Director of Counseling, Wellness, & Mental Health ...

About the Director of Counseling, Wellness, & Mental Health Services: The Director of Counseling, Wellness, and Mental Health Services will play a key role in ensuring the network has the vision for mental health programming and social emotional learning (SEL) necessary to make KIPPs mission a reality. The Director of Counseling, Wellness, and Mental Health Services is an experienced, licensed mental health professional, such as a School Psychologist or Licensed Clinical Social Worker, who can lead on social emotional programming, mental health staff development, and the coaching and supervision of school based social workers and school psychologists. This role reports to the Senior Director of Special Services. About KIPP: Together with families and communities, KIPP creates joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. KIPP is a national network of tuition-free, public charter schools open to all students. There are 255 college-preparatory KIPP schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 100,000 students. Nationally, KIPP students are graduating four-year colleges at three times the national average for low-income students. Who we are: KIPP Colorado Public Schools is a network of six free college-preparatory public charter schools open to all students. Our 350-person staff educates 2,600 students from ECE to 12th grade. At KIPP Colorado, we partner with our KIPPsters, educators, families and communities to ensure that we are all united around the goal of a choice-filled future for our KIPPsters. Our KIPP Forward Team supports our 1,000+ high school Alumni as they create their own paths. Our core values of excellence, belonging, belief, advocacy and courage are central to who we are and how we operate at all levels of our organization.What we do: We believe in the unique gifts and brilliance of every student. We believe in setting a high bar for joy and academic excellence to ensure the infinite possibilities our students have before them become a reality. We aspire to create and reinforce a culture of achievement, belonging and support. We know that every student is different and we personalize learning based on a student's needs, skills, and interests.Role Responsibilities and More About How Youll Spend Your Time in this Role Professional Responsibilities Believe deeply in the mission, values, and Race, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (RIDE) commitments of KIPP Colorado Schools and that all children can and will learn Assume personal responsibility for student achievement Read, internalize, and adhere to the KIPP Colorado Policies and Procedures manual and guidelinesProvide an active presence, strategic supervision, and intentional monitoring to ensure student safety and engagement in rigorous learning (regardless of my role and its proximity to students)Take ownership for the development of your craft and engage actively in coaching sessions (meet 1-2 times every 1 or 2 weeks (depending on need and role) with a manager, receive coaching, implement all provided feedback, engage in active practice, etc.)Commit to being prepared. Such as: internalizing and preparing for lessons, preparing for O3s/coaching, preparing for meetings, coaching, PD, reading and internalizing written communication, etc. Meet professional obligations including and not limited to meeting deadlines and honoring schedules Consistently leverage existing professional tools, including but not limited to Google Suite (google documents, etc.) and Microsoft Suite (including but not limited to your KIPP Colorado email, Teams chat / meetings, Teams phone, and Microsoft Outlook calendar) Maintain strong attendance each day and be on time to all responsibilitiesCollaborate with colleagues and seek feedback in the spirit of continuous improvement Reflect on professional practices to meet individual professional development goals Actively participate in professional development, grade level, and department meetingsActively engage and implement in all school-wide and Org wide professional developmentServe as a positive, contributing member of a grade team or functional team, collaborating with colleagues to tackle common challenges and implement org and grade-wide initiativesShare candid, solutions-oriented feedback with peers and leadership on a regular basis, assuring that feedback is shared directly with the intended recipient. Ensure that feedback is focused on improving outcomes and experiences for studentsAssist with both student and staff recruitment and engagement- including events, home visits, calls home, and other determined and related requirementsKnow that your role, professional development, org wide meetings, etc. may require you to travel around Denver to other KIPP Campuses, our Home Office, or other KIPP or PD events Assist with other duties as assigned (such as but not limited to, lunch duty, arrival/dismissal duty, bathroom duty, hallway duty, school support duties, etc.) KIPP Colorado Mental Health ProgrammingSupport Mental Health Providers and develop KIPPs Mental health providers to ensure they are prepared for key responsibilities of their roles, including but not limited to supporting Special Education Individual Education Programs (IEPs) and evaluations, 504 Plan development and evaluations, Mental Health Plans, partnership with school culture leadership and planning for tiered supports, and Crisis Planning support (such as Suicide Risk Reviews and Threat Assessments) in alignment to compliance requirements set forth by local, state, & federal law and other guidelinesSupport school leadership teams in coordinating contracted mental health providers and partnerships with mental health organizationsProvide school site manager mental health feedback on technical skills and compliance completion for mental health provider performance evaluation(s) Refine or develop systems/ tools related to school-based mental health roles, including but not limited to: Roles and responsibilities for School Social Workers and School Psychologists ; Onboarding plans; Resources for observation and coaching of mental health providers; and Evaluation systems and tools Lead, design, and support schools in implementation of universal screening and progress monitoring systems for behavior and social emotional at-risk screening. Align practices to DPS requirements as neededAct as lead liaison with the district/authorizer mental health department and turnkey all necessary information and updates to the KIPP CO mental health team as neededParticipate in all and turnkey important information from district/authorizer mental health department meetings and trainingsProvide direct/indirect school psychology services and evaluation assessment support for a caseload of students with IEPs, as needed KIPP Colorado Mental Health Team DevelopmentSupport vision for KIPPs role in supporting new mental health providers with induction and mentorship Provide or coordinate licensure induction and supervision hours, as appropriate, for school social workers and school psychologists, including direct management of designated induction mentors and alignment with Colorado licensure expectations.Provide monthly coaching to every KIPP social worker and biweekly coaching and direct management to Regional School PsychologistsDevelop and lead a monthly mental health professional learning community for all KIPP CO social workers and school psychologists in alignment to priority focus areasProvide consultation to teachers implementing Tier 1 SEL CurriculumEnsure Mental Health systems and structures align with T1 SEL and supportive classroom strategiesDevelopment of instructional leaders, Deans, and mental health providers for strong implementation of social emotional programming continuum (e.g., referral to a provider, mental health MTSS systems, documentation of services, etc.); and create and successfully roll-out these systems Lead, coordinate, and co-create essential mental health beginning of the year training for all mental health providersMaintain current knowledge of continuing education requirements and professional standards for Licensed Clinical Social Workers and School Social Workers in Colorado and ensure internal coaching, training, and supervision structures align with these expectations. Role Level Specifics, Scope of Work, and Level of ResponsibilityFor more about how youll lead at this level, please visit the

Created: 2025-12-22