The Mental Health Support Specialist promotes and enhances the overall academic mission by providing services that strengthen home, school, and community partnerships and address barriers to learning and achievement by providing mental health services to and on behalf of students. This role significantly contributes to the development of a healthy, safe, and caring environment through consultative and collaborative roles with school staff, division leaders, and parents/guardians in support of PK-12 student mental health and wellness. Such an environment is achieved by advancing the understanding of the emotional and social development of children and the influences of family, community, and cultural differences on student success along with the implementation of effective intervention strategies.

• Understands and utilizes effective therapeutic strategies for adapting the general and social curriculum to meet the needs of individual students.
• Works collaboratively with community agencies and outside therapists for students and incorporates techniques and interventions practiced within the outside therapy sessions when appropriate and understands the reciprocal relationship of sharing confidential information with these individuals.
• Provides mental health consultation to staff members and caregivers at assigned schools, including initial assessment of needs and referral to community-based mental health supports.
• Facilitates annual threat assessment training with new administrators and student support service team members (counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, etc.)
• Provides support to school-level teams to complete the threat assessment process.
• Contributes regularly to the school-based critical incident responses to assist school communities with planning, resources, and grief/loss support.
• Conduct Return to Learn training (re-entry plans) for school personnel in support of students returning to school following psychiatric treatment and in need of school-based mental health supports.
• Prepares and utilizes assessment methodologies that have been adapted for individual students as identified including physical/emotional/social/behavioral adaptations to meet a student's individual needs; incorporating multiple sources of evidence and clear recommendations for improving services on an ongoing basis.
• Demonstrates knowledge of school and community resources available to assist students and families, while actively sharing knowledge of resources with other colleagues.
• Assists students and their families in gaining access to formal and informal school and community resources; identifies and differentiates appropriate resources; with established follow-up activities to facilitate effective utilization of resources.
• Consults and collaborates with other resources (i.e. school psychologist, family support workers, school counselors, etc) to align efforts by gathering and giving information on a case and in establishing and planning for respective roles in the modification of the student’s behavior or social/emotional being.
• Implements suicide prevention programs, such as Signs of Suicide, Sources of Strength, etc, including training, consultation, and data collection/analysis.
• Includes use of data measures in the development and implementation of interventions.
• Demonstrates specialized skills in crisis intervention, assessment of crisis situations, and utilization of appropriate intervention strategies for de-escalation and prevention of crisis situations within the educational setting.
• Continually assesses and takes a leadership role in communicating problem-solving on such issues as attendance, diversity, mental health, suicide prevention/awareness, behavior management, delinquency, crisis intervention, homelessness, child abuse, neglect, and the importance of confidentiality with staff to best meet the needs of students.
• Makes home visits on evenings and over weekends as needed;
• Maintains appropriate documentation of family/teacher communications displaying high priority of communication between home and school.
• Observes and follows all Albemarle County Public Schools policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned by the Albemarle County Public Schools administration.
• Provides mental health consultation to staff members and caregivers at assigned schools, including initial assessment of needs and referral to community-based mental health supports;
• Facilitates annual threat assessment training with new administrators and student support service team members (counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, etc);
• Provides support to school-level teams to complete the threat assessment process;
• Contributes regularly to the school-based critical incident responses to assist school communities with planning, resources, and grief/loss support;
• Conducts Return to Learn training (re-entry plans) for school personnel in support of students returning to school following psychiatric treatment and in need of school-based mental health support;
• Prepares and utilizes assessment methodologies that have been adapted for individual students as identified including physical/emotional/social/behavioral adaptations to meet a student's individual needs; incorporating multiple sources of evidence and clear recommendations for improving services on an ongoing basis;
• Demonstrates knowledge of school and community resources available to assist students and families, while actively sharing knowledge of resources with other colleagues;
• Assists students and their families in gaining access to formal and informal school and community resources; identifies and differentiates appropriate resources; establishes follow-up activities to facilitate effective utilization of resources;
• Consults and collaborates with other resources (i.e. school psychologist, family support workers, school counselors, etc) to align efforts by gathering and giving information on a case and in establishing and planning for respective roles in the modification of the student’s behavior or social/emotional being;
• Implements suicide prevention programs, such as Signs of Suicide, Sources of Strength, etc, including training, consultation, and data collection/analysis.
• Includes the use of data measures in the development and implementation of interventions;
• Demonstrates specialized skills in crisis intervention, assessment of crisis situations, and utilization of appropriate intervention strategies for de-escalation and prevention of crisis situations within the educational setting;
• Continually assesses and takes a leadership role in communicating problem-solving on such issues as attendance, diversity, mental health, suicide prevention/awareness, behavior management, delinquency, crisis intervention, homelessness, child abuse, neglect, and the importance of confidentiality with staff to best meet the needs of students;
• Makes home visits on evenings and over weekends as needed;
• Maintains appropriate documentation of family/teacher communications displaying high priority of communication between home and school;
• Observes and follows all Albemarle County Public Schools policies and procedures;
• Other duties as assigned by the Albemarle County Public Schools administration;

Demonstrates extensive skill and knowledge in Counseling / School Social Work/individual and group therapy and intervention with knowledge of principals, theories, and methods of practice, with application within the educational setting. Must possess excellent organizational and communication skills, both verbally and in writing with students, staff, parents, and agency personnel. Must possess the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with teachers, parents, administrators, advocates, students, and others. Ability to analyze student performance, design appropriate individual behavior programs, and monitor student progress; work effectively as a team member.

Master’s Degree required, preferably in a related field. Endorsement as a School Counselor or School Social Worker through the Virginia Department of Education and/or certification as a School Social Worker, School Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, or Qualified Mental Health Professional - C with the Virginia Department of Health Professions is required. Prior experience working with children with disabilities in a public, private school, or clinical setting, is preferred. Experience designing, implementing, and monitoring individual programs to students strongly preferred; experience providing staff development training to classroom personnel preferred.

Employees in this position will be required to work in indoor and outdoor environments, travel between school sites across the school division, and come in direct contact with Albemarle County staff, students, district staff, and the public. Employees in this position must have the ability to: Sit for extended periods of time; Enter data into a computer terminal/typewriter, operate standard office equipment, and use a telephone; See and read a computer screen and printed matter with or without vision aids; Hear and understand speech at normal levels and on the telephone; Speak so that others may understand at normal levels and on the telephone; Stand, walk, and bend over, reach overhead, grasp, push, pull and move, lift and/or carry up to 25 pounds to waist height.

Performance will be evaluated on the ability and effectiveness in carrying out the above responsibility.