The Hill School Mission: The Hill School prepares young people from across the country and around the world for college, careers, and life. Within a family school environment and a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, we challenge our young people to work hard; think and reason; be fulfilled; serve the common good; and be prepared to lead as citizens of the world, uniquely guided by our motto, "Whatsoever Things Are True."

Position Summary

The Director of Counseling leads the counseling program, directing the School's mental health counselors, and collaborating with other health and wellness team members, faculty, and staff to promote student wellness and success, provide preventive education, and respond to identified student mental health needs. This position is a blend of student prevention education and direct clinical care, supervision of the counseling staff, and administrative work. At the individual student level, the department is designed to provide short-term, solution-focused care for students with mental health needs. The director ensures compassionate, insightful, and effective care to students in need of support.

Responsibilities

• Establish and administer policies and procedures to ensure high quality care in the Counseling Center within the broader context of the boarding school setting; establish administrative processes to document student care provided. Ensure the delivery of compassionate care to students who are in need of mental health support.
• Supervise the School's mental health counselors and administrative assistant to provide individual counseling and group guidance to help students cope effectively with personal, social, academic, career, mental health, and family concerns through a short-term, solution-focused model.
• Develop and support a robust prevention education program, including collaboration with School community leaders in the development and support of the residential life program. Teach section(s) of Eudemonia, a well-being program for third, fourth, and sixth form students designed to educate them on how they might capitalize upon their human resources to make the most of their potential. Students learn about topics including executive functioning skills, empathy, managing conflict, resilience, judgment, substance use prevention, sexual health, and preparing for college and beyond. Provide ad hoc training to faculty and students/student groups on mental health topics. Plan and facilitate parent education programs to foster engagement on teen mental health topics.
• Lead highly effective communication with students, parents, faculty, and staff regarding mental health and social wellness; consult with parents of students with identified concerns and make recommendations for follow-up evaluation and/or treatment. Facilitate communication and exchange of pertinent information with administration, residential staff, teachers, advisers, coaches, and other select Hill employees, in compliance with parental permission granted in the Authorization to Treat and Share Health Information form to include the minimum necessary information on a need-to-know basis. Ensure that all required health records are maintained in the prescribed format and in a manner which retains medical confidentiality.
• Collaborate with the Medical Director and Dean of Students to support a health-based approach to students' challenges with substance use for those students who qualify for the I Care program. Collaborate and meet as needed with Learning Coordinator to support students who are utilizing services of both the Counseling Center and Learning Center. Serve as the lead case management resource on mental health related medical leaves, facilitating coordination of care and support between off-campus mental health providers, parents, students, and the School.
• In collaboration with Human Resources and Medical Directors, ensure compliance with local, state, and federal requirements for training adults and students on The Hill School campus (Act 126, etc.). Develop and deliver professional development training on mental health issues to Hill employees.
• In collaboration with the Medical Director, develop and track appropriate metrics which evaluate student social well-being and mental health, and develop programming to address student body needs identified by the metrics.
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with a network of local and regional mental health providers to ensure timely assessments or ongoing off-campus care, when needed. Help facilitate student access to telehealth therapy services for chronic mental health support when virtual visits are preferred by the student and family. Maintain policy compliance with Montgomery County, PA Department of Public Health, and any federal agencies.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive clinic schedule as well as after-hours on-call counselor schedule for all nights and weekends when school is in session. Provide on-call coverage in rotation with mental health counselor colleagues; be available during on-call shifts to arrive on campus within 30 minutes for urgent mental health needs and support the on-call mental health counselor when assessing students with safety concerns. The successful candidate will be expected to complete work during academic breaks.
• Collaborate with the Medical Director and Business Office on the Counseling Center budget.
• Performs other duties as assigned to support the overall success and mission of the institution.

Qualifications

• Master of Counseling or Clinical Psychology; Ph.D. in Psychology or Psy.D. is preferred.
• Experience in residential school or university counseling is preferred but not required.
• Active Pennsylvania licensure required for mental health counseling.
• 7+ years of experience as manager or supervisor with responsibility for policy and procedure formation.
• 7+ years of experience providing clinical care with adolescent population.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, including interpersonal skills with a collaborative approach.
• High level of competency with relevant medical technology and software.

Committees

Serve on the following committees and teams:

• Medical Leave Committee
• Executive Committee
• Student Support Team
• Safe2Say
• Safety Committee

Attitude and Demeanor

• Publicly support the mission and vision of The Hill School in a positive and professional manner.
• Work as a dynamic team member in a professional collaborative environment.
• Energetic and organized enough to thrive in an extremely fast-paced environment while collaborating with a growing team to produce great work.
• Ability to wear many hats, learn new things every day, and have the ability to switch from a variety of roles with ease and excitement.
• Communicate effectively with warmth, sensitivity, humor, and understanding as they deal with administrative colleagues, teachers, students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and program associates.
• Possess a "service attitude" - willingness to be flexible to meet the needs of the department and school.

Application Materials

• Resume/CV
• Letter of Interest
• Statement of philosophy of counseling adolescents within a school setting