Student Support Counselor - YES Prep Fifth Ward Secondary (Immediate Opening)

About the role

This 11-month position reports to the Director of Student Support and begins with the 2026–27 school year. The Secondary Student Support Counselor establishes solution-focused, data-driven practices to serve students, families, and staff; designs and delivers social, emotional, and behavioral programming; and coordinates evidence-based interventions aligned to YES Prep’s system and state requirements. Responsibilities include conducting individual and group counseling, assessing and responding to crises, maintaining confidential records, and collaborating with campus teams, families, and community partners to remove barriers to achievement. The role also involves identifying chronically absent students, advocating for culturally and socioeconomically diverse stakeholders, and pursuing ongoing professional growth to meet licensure requirements.

Responsibilities

• Establish solution-focused procedures and data-driven practices to more effectively serve students, families, and staff.
• Utilize data to plan and implement positive school culture through social, emotional, and behavioral grade-level and school-wide programming.
• Input, review, and analyze individual and collective student data to assign relevant interventions using YES Prep’s established system.
• Conduct quality assessments that yield professional impressions and lead to the development and implementation of evidence-based intervention methods supporting student achievement.
• Conduct individual and group counseling sessions.
• Report concerns of abuse or neglect to appropriate agencies in a timely manner.
• Identify, report, and coordinate evidence-based interventions for targeted, at-risk students as outlined by the Texas Education Agency, School Culture, and Compliance.
• Coordinate team strategies in the identification and support of chronically absent students.
• Consult and collaborate with campus and system staff, parents/guardians, and community partners in a multidisciplinary approach to identify and reduce barriers to student achievement and persistence.
• Establish and maintain community partnerships that provide access and services to students, parents, and staff and make appropriate referrals.
• Advocate consistently and proactively on behalf of students and families based on an understanding of and respect for various cultures and socioeconomic groups represented in the school and community.
• Seek and utilize formal and informal feedback from multiple stakeholders to improve services and enhance professional growth.
• Engage all students and build positive relationships with appropriate professional and ethical boundaries.
• Demonstrate high-level skills in micro and macro level crisis intervention and post-disaster support through assessment and response.
• Maintain accurate records in YES Prep’s established system while ensuring adequate safeguards for the privacy and confidentiality of information and records.
• Pursue continuous enhancement of knowledge and skills through supervision, outside professional development, and continuing education for appropriate licensure requirements.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year educational institution.
• Master’s degree in Social Work or Counseling.
• Hold a LMSW, LCSW, LPC-I, LPC, or obtain one of these credentials within 6 months of employment (failure to secure credentials can result in termination).
• Minimum of 1 year of post-internship experience in the field of Social Work or Counseling.
• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools.
• Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback.
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress.
• Ability to work urgently in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once.
• Demonstrated ability to work on a team.
• Dedication to learn, grow, and develop as a professional.

Beliefs

• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools.
• Desire to disrupt systemic status quos in education.
• Willingness to go above and beyond to disrupt said status quos.
• Passion to develop resiliency through a relentless pursuit of jaw-dropping results.
• Conviction that high expectations + high accountability = high performance and high growth.

Compensation

$65,264 – $83,419, commensurate with experience.

Benefits

• Health and Supplemental Insurance: A $0 monthly medical option and a plan that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, plus Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, and other supplemental benefits. Employees must work 20+ hours/week for the full benefits spectrum; 10+ hours/week minimum for medical eligibility.
• Retirement Plans: Participation in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and a 457b Retirement Plan.
• Paid Time Off: 12 days for employees working 20+ hours/week on the full duty schedule, in addition to system closures during the Academic Calendar; pro-rated based on start dates within the assigned duty schedule.
• Paid Leave Programming: 100% paid leave for eligible medical needs including maternity and paternity leave, based on eligibility and tenure.
• Professional Development: Ongoing coaching and high-quality programs to support leadership growth and continuous improvement.