Instructions for Application:
To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to Ms. Kelley Challen: kchallen@nesca-newton.com. All inquiries will be held in the strictest confidence.
Position Details:
NESCA is currently seeking vibrant, enthusiastic, and experienced applicants for the position of transition specialist. This is a per diem position serving clients throughout Massachusetts and occasionally nationally and internationally.
We are seeking transition specialists who can provide direct client services including vocational/career counseling or college counseling. Transition specialists utilize individual client-centered approaches to support teen and young adult clients in exploring their strengths, challenges, interests, and preferences in connection with future employment, training, or college participation. Clients who seek career or college counseling at NESCA may be unsure what the best step to take after high school will be, or may have tried and failed college or employment experiences after high school and are seeking to create a new path forward for themselves.
A candidate for this per diem position will be experienced in evaluating and counseling youth with a wide range of abilities and disability-related needs. The candidate will be a seasoned professional who is adept in working with teenagers and young adults as well as their family members, educators, and community providers.
Required Knowledge and Skills:
- Outstanding organizational, written and oral communication skills
- Knowledge of person-centered planning, individualized supports models, self-determination principles and self-advocacy skills
- Knowledge of career counseling and job placement of students with occupational barriers including physical, social, emotional, learning and intellectual disabilities
- Knowledge of college readiness practices and preparation for technical learning
- Familiarity with vocational and transition related assessment tools (transition planning inventories, functional assessments, interest tests, aptitude tests, transferable skills analysis), and other evaluative techniques
- Understanding of skills necessary for postsecondary success, including but not limited to time management, planning and prioritizing, study skills, social skills, healthcare skills, and safety in school and community environments
- Knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of the student, family and school in the transition process
- Familiarity with adult service systems (e.g., higher education, vocational rehabilitation, SSI and Medicaid, developmental disability services, department of mental health) and community resources
- Ability to creatively problem-solve and think outside the box
- Able to work as an independent contributor (managing own client caseload) as well as a team player
- Commitment to continued learning and ongoing professional development
Qualifications:
- Master’s degree or higher in Rehabilitation Counseling, Counseling (Mental Health, Guidance, School Adjustment, Education), Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language Pathology, Special Education, or a related field and at least three (3) years of experience performing formal and informal transition assessments to ascertain interests, strengths, preferences, aptitudes and needs related to competitive employment, education, training, and independent living
- OR at least five (5) years of full-time or equivalent part-time experience as a transition specialist, transition coordinator, vocational counselor, career counselor, guidance counselor, or related successful experience supporting transition-aged students with disabilities