School Counselor

Salary: $85,000 - $110,000 | CalSTRS Retirement Eligible | Exempt 

Location: Richmond, CA (Making Waves Academy Campus) 

The Impact You’ll Make

You are more than a counselor; you are an advocate, a strategist, and a lifeline. At Making Waves Academy, your work isn’t just about sessions—it’s about interrupting inequity. You will build the emotional architecture that allows our students to thrive in a high-performing environment. You thrive at the intersection of clinical expertise and educational advocacy, ensuring every Wave-Maker is seen, heard, and supported.

What You’ll Be Doing

As a critical member of our Student Support Services team, you will lead our multi-disciplinary approach to student well-being. From Tier 1 classroom lessons to Tier 3 crisis intervention, you own the student experience.

Your day-to-day includes:

• Driving Student Outcomes: Deliver a comprehensive counseling program using MTSS and Restorative Justice frameworks to support students across grades 5–12.
• Direct Support: Leading short-term individual counseling and targeted group sessions to address immediate mental health and social-emotional needs.
• Crisis Leadership: Acting as the primary responder for students in acute distress, ensuring 100% compliance with California mandated reporting and state laws.
• Strategic Collaboration: Serving as a clinical expert in Pre-SST and IEP meetings to help teams draft and meet student goals.
• Data-Driven Advocacy: Managing the Student Support Services database and "Non-Cognitive Dashboard" to track attendance and behavior trends, using data to close equity gaps.

What We’re Looking For

You are a high-performing professional who remains calm in "crisis mode." You possess the emotional maturity to handle high-stakes dynamics and the technical skill to manage complex administrative requirements like 504s and IEPs.

You’ll need to have:

• Bachelor’s degree in School Counseling, Psychology, or Social Work.
• Valid California Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Credential in School Counseling (Required).
• 2+ years of experience in a 5–12 school setting.
• The ability to analyze student data to identify and support at-risk subgroups.

Even better if you have:

• A Master’s Degree in a related field.
• Deep proficiency in MTSS, PBIS, and Restorative Justice philosophies.

Why Making Waves Academy?

When you join our team, you join a movement dedicated to intergenerational change. We support our employees as holistically as we support our students.

• 100% Health Coverage: We cover 100% of most premiums for medical, dental, and vision for you and your family.
• Work-Life Balance: Enjoy all school holidays and breaks to ensure you have time to recharge.