Position works 10 A.M. - 6 P.M. Monday - Friday

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS: The work involves responsibility for coordinating mental health care services and treatment planning in a public school.  The incumbent assesses mental health concerns and recommends therapeutic and corrective measures while collaborating with families and outside providers.  The Mental Health Counselor may provide evaluative information to students’ doctors.  The work is performed independently under the appropriate license, is a collaboration with students’ licensed primary physicians or psychologists qualified in the specialty area.  The incumbent retains responsibility for the professional tasks performed within his or her scope of practice.  Does related work as required.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:  

• Developing/implementing a comprehensive school counseling program;
• Working with students individually and in groups;  
• Participation in the annual review process and responsibility for updating Student Learning Plans; 
• Participation in the CSE process as appropriate; 
• Assisting students with personal goal setting and monitoring;
• Providing response services to include individual and small group counseling;  
• Consultation and collaboration with teachers, staff and parents/guardians;  
• Serving as a member of the School Based Support Team; 
• Providing classroom guidance instruction to students in several areas to include college and career readiness skills; 
• Assisting administrators with mediating student conflicts and partnering with parents to problem solve barriers to learning.  
• Develops a thorough developmental history with the School Based Support Team and family;
• Assesses data, discriminating between normal and abnormal findings;
• Assists in assessing mental health problems, and makes referrals to appropriate service providers;
• Assists in the development of an Independent Crisis Management Plan (ICMP) for students at risk of harming themselves or others, in collaboration with the District LCSW and/or Behavioral Specialist;
• Evaluates the ICMP for effectiveness, and institutes and supports the necessary adjustments or corrections;
• Follows up on student care by contacting providers and families and/or conducting home visits;
• Creates and maintains a variety of records and reports related to the work performed including case histories and medical charts;
• Participates in staff, quality assurance, peer review and other meetings;
• Acts as a resource person to staff regarding mental health care and provides mental health care training to staff as required;
• May instruct, guide and counsel students and/or their families regarding mental health matters.

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of mental health diagnosis, assessment, and treatment; ability to recognize signs and symptoms associated with changes in the mental and emotional health of students and respond appropriately; ability to initiate and provide emergency mental care services; ability to understand and interpret complex oral instructions and/or written directions; ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing; ability to create and maintain a variety of records and reports related to the work performed; ability to understand and empathize with the needs and concerns of others; in depth clinical knowledge in dealing with child and adolescent mental health; ability to collaborate with or lead a multidisciplinary team.

Social Worker Role

This position reports to the Pupil Services Division in a midsize urban school district located in the Capital region of Upstate New York. The social worker will work with teachers, parents, and school leaders to develop plans and strategies to improve students’ academic performance and social emotional development. Students and their families will be referred to the social worker to deal with problems such as aggressive behavior, bullying, or frequent absences from school. This position requires a high degree of self-awareness, knowledge on the educational impacts of trauma and creativity when it comes to addressing the needs of students.

Social Worker Expectations

• Successful intervention work with high poverty populations;
• Successful intervention work with students with mental health needs;
• Ability to articulate their understanding of and support for high academic expectations; through their work with students and families;
• Able to articulate the barriers and strategies for overcoming those barriers of working with students and families in an urban setting;
• Knowledge of and linkage to community agencies and resources available to families and children;
• Advocates for children and families;
• Skill in collection and analyzing data needed to plan for student centered interventions ability to articulate this to other staff;
• Must be able to implement classroom behavior modification strategies;
• Be the lead in developing and implementing FBA’s and BIP's;
• Work with students to build their resiliency and strengthen their assets to enable them to improve their pro-social skills within the school and community;
• Knowledge of Cognitive Behavioral Supports, Culturally Responsive Education Anti-Racist policies and Trauma sensitive practices; 
• Support classroom staff with classroom management practices; 
• Strengthen the bond between students and school through home visits, resulting in improved attendance.

Social Worker Key Qualities

• Able to be empathetic by caring, understanding, and cultivating an empowering environment for all students;
• Demonstrates patience with serious issues, students and families;
• Able to be dependable in ways that develop trust with students;
• Able to implement an organizational system to support both case management and student needs simultaneously;
• Being able to observe with skill and listen closely;
• Being able to make impartial informed decisions on behalf of students and families;
• Ability to be persistent and resilient when dealing with setbacks;
• Willing to be flexible and multitask as needed on demand;
• Ability to use a culturally responsive approach to develop relationships and execute interventions with fidelity; 
• Willingness to learn, in order to be relatable, flexible, personable and adaptable;
• Engages in continuous self-care.

Distinguishing Features of the Class and Information Processing Specialist II Role

This position involves responsibility for performing complex information processing activities often involving the utilization of word processing and related software.  This position differs from that of Information Processing Specialist I in that the activities performed are more complex.  Incumbents format, type, revise and print text, reports, budgets, etc. following well-established guidelines.  Additionally, when not engaged in equipment operation, an incumbent performs a variety of clerical duties.  General supervision may be exercised over a variety of Information Processing Specialist I and other clerical positions.  The work is performed under general supervision of a higher level employee.  The incumbent does related work as required.

Typical Work Activities and Information Processing Specialist II Expectations

• Assigns and reviews work and instructs new employees in specialized clerical and/or information processing activities of a unit; Designs parameters for selective information storage on information processing equipment to produce specialized outputs of this information in response to users' needs;
• Designs methods of assembling pre-recorded pieces of information (usually each having a number of variables to be inserted) into complete documents;
• Designs complex formats and layouts for work assignments;
• Creates word processing, spreadsheets or data base designs based on oral and written directions;
• Creates charts, statistical reports and/or performs mathematical computations;
• Manipulates data to produce requested reports;
• Chooses document formats and designs document layouts to be used for entering information which will be printed in selected areas on pre-printed forms;
• May use e-mail as a communications linkage;
• Types complex charts, statistical reports and/or performs mathematic computations;
• Discusses assigned projects with supervisors to clarify specific needs and problems;
• May attend meetings outside the normal business hours, records the minutes of the meeting and transcribes the minutes;
• Performs a variety of clerical functions related to the position.

Full Performance Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Personal Characteristics and Key Qualities of Information Processing Specialist II: 

• Thorough knowledge of the use and operation of information processing equipment and related peripheral equipment;
• Thorough knowledge and skill in classic desk top applications including word processing, spreadsheets and data bases;
• Good knowledge of office terminology and procedures;
• Good knowledge of proper grammatical usage and punctuation;
• Good knowledge of business vocabulary;
• Ability to plan and supervise the work of others;
• Ability to design complex formats and layouts for work assignments;
• Ability to understand and follow complex oral and written directions; accuracy.

NOTE:  The essential functions of this job are determined by the department/jurisdiction where the job is located.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:   The work involves the performance of a wide variety of duties related to substance abuse prevention and treatment provided to students in a school district.  Primary emphasis is on providing counseling and guidance to students and their families.  Other duties include the dissemination of information on programs and services provided by the agency, follow-up on former student cases and the preparation of records and reports.  The purpose of the work is to coordinate services being provided to students with substance abuse problems to facilitate their transition to employment.  The work is performed under the general supervision of a professional staff member in accordance with established policies and procedures.  The incumbent does related work as required.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

• Maintains records of interviews and meetings with students and their families;
• Keeps abreast of new developments, programs and techniques in addictive abuse prevention and rehabilitation
• Works with addictive substance abusers to gain their confidence
• May disseminate information concerning programs and services to public and private agencies and to the general public through speaking engagements, media releases and educational programs
• Develops treatment plans for assigned students and maintains case progress notes in accordance with State guidelines
• Makes the community aware of the services available
• May prepare monthly student status and demographic reports
• Performs counseling function using an in-depth knowledge of alcoholism and drug addiction with students having special, social, adjust mental, addictive or personal problems in order to provide appropriate counseling relative to the student’s stage of recovery
• Performs case management functions as well as managing an assigned caseload of specific hard to serve  students using knowledge of long term recovery process so as to have the educational program enhance, or at least not jeopardize, the recovery
• Develops needed community resources and maintains working relationships with these groups and programs for hard to serve students
• May act as case coordinator with other community service agencies such as social services, alcohol rehabilitation organizations, mental health, private hospitals, educational  institutions, etc. to provide more integrated services to students
• May perform specialized follow-up visits and studies to assist in evaluating program         effectiveness
• May carry out special projects through research study and development in areas such as case management, integrated service planning and delivery for hard to serve students, etc.
• May supervise the administration of standardized testing instruments and procedures used in the evaluation of hard to serve students
• Performs a variety of related duties as required

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:   Good knowledge of the problems of those addicted to or dependent on addictive substances; Good knowledge of the symptoms and physical signs of addictive substance use; Good knowledge of group and individual counseling; Working knowledge of services provided in a school district; Working knowledge of the public and private agencies available to provide assistance to the addicted; Ability to relate to and be accepted by addictive substance abusers; Ability to evaluate student interests and aptitudes; Ability to work with students in a variety of counseling and educational guidance situations; Ability to work in a team approach as part of an educational support team when primary goals are educational success; Ability to follow oral and written directions; Ability to maintain records.

Distinguishing Features of the Class and Information Processing Specialist II Role

This position involves responsibility for performing complex information processing activities often involving the utilization of word processing and related software.  This position differs from that of Information Processing Specialist I in that the activities performed are more complex.  Incumbents format, type, revise and print text, reports, budgets, etc. following well-established guidelines.  Additionally, when not engaged in equipment operation, an incumbent performs a variety of clerical duties.  General supervision may be exercised over a variety of Information Processing Specialist I and other clerical positions.  The work is performed under general supervision of a higher level employee.  The incumbent does related work as required.

Typical Work Activities and Information Processing Specialist II Expectations

• Assigns and reviews work and instructs new employees in specialized clerical and/or information processing activities of a unit; Designs parameters for selective information storage on information processing equipment to produce specialized outputs of this information in response to users' needs;
• Designs methods of assembling pre-recorded pieces of information (usually each having a number of variables to be inserted) into complete documents;
• Designs complex formats and layouts for work assignments;
• Creates word processing, spreadsheets or data base designs based on oral and written directions;
• Creates charts, statistical reports and/or performs mathematical computations;
• Manipulates data to produce requested reports;
• Chooses document formats and designs document layouts to be used for entering information which will be printed in selected areas on pre-printed forms;
• May use e-mail as a communications linkage;
• Types complex charts, statistical reports and/or performs mathematic computations;
• Discusses assigned projects with supervisors to clarify specific needs and problems;
• May attend meetings outside the normal business hours, records the minutes of the meeting and transcribes the minutes;
• Performs a variety of clerical functions related to the position.

Full Performance Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Personal Characteristics and Key Qualities of Information Processing Specialist II: 

• Thorough knowledge of the use and operation of information processing equipment and related peripheral equipment;
• Thorough knowledge and skill in classic desk top applications including word processing, spreadsheets and data bases;
• Good knowledge of office terminology and procedures;
• Good knowledge of proper grammatical usage and punctuation;
• Good knowledge of business vocabulary;
• Ability to plan and supervise the work of others;
• Ability to design complex formats and layouts for work assignments;
• Ability to understand and follow complex oral and written directions; accuracy.

NOTE:  The essential functions of this job are determined by the department/jurisdiction where the job is located.