Mental Health Counselor - CO (2025-2026 School Year) presso Harrisonburg City Public Schools

HARRISONBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITION SUMMARY:    

A Mental Health Counselor has specialized therapeutic training in the field of trauma and child abuse to support severe cases of mental health issues in our schools.  Students who would be candidates for their services include: children with significant trauma and/or abuse histories who are unable to be productive members of the classroom because of the severity of their symptomatology, students who are expressing suicidal or homicidal ideation, students with disruptive behaviors and no known etiology, students who have witnessed violence, students who are sexually reactive, or students having signs of a serious mental illness, including but not limited to, psychotic features.  The Mental Health Counselor works with identified students and their families to provide best practice wrap-around mental health services.  Collaborates with outside services and sets up appropriate resources for family access.  The goal is to provide short term therapeutic assessment with interventions to stabilize and cessate maladaptive behaviors.   The Mental Health Counselor also serves as a part of the school’s crisis response team for students and staff and is called upon to provide consultation and support as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Holds a master’s degree, from an accredited college or university, in counseling or in a human services related field and is licensed or eligible for a license.
2. Extensive knowledge of the principles, practices, and methods of mental health and counseling.
3. Knowledge of community resources and has the demonstrated ability to collaborate with other service providers.
4. Experience working with diverse learning needs and with children that may benefit from alternative learning models is preferred.
5. Effectively demonstrates the ability to perform the essential functions and possesses a 
6. Experience working directly with individuals and families from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
7. Familiarity with equity and inclusion frameworks.  Models non-discriminatory practices in all activities.  Respects the worth, dignity and individual differences of others.
8. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to present to diverse audiences to foster professional relationships and express and/or exchange ideas.  
9. Excellent interpersonal skills.
10. Proficiency in the use of a variety of office/instructional equipment and technology with experience using Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and email.
11. Demonstrated leadership qualities and personal characteristics necessary for working effectively with students, teachers, administrators, and the community.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Provides consultation to administrators and staff on broad areas of mental health and its impact on students, their learning, and their behavior.  
2. Consults with staff on school and student mental health needs and provides guidance on how to respond with best practices to improve student outcomes through increased emotional regulation and related skills.
3. Consults with classroom teachers to increase their knowledge and understanding of social emotional learning and how best to work with specific students to increase student success in and outside of school. 
4. Consults with teachers, when appropriate, in the development of best practices in classroom management and a positive social emotional learning environment. 
5. Consults with teachers, families, and students to create appropriate mental health interventions for identified students.
6. Provides direct services to students and parents.
1. Provides mental health counseling with individuals or groups of students who require more intensive intervention that other staff can provide.
2. Works in collaboration with parents to address student mental health needs.
3. Works in collaboration with other members of student support services to provide parent clinics where parents are able to meet with teams to discuss and explore solutions to parenting concerns.
4. Provides ongoing wellness support to students and staff to promote positive mental health as a preventative intervention.  Support is provided individually, in groups or as a resource.
5. Provides mental health assessments for students, who are identified by staff, and then provides the appropriate referrals and resources for that student. 
6. Provides suicide risk assessments for students who have been identified as potentially at risk.
7. Assists in program development and/or evaluation for the purpose of ensuring effective programs to assist children who experience physical, mental, social, or emotional difficulties.
8. Serves as a key member of the school based crisis response team and provides leadership and consultation on responding to mental health emergencies.
9. Effectively follows both HIPPA and FERPA regulations when it comes to all communication regarding students.
10. Provides collaboration and communication with internal and external agencies and resources that the student and their families are involved with to ensure best practices and successful interventions.
11. Maintains proper documentation of interventions and interactions with students.
12. Remains up-to-date on legal requirements as a mandated reporter and is knowledgeable and comfortable reporting to Child Protective Service and/or Law Enforcement when appropriate.
13. Has a working knowledge of Title IX regulations and how the regulations apply to their work within the schools.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS / WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Light work, lifting up to 25 pounds occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds frequently.  Regular travel throughout the school and effectively interact with students, staff, and community members.  Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; visual acuity is required for preparing and analyzing written or computer data, determining the accuracy and thoroughness of work, and observing general surroundings and activities; and subject to inside and outside environmental conditions. Regular contact with staff members and students is required.  Not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

EVALUATION:

Performance will be evaluated in accordance with school board policy and administrative regulations on the evaluation of administrative personnel.

The above is intended to describe the essential functions of and requirements for the performance of this position.  It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of the duties, responsibilities and requirements of this position.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and meet the demands of this position.