School Based Mental Health Counselor

Who We Are

Project Play is on a mission to help others see and celebrate each child’s unique gifts. Everyday, we open our doors for hundreds of children, helping to foster their growth and independence. We continuously “show up” for our kids because we fiercely believe in our vision, that all children can reach their fullest potential!

The Counseling position is a direct service position at Project Play Therapy whose focus is to facilitate quality mental health support for students in the school setting. The ideal candidate will work in collaboration with school-based staff for their assigned school(s) to provide direct therapy services to students.

Professional services include but are not limited to: direct therapy/counseling with students with or without IEPs, intake sessions with parents/families, communicating effectively with parents and school staff, providing crisis support when needed, collaborating with outside agencies as needed, session planning and scheduling, as well as internal Project Play collaboration.

The Counselor is expected to have good problem-solving and communication skills to engage students, families and school staff. The candidate must be motivated to grow with a young, vibrant company, and be energized by ongoing collaboration and the endless pursuit of excellent service with our school partners.

This position will play a key role in ensuring that our school partners see Project Play Therapy providers as experts who are integrated seamlessly into the school’s culture and corresponding processes. This position reports directly to the Lead Counselor or Director of Related Services.

Specific Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To

• Roles:
• Provide direct counseling/therapy to students in a school-based setting for varying mental health, behavioral and emotional needs.
• Work closely with school-based teams to ensure confidentiality while providing holistic student support.
• Communicate regularly with parents relative to student educational and mental health concerns as needed.

Engage and partner with school staff, family members, and community partners to seek collaborative solutions to support students impacted by trauma or crisis.

Work collaboratively with school partners to create schedules that fit student’s academic and mental health needs.

• Develop and maintain a consistent schedule for assigned school(s).
• Ensure quality assurance within service delivery, maintaining accurate and thorough records and notes via Project Play’s EMR platform.
• Provide periodic progress updates to school teams and families as needed.

Communication

Develop and strengthen relationships with our schools (which include charter schools in Nashville and surrounding middle TN public schools) to establish rapport and trust among all parties

• Establish and maintain cohesive communication and excellent service delivery
• Adapt communication style to meet the unique needs of school partners and families, Project Play colleagues, and community partners
• Demonstrate best practices, inclusion, problem-solving, and proactive communication
• Work within a team environment that values communication, accountability and collaboration
• Foster good-will with current contract partners, in order to ensure client satisfaction

Candidate Qualifications

Master’s Degree or equivalent proof of certification in Professional Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Social Work, School Counseling, School Psychology, or related field.

Tennessee State License in one of the aforementioned areas (LMFT, LPC, LCSW, Licensed School Counselor, Licensed School Psychologist). Temp licenses are considered with proof of supervision requirements.

Relevant school experience is preferred but not required

Integrity, student advocacy and reliability; Must be comfortable collaborating in meetings with school leaders, internal management and/or other stakeholders

Ability to leverage problem-solving skills and team collaboration effectively and efficiently in a manner that promotes excellence and builds community to help meet and surpass the needs of partner schools

Ability to implement processes that enhance the level of support to the professional team and to explore and identify opportunities to expand the scope of available resources