Behavior Support Specialist Residential

Girard College is a full scholarship boarding school for students from qualified families of limited financial resources. Girard College’s mission is to ensure every student the opportunity and the means to achieve excellence and preparation for advanced education through purposeful academic and residential programs. Girard College prepares its students to complete a post-secondary degree, maximizing their ability to pursue chosen careers and to be engaged citizens.

The Behavior Support Specialist for Residential Life (BSS) plays a critical role in supporting the overall residential culture and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for behavior by developing and implementing strategies to assist students with behavioral, social, executive functioning, and problem-solving skills. Reporting to the Director of Student Success, the Behavior Support Specialist collaborates with Academic, Residential, Athletic, and all student support services staff to design and carry out universal, targeted, and intervention behavioral and social support for students.

Hours for the Behavior Support Specialists are Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3-11pm; Mondays, Wednedsays from 2-10pm.

Job Responsibilities Include:

• Provide services that align with the MTSS framework to support students who have/are experiencing social, emotional, and/or behavioral challenges.
• Provide Tier 1 services by conducting dorm observations, providing guidance and strategies to residential advisors and facilitating social emotional lessons with students.
• Provide Tier 2 targeted intervention group sessions to teach behavior coping skills in areas such as conflict resolution, social skills, emotional regulation, etc.
• Provide Tier 3 intensive intervention services such as individual counseling and Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA).
• Directly support the Residential program with teaching and enforcing clear and consistent norms, routines, and expectations that foster student independence and competence while ensuring that the residential climate is characterized by Girard College’s “Core values.”
• Support Residential programs in developing structures, programs and practices that ensure logical and consistent consequences for student actions, while also promoting and reinforcing positive behaviors.
• Ensure that PBIS/climate/culture/behavior data is entered within systems; review, analyze and share data in a timely fashion. 
• Work with the residential deans to create PBIS activities and events for students who displayed positive behaviors that align with Girard’s Core Values.
• Work closely with the Student Success Team and Residential teams to implement short- and long-term behavior support plans
• Conduct conflict resolution and peer mediation sessions.      
• Provide leadership in behavior intervention process including monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the behavior intervention process and modify student plans as necessary to ensure maximum response to intervention.
• Support with the Pathways to Success program and provide individual counseling to students needing to reflect on their negative behavior and learn healthy social skills and coping strategies.
• Demonstrate teamwork, cooperation and open communication with all staff of Girard College, toward the achievement of school goals and objectives.
• Provide professional development trainings for residential staff to teach and model positive behavior interventions.
• Establish positive relationships and boundaries with students, staff, and caregivers