
• OSSE certification (strongly preferred): candidates must secure this credential within one (1)  year of hire
• Experience with the basic concepts of positive youth development, clinical assessment, and strengths-based prevention/intervention theory and practice
• Experience working in community-based mental health, family health/mental health, and or public school setting
• Experience supervising graduate mental health interns, counseling, social work, or psychology (preferred)
• Experience and commitment to working from a strength-based and/or youth development perspective
• Experience with providing teacher consultation and support

Salary and Benefits

Our salaries are comparable to those of other public schools in the District of Columbia area. In addition, we offer a robust benefits plan, including health care coverage, HSA/FSA and dependent care accounts, voluntary dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability options, commuter benefits, a 401k retirement savings plan, student loan refinancing options, and the opportunity to positively impact students with a broad range of experiences and backgrounds.

We are an equal-opportunity employer. We believe a diverse staff is a better, more effective staff.