School Counselor

MELINDA JONES Brooklyn, NY

347-***-**** **************@*****.***

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Accomplished and dedicated educator with a forward-thinking, solution-driven perspective. Take the initiative and integrate various disciplines to achieve objectives upon measured consideration. Proactively make referrals for students requiring alternative services or placements. Adaptive to changing technologies in ever-changing work environments. Assertively implement successful counseling and guidance strategies to enhance academic readiness, social/emotional discipline, and crisis mediation. Committed to delivering school counseling programs that support student achievement, self-confidence, attendance, discipline, and emotional well-being. Recognized for building rapport with students and collaborating with faculty and parents to establish solid support networks. An impressive record of nurturing and guiding students by engaging interpersonal and advocacy skills to motivate them to achieve their full potential and realize their path to academic success.

SKILLS & STRENGTHS

• Educational Planning • Career Development • Leadership

• Youth Mentoring • Tutoring • Play therapy

• Efficient Time Management • Organized & Detail-oriented • Creative & Resourceful

• Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) • MS Office, Smart Board, Achieve • DOE Tools: SESIS, ATS, PCM, PBIS, AIS, SEMS EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS

Alfred University Alfred, NY

Advanced Certificate, Mental Health Counseling 06/2025 Alfred University Alfred, NY

M.S.Ed., School Counseling 6/2022

Long Island University Brooklyn, NY

M.S., Special Education 6/2019

Touro College Brooklyn, NY

B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies (magna cum laude) ?/2009 EXPERIENCE & ACHIEVEMENTS

COUNSELING

Counseling In Schools

Brooklyn Collegiate High School Brooklyn, NY

School Counselor 4/2024 - Present

• Provides individual and group counseling targeting social/emotional needs and interventions.

• Develop psycho-socials, and progress notes for students referred for counseling.

• Collaborates with staff in the development of the CommunitySchool Forum.

• Conducts SDQs for students, parents, and referring school staff

• Collaborates with the school's Attendance Team, addressing issues of chronically absent and late students.

• Collaborates with the schools' Parent Coordinator addressing the needs and concerns of parents.

• Maintain and update process notes within numerous data systems.

• Develop and organize mental health workshops and community engagement for parents, students, and staff. P.S. 046, Edward C. Blum Elementary School Brooklyn, NY School Counselor (Intern) 5/2022 – 6/2022

• Provided a variety of interventions for elementary school students with emotional and learning disabilities, including individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, behavioral support, and wrap-around services.

• Collaborated with the treatment team of teachers, therapeutic behavioral aides, nurses, and outside providers to assess student strengths and needs. Proactively used behavior management that provided safe spaces for students to regulate their behavior.

• Conducted functional behavior assessments (FBA) and developed individual behavior intervention plans (BIP) for at-risk students.

• Evaluated social/emotional functioning and developed Individual Education Plans (IEPs) to promote student learning.

• Utilized Professional Crisis Management (PCM) to de-escalate students in crisis and maintain safety.

• Adopted Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to establish behavioral support and school culture to help students achieve social, emotional, and academic success.

• Engaged in ongoing professional development including staying abreast of new strategies, and exchanging feedback with faculty and parents; attended workshops to remain educated on industry changes, and updated on new best practices. P.S. 287, Bailey K. Ashford Elementary School Brooklyn, NY School Counselor (Intern) 11/2021 – 6/2022

• Consulted with students, parents, teachers, and other school and community personnel to assist in meeting the needs of all students.

• Developed and implemented life-skill conflict resolution, as well as techniques to build social, emotional, and self-esteem skills.

• Partnered with school psychologists, teachers, and other resources necessary to meet the demands of an at-risk population.

• Established and maintained cooperative relationships with students, school personnel, parents, co-workers, and external public resources.

• Counseled students in building internal controls to decrease the frequency, duration, and intensity of aggressive/disruptive behavior.

• Provided crisis intervention for individuals, groups, and families.

• Participated in and provided solutions at student attendance meetings.

• Attended and participated in IEP, transition, school committees, and parent/student/counselor meetings.

• Organized and supervised the Peer Mentor program.

• Coordinated all counseling services for students and assisted with the coordination and implementation of student services in the school.

• Adhered to ethical standards of the counseling profession and abided by the laws, policies, and procedures that governed the school. TEACHING

NYC Department of Education New York, NY

Substitute Teacher - Various schools throughout NYC 1/2022 – Present

• Maintain accurate, complete, and comprehensive student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.

• Use appropriate judgment to act in the best interest of students at all times.

• Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students’ varying comprehension levels, needs, and interests.

• Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of state and schools.

• Identify instructional methods and materials most appropriate for meeting lesson objectives.

• Establish and communicate clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects to students.

• Create and integrate lesson plans in the regular teacher’s absence, and complete the transition where the teacher ended.

• Maintain consistent contact with pupils, parents, and fellow teachers.

• Prepare and leave a report for the teacher about how the school day went. Life Sciences Secondary High School Brooklyn, NY

Special Education Teacher 9/2017 – 6/2020

• Coordinated special education services and served as the primary contact for the parents; collaborated with various teams to ensure positive outcomes for all learners.

• Developed, implemented, and monitored IEPs, functional behavior plans, and behavior intervention plans designed to promote educational and social development for students with mild learning disabilities.

• Planned and implemented IEP meetings for students and parents.

• Instructed students with various and specific learning disabilities, as well as mild intellectual impairment, in academic subjects, using various techniques.

• Created and implemented lesson plans for science, social studies, writing composition, and social issues.

• Collaborated with general education teachers to provide differentiated instruction.

• Utilized standards of Academic Intervention System (AIS), English Language Learners (ELL), and English as a Second Language

(ESL).

• Assessed skills and academic progress in conjunction with writing IEPs.

• Conducted Living Environment Regents Examination preparation in Saturday School.

• Achieved high Regent Examination scores for students in Living Environment. M.S. 442, Carroll Gardens School for Innovation Brooklyn, NY Paraprofessional 9/2003 – 6/2017

• Collected and compiled student data used to measure progress toward IEP goals.

• Provided support to other members of the teaching and administrative staff.

• Attended and actively contributed to regular staff and parent meetings, and parent-teacher conferences.

• Assisted in the instructional process by working with students in general education and those with varied disabilities individually or in small groups, supplementing regular instruction, and implementing teacher-developed lesson plans under the direct supervision of an instructional staff member.

• Implemented strategies and tools for students in the ASD Nest Program.

• Reinforced good behavior through the use of PBIS.

• Participated in selecting, planning, organizing, and evaluating special classroom and after-school projects.

• Guided and assisted students in small group settings with engaging class routines.

• Fortified skills in the areas of recreation, motor, vocational, socialization, and communication.

• Provided academic and behavioral support to special education students to facilitate inclusion in a general education classroom.

• Tutored and provided academic intervention (Great Leaps Program) to small groups.

• Implemented academic and therapeutic programming that reflected goals established in the student’s IEP.

• Performed routine tasks under the direct supervision of a certified teacher or teaching team.

• Selected to assist the Dean with filing and printing reports on the School-wide Information System (SWIS), Office Discipline Referrals (ODR), and Online Occurrence Reporting System (OORS).

• Worked closely with the guidance counselor on the high school application Student Enrollment Management System (SEMS).

• Coordinated with school secretaries on ATS (Automate The Schools Security System) transportation and attendance.

• Proctored and scribed state exams within the Department of Education school setting.

• Oversaw the Big Apple Circus after-school program. AFFILIATIONS

Member, NY State School Counselor Association (NYSSCA) Member, AmeriCorps

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