School Counselor

POSITION

Position: School Counselor | 2026-27 School Year

Location: Waunakee, WI

Job : 433

# of Openings: 1

Madison Country Day School , a PreK-12 International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, is seeking an experienced, engaging, and compassionate school counselor to join our Student Services Team. We need a counselor who understands best practices in supporting student mental health and who is passionate about their work. We are looking for individuals who share our belief that a culturally rich and inclusive school community provides students with the best possible environment for a quality education.

Primary duties include, but are not limited to:

• Build and maintain effective relationships with parents to create an effective school-parent partnership for the benefit of the student.
• Work collaboratively with family members, specialist teachers, and other staff to achieve positive outcomes for all students.
• Have difficult conversations with parents, peers, and students with respect and professionalism.
• Create learning support plans for students with mental health concerns.
• Teach classes related to social emotional topics.
• Maintain student records in compliance with school policy, state and federal regulations.
• Meet with students on an as needed or on-going basis for emotional wellbeing, crisis management, and student mediation.
• Provide restorative work between students.
• Lead support groups in small cohorts for students (lunch bunch, etc.).
• Conduct observations of behavior (academic and social) within the classroom, playground, and during social time.
• Collaborate with teachers to provide social-emotional learning curriculum.
• Provide direct support to teachers for the academic and emotional needs of students who require more than the regular standards of good teaching practice. Help build accountability with check-ins and plan reviews.
• Join in Student Support Meetings to provide support, advice, and expertise for supporting students of concern.
• Provide support for parents regarding the mental health and well-being of their children.
• Perform crisis interventions as needed, and coordinate critical incident intervention and best practices in coordination with other area schools.
• Attend faculty meetings on a regular basis and parent education evenings when relevant topics present themselves.
• Keep Division Heads and Head of School apprised of sensitive and escalated issues, meetings, and conversations with parents, teachers, and students.
• Refer families to psychologists and other mental health resources for their child.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Be intellectually curious and have the desire to spark a love of learning in students.
• Have an understanding of the impact of mental health and learning disabilities on students’ daily academic performance and mood.
• Have a warm and friendly personality.
• Preserve confidentiality (conversational information, documentation, etc.)
• Work closely with colleagues in mentoring and collaborative relationships.
• Have an in-depth understanding of child/adolescent mental health issues including (but not limited to) anxiety, depression, eating disorders, grief, ADHD, ASD, and behavior problems.
• Have an understanding of cultural diversity and the ability to provide culturally sensitive counseling and intervention.
• Have an understanding of local and national resources for the support of students and families.
• Have the ability to coordinate well with psychiatric and psychotherapeutic providers in the community.
• Have knowledge of all stages of childhood development.
• Have crisis intervention skills including suicide assessment skills.
• Work efficiently in a Microsoft Windows or Mac environment using Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Blackbaud K-12; and can confidently learn new technology.
• Have a working knowledge of social media platforms.
• Have the ability to work in a moderately noisy environment.
• Work collaboratively in a hands-on team environment.
• Have experience designing and/or leading SEL lessons to students.
• Have experience in facilitating support groups for students.
• Be a visible member of the student, parent, and faculty community, actively participating in…