Overview
Mercy Family Center in New Orleans is seeking two licensed clinical social workers or school psychologists to serve as Teacher Support Specialists. Teacher Support Specialists will work on a 4-year project in partnership with Tulane University and funded by the National Institute of Justice to implement and evaluate trauma-informed approaches in schools. The project begins June 1, 2016 and ends May 31, 2020.
Teacher Support Specialists will support the work of the project by delivering trauma-related professional development trainings to school staff and by providing coaching in the classroom to support the use of trauma-specific skills related to creating safe classrooms, building relationships with students, using positive and predictable discipline, and fostering student self-regulation. The Teacher Support Specialists may also provide additional professional development in self-care, help the school social worker connect students to services outside of the school, or deliver evidence-based individual or group interventions to students exposed to trauma. The Teacher-Support Specialists will spend 4 days per week in their assigned school and 1 day per week working with the project team on training, supervision, and project management.
Qualifications
Education:
- M.S.W. degree from an accredited school of Social Work.
- Ed.S. degree from a NASP-approved program in School Psychology.
- Ph.D. degree from an APA-accredited program in School Psychology.
Licensure or Board Certified as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Louisiana.
Certification: State Certified as a School Psychologist in Louisiana.
Experience:
- Two – three years experience in school social work or school psychology.
- Expertise in trauma, trauma-informed treatments, and teacher consultation.
- Experience in the delivery of professional development training.
Other:
- Able to work in a setting that utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach.
- Good problem-solving skills.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Willingness to travel between school locations and within the community for professional meetings, school consultations, etc.
Responsibilities
- Participate in training in specific content areas related to the project, including creating safe classrooms, building strong teacher-student relationships, and de-escalation strategies.
- Provide professional development training and classroom-based coaching to support the use of trauma-specific skills related to creating safe classrooms, building relationships with students, using positive and predictable discipline, and fostering student self-regulation.
- Participate in supervision based on video-recorded coaching sessions of coaching provided within the three content areas listed above.
- Create and provide additional professional development training based on the needs of the school and/or project.
- Support the school social worker to connect students to services outside of the school.
- Be available to deliver evidence-based individual and group interventions for students exposed to trauma based on the needs of the school and/or project.
- Participate in research protocols established for the project.
- Maintain records in an accurate and timely fashion.
- Develop and maintain positive working relationships within the schools and project staff, emphasizing collaboration and problem solving.
- Practice within the ethical standards defined by the Louisiana licensing board.
Contact
Review of applications will begin on April 12, 2016 and continue until the positions are filled. Interested applicants should send electronic copies of the following documents to Stacy Overstreet, Principal Investigator, Trauma-Informed Approaches to Improve School Safety Project, soverst@tulane.edu, 504-862-3332:
- Personal statement that indicates your interest in and compatibility with the advertised position.
- Resume that clearly demonstrates the above minimum qualifications. Please include all experiences and education related to the advertised position.
- Three professional references including name, title, business address, e-mail address and phone number.
Mercy Family Center is an equal opportunity employer and encourages resumes from culturally and linguistically diverse applicants.