Wellness Counselor

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve. Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community. We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country. At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

Position Summary: Based in San Jose, CA and reporting to the regional Wellness Manager, the Wellness Counselor will provide direct educationally related mental health services directly to students in special education, related mental health services to general education students, as well as providing consultation and coaching to school leaders and teachers regarding issues of trauma, mental health, behavior, and community resources. At Rocketship, we have made a strong historical commitment to the social-emotional development of our students as well as implementing best practices in supporting behavior. For multiple years, a regular daily component of our school day is a dedicated block to proactively teach social-emotional skills. We have well built PBIS systems and routines at every campus as well as a well built out suite of social-emotional and behavior interventions. The Wellness Team is responsible for the ongoing elevation of these systems and structures as well as the delivery of many of these services including but not limited to: social-emotional learning, social-emotional & behavioral interventions and supports, and mental health services (including ERMHS). The Wellness Counselor will serve a single school site which may include schools in San Jose, Redwood City, Concord, or Antioch. The Wellness Counselor will partner closely with school psychologists, behavior intervention specialists, special education case managers, school leaders, general education teachers and program specialists to conduct mental health assessments, provide direct mental health services, and support with ongoing implementation and coaching of strategies to help students succeed in their classrooms. The Wellness Counselor may also be involved in crisis level support and creation of safety plans for students with more significant safety concerns, as well as delivering professional development to Rocketship staff. This position requires previous training and experience working with students with emotional and behavioral needs. It requires a commitment to serving students and a desire to think critically and creatively about how to support challenging behaviors in the general education classroom setting.

Essential Functions

• Create treatment plans and goals to address educationally related mental health service for the purposes of fostering better mental health and positive learning environments for students at all Tiers (Social Skills Groups, Gen-Ed Counseling, ERMHS related services).
• Monitor student progress toward IEP goal attainment (for ERMHS services) using a special education database system (SEIS).
• Provide culturally appropriate and sensitive school-based mental health services in the forms of individual, group, and family treatment, therapeutic case management, crisis intervention, and consultation services as required by the student’s IEP or general education plan.
• Provide crisis intervention for both general education students and special education students as needed.
• Collaborate with and be a part of any coordinated meetings (IEP meetings for students on caseload, SST meetings, MTSS meetings) as the mental health professional.
• Provide consultation with parents, teachers, and other appropriate staff regarding the student’s program and any adaptations/materials needed to facilitate improved performance in the classroom or at home.
• Maintain relationships and effectively communicate with school leaders, teachers, and parents in all facets of the position.
• Adhere to IDEA timelines and California Education Code compliance law.
• Provide professional development training to school staff as-needed regarding best practices in trauma-informed education, social-emotional supports, crisis intervention, and community resources.
• Serve as a coach in regards to mental health and trauma informed practices (SEL, crisis and de-escalation, trauma informed practices at Tier 1 level). Provide in-the-moment-coaching to staff around these practices.
• Lead parent trainings to teach skills in regards to supporting a student’s mental health and social emotional learning.
• Serve as the mental health professional on the PBIS Team. Play an active role in ensuring the team uses data to create and address plans to further the campus around positive behavior incentive systems.
• Support on-site Wellness Counselor Intern in problem solving and delivering effective interventions to staff and students (as applicable).
• Maintain a close working relationship with other members of the Network Support Team (NeST—Rocketship’s centralized office that operates in support of its schools and regions), school directors, ISE Team, other MTSS Team members, and all school staff (teachers, school leaders, support staff, etc.).
• Ensure the Wellness Team is viewed as positive supports to the organization’s mission that are fully aligned with Rocketship’s Core Characteristics (Innovation, Pursuit of Excellence, Authenticity, Community, and Tenacity), and not as bureaucratic obstacles to serving the needs of the students.

Related Qualifications

• Required: Possession of valid license or associate level registration for one of the following: social worker, marriage family therapist, clinical counselor, psychologist, school counselor (PPS credential), or school psychologist, as defined by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences or relevant state licensing board
• Highly Preferred: PPS Credential in School Social Work or SchoolCounseling
• Highly Preferred: Experience in elementary schools, working with students with a range of disabilities (learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, autism, etc.), and familiarity with special education, IEP team participation and ERMHS
• At least one year of experience (2+ years preferred) providing mental health services in school-based settings
• Experience working with students with a range of disabilities (learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, autism, etc.) (highly preferred)
• Familiarity with special education, IEP team participation and educationally related mental health services and the delivery of such services (highly preferred)
• Commitment to Rocketship’s approach to serving all students and overall mission to close the achievement gap within our lifetime
• Familiarity with socio-emotional learning competencies, trauma informed education practices, multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS), and restorative practices a plus
• Strong organizational skills as demonstrated by the ability to effectively manage multiple tasks
• Thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment Ability to be flexible and adaptive in a work environment that is still evolving
• Perform a variety of specialized and responsible tasks: maintain records, establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with students, parents, other school personnel, meet schedule and compliance deadlines
• Possession of a valid California driver’s license: willingness to provide own transportation in conduct of work assignments as you will be required to travel from site to site to work with students and faculty at all sites (mileage reimbursed)

Additional Details

• The Wellness Counselor position will be on the site-based staff calendar, which includes paid time off for holidays and traditional school breaks.