Middle School Counselor (Grades 5-8) – August 2025

Visitation School seeks a full-time (1.0) Middle School Counselor (grades 5-8) beginning August 2025.  We are looking for candidates who will foster a learning environment that is empowering, joyful, and inclusive while nurturing every student’s intellectual, social, emotional, and physical well-being.

 The Middle School Counselor is the primary contact and leader for all preventative and responsive programming that supports the social-emotional learning and mental health of students for grades 5-8. This role focuses most closely on the holistic development of middle school girls yet will support all 5th grade students in our co-ed Lower School as they prepare for Middle School. The successful candidate should be highly visible, relational, collaborative, energetic, and passionate about this age range.

Visitation is an independent Catholic day school with a culture permeated by Salesian Spirituality. We offer a unique combination of learning experiences with a coed Lower School (Montessori preschool through grade 5), an all-girls Middle School (grades 6-8), and an all-girls Upper School (grades 9-12). A member of NAIS and accredited by ISACS, we are located on a beautiful 60-acre campus in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Visitation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package, including tuition remission. Please visit our website at https://www.visitation.net for more information.

Visitation School demonstrates a commitment to and is in support of a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Read our  diversity statement to learn more.

QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

Required:

• Master’s Degree in School Counseling, Psychology or Social Work;
• 3+ years of counseling experience;
• Self-starter attitude with ability to identify tasks and take initiative when addressing the needs of the School;
• Professionalism and can-do willingness and ownership approach to work;
• Good judgement with an aptitude to motivate people, set priorities, analyze data, prepare conclusions and handle multiple assignments with tight deadlines;
• Excellent verbal, written and listening skills; 
• Ability to demonstrate and model the philosophies and spirit of Visitation School. 

Preferred:

• Licensure in School Counseling, School Psychology or Social Work;
• School counseling experience advising students in their academic and personal guidance needs;
• Experience in a non-profit organization;
• Experience in an independent school.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Preventative & Responsive Counseling Work

• Support the Visitation Mission to provide an excellent education within a Catholic environment, permeated by Salesian Spirituality and the living tradition of the Visitation Sisters;
• Build and facilitate positive relationships and connections  with students, parents, faculty, staff, and community members while setting and maintaining high standards and expectations for academic performance and personal responsibility for behavior;
• Research best practices in the field and at peer schools in order to consistently inform practice and program;
• Collaborate with the counseling team to ensure pertinent themes are chosen, developed, delivered, promoted, and integrated with divisional work, cross-divisional work and parent education.
• Lead regularly occurring division-led parent education events as well as Parents’ Association events around pertinent themes, mental health, wellness, social emotional learning, organization, study skills, communication skills, etc.
• Lead regularly occurring professional development for faculty and staff around social emotional learning, themes, mental health, wellness, organization, study skills, etc.
• Oversee Middle School Advisory programming in collaboration with the Coordinator of Middle School Student Life, MS Faculty, and Director of Secondary Education
• Support and lead weekly Social Emotional Learning lessons in 5th grade, in collaboration with the 5th grade team.
• Serve on the Middle School Student Assistance Team with Learning Specialist, Coordinator of Middle School Student Life, Dean of Academic Advising, and Director of Secondary Education
• Conduct 1:1 meetings with all new students, grades 5-8, to help ensure a smooth transition to Visitation’s Middle School;
• Monitor Middle and Lower School student well-being in collaboration with advisors and grade-level teams;
• Lead regular surveys of all students to determine the efficacy of preventative programs and adjust accordingly;
• Actively participate in Counseling Department Meetings;
• Support retreat programming, grades 5-8, and other extracurricular groups such as L.E.A.D.;
• Participate in the admissions process as determined by the Director of Secondary Education;
• Providing additional preventative programming at the direction of the supervising director.;
• Conduct 1:1 meetings with students as scenarios arise, identifying research-based counseling support measures;
• Implement, manage and track  interventions for individuals and small groups as scenarios arise
• Manage and coordinate academic communications and support between outside professionals, parents and faculty of hospitalized students and students engaged in outpatient mental health treatment; 
• Refer students who need more in-depth counseling to a licensed psychologist or licensed clinical social worker;
• Mediate conflicts between students, between students and parents, and between students and teachers;
• Complete miscellaneous tasks and projects in support of the Middle & Lower Schools and the overall Counseling Department

Qualified candidates are asked to send a letter of interest and resume, including three references to recruitment@vischool.org. 

Salary Range:  $40,200 - $99,533 based on degree, teaching experience and the established salary schedule.

Benefits Offered:

• Paid personal, sick time, and holidays
• Medical, Dental, Life and LTD, Vision, and more insurance benefits are available 
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with Employer Contribution upon eligibility
• Tuition Remission

This posting is only a summary of the typical functions of the job, not a comprehensive list of all job responsibilities. Visitation School is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Qualified candidates are asked to send a letter of interest and resume, including three references to recruitment@vischool.org.