Mental Health Coordinator

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCES, AND ABILITIES

The MHSC must hold a valid degree, license and/or certificate in his/her chosen professional field (e.g., social worker, guidance counselor, mental health therapist). The MHSC shall within one year of employment, earn a school-based mental health certificate by successfully completing a certification program developed by the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH).

Reports to:
Superintendent and /or Curriculum Coordinator

Roles and Responsibilities

The MHSC will work to effectively increase the promotion rate in Grades 3, 6, and 9; reduce absences and suspensions; reduce the school’s/LEA’s dropout rate; and increase the graduation rate in the following categories by:

Identifying Students at Risk

• Utilizing the components to profile characteristics of students who are potentially at risk for school failure. These characteristics include:
  • History of school failure, retention, and/or overage for grade.
  • Low standardized assessment scores as determined by the ALSDE.
  • Special education/disability.
  • Attendance/truancy issues.
  • Behavioral issues (e.g., detention, suspensions, expulsions, and other).
  • Lack of school involvement (e.g., low expectations, minimal or no extracurricular involvement).
  • Family at risk (e.g., low socio-economic status, transient, and limited-English proficient).
  • Conducting an analysis that focuses on data for individual students and subgroups using the prescribed tools and/or assessments.

Developing or Sustaining School wide Support and Interventions

• Working with faculty and administrators to develop a school/LEA Multi-Tiered Support Service Pyramid for Academic and Behavioral Success to appropriately match the needs of students at risk.
• Attending appropriate professional development provided by the LEA, ALSDE, and/or other entities.
• Providing training and/or support to teachers and instructional leaders on strategies that effectively impact students at risk.
• Working with existing or establishing new extended partnership opportunity programs to the school or community, including, but not limited to the Community Education and Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) extended-day and extended-year programs, Mental Health Centers, Family Services Centers, and Helping Families Initiatives.

Generating School Support

• Identifying and determining the schools’ and students’ academic and behavioral needs.
• Developing and coordinating appropriate interventions in collaboration with the school leadership team.
• Utilizing existing school-based teams (e.g., School Leadership, Problem-Solving Teams, Student Support Teams, School Improvement, and other).

Providing Direct Service

• Developing and implementing individual, small-group, and whole-school prevention and intervention strategies to increase the number of students staying in school and graduating.
• Assisting colleagues (counselors) and students to develop a personal education and career plans to include the best course of study to meet academic, graduation, and postsecondary goals.
• Incorporating a program to enhance students’ personal and social emotional skills (e.g., character education, motivation, goal setting, conflict resolution, suicide, bullying, and resilience).

Developing Transitional Programs and Vertical Teams

• Collaborating with feeder elementary and/or middle school(s) to identify elementary school students at risk of middle/high school failure.
• Conducting periodic vertical team meetings among elementary, middle, and high school teachers and instructional leaders to support the balance of academic/behavioral success.
• Developing an action plan to improve individual student and subgroup transition success rate.
• Collaborating with teachers, guidance counselors, and instructional leaders to…