Temporary Summer Academy Lead Counselor

About FIU

Florida International University is a Top 50, preeminent public research university with 55,000 students from all 50 states and more than 140 countries, as well as an alumni network of more than 340,000. Located in the global city of Miami, the university offers more than 200 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels, including medicine and law. FIU faculty are leaders in their fields and include National Academy members, Fulbright Scholars and Mac Arthur Genius Fellows.

A Carnegie R1 institution, FIU drives impactful research in environmental resilience, health and technology and innovation. Home to the Wall of Wind and Institute of Environment, FIU stands at the forefront of discovery and innovation. With a focus on student success, economic mobility and community engagement, FIU is redefining what it means to be a public research university.

Job Summary

The Center for Children and Families at Florida International University announces Lead Counselor positions for 2026. Eligible children for FIU Summer Academy are recruited from preschool programs in or around the Liberty City community and are receiving, or eligible to receive, services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for moderate-to-severe learning and/or behavioral needs. Services are provided at an early childhood center in Liberty City.

The program provides treatment tailored to children's individual behavioral and learning difficulties.

For an NBC6 news report on FIU Summer Academy, please visit the following:

For a Miami Herald news report on FIU Summer Academy, please visit:

The dates of employment for the Lead Counselor position are Monday, June 1, 2026, through Friday, July 31st, 2026. Lead Counselor hours of employment are 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Many Lead Counselors work additional hours on other evenings and on weekends finishing tasks and attending meetings.

Lead Counselors will receive a salary of $6,156.00 for the summer. In addition, practicum credits for current students can often be arranged on an individual basis through the student's own program.

Children and counselors are assigned to groups that remain constant for the duration of the program. Each group consists of four or five counselors and 10 to 15 children of similar age. Children participate in a variety of classroom-based and recreational activities. Staff members implement an extensive behavior modification treatment program during all program activities. The behavior modification program includes feedback and associated consequences for positive and negative behaviors, daily and weekly rewards for appropriate behavior, social praise and attention, appropriate commands, and age-appropriate removal from positive reinforcement.

In addition to participating in daily activities and implementing the treatment program, Lead Counselors have primary responsibility for supervising the counselors in their groups with their assigned duties. This includes reviewing plans for activities such as sports skill drills for appropriateness, reviewing daily recording and tracking forms for accuracy, and observing group counselors during daily activities to ensure that all group members are implementing the treatment components with fidelity.

Lead Counselors will also review daily treatment records to determine individual areas of impairment and to determine target behaviors and any need for individualized programming for children or adolescents who do not respond to the standard treatment components. Finally, Lead Counselors will be responsible for daily communication with parents. Lead Counselors will work under the supervision of Ph.D. level clinicians and experienced FIU Summer Academy staff members and will receive regular feedback about their performance.

Lead Counselors in FIU Summer Academy supervise and deliver the treatment components within both classroom and recreational contexts. Counselors will assist in the following each day: (1) leading an academic center (i.e., English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Writing); (2) leading a sport (i.e., soccer, kickball, tee ball); (3) delivery of…