Health & Wellness Dean (HWD)

About Eagle Rock

Eagle Rock School is a full-scholarship, year-round boarding school located in Estes Park, Colorado. With an enrollment of up to 72 high-school students, our supportive, community-focused environment fosters a transformative learning experience where students can thrive. We implement effective and engaging practices that nurture each student’s unique potential, empowering them to think critically and connect deeply with their education and the world around them. Our school primarily serves adolescents from historically marginalized communities, who have the desire and commitment to excel in academics, leadership, and personal growth. Eagle Rock is also a Professional Development Center, supporting innovative educational practices across the United States. Eagle Rock supports students and educators to become catalysts of change in their lives and communities. 

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced and visionary mental health professional to lead our Health & Wellness team (H&W) as the Health & Wellness Dean (HWD). This dynamic leadership role requires a skilled mental health professional who can provide supervision, direct services, crisis management, program development, and strategic direction for the team. The HWD will supervise the school nurse, clinical interns, and H&W fellows, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment focused on the holistic well-being of our students.

As a key leader of student supports, the HWD will:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive vision and strategic plan for the H&W team, aligned with the school's mission and values
• Provide supervision and mentorship to staff, ensuring high-quality care and adherence to ethical standards
• Engage in close partnership with school nurse to support mind-body holistic health
• Collaborate with school leadership, staff, students, student families/sponsors, and external partners to create innovative and holistic wellness programs and initiatives
• Lead community engagement efforts, including facilitating workshops, parent engagement, and staff training on mental health and wellness topics
• Manage H&W operations, including budget oversight, resource allocation, and program evaluation
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and policies while advocating for best practices in school-based mental health services; keep policies and protocols aligned with best practices

This role requires a high level of engagement, effective crisis management and nervous system regulation, mental health triage, and real-time responsiveness to ensure the well-being and success of our students in our boarding school setting. The ideal candidate will have extensive knowledge and experience working with adolescents who have faced complex mental health experiences, including trauma, neglect, sexual violence, substance use, loss and grief, depression, anxiety, and more.

Our approaches prioritize resilience and empowerment, rooted in trauma-informed care, somatic leadership, holistic practices, and solution-focused interventions. The HWD will play a crucial role in shaping a culture of wellness throughout the school community, fostering strong relationships with students, families, and staff.

As a member of the Eagle Rock community, the HWD will actively engage in community gatherings and events, such as professional development, meals, residential programming, and intramural sports. While community involvement can add complexity to the clinician-client relationship and necessitate strong ethical boundaries, it also cultivates rewarding connections and enhances opportunities for meaningful support.

We are constantly examining and innovating at Eagle Rock, and are currently exploring what it means to have a culture fully committed to wellness. We're open to radical approaches and welcome ideas and efforts to improve our practices. If you are passionate about supporting others in their journey toward wellbeing, have a strong vision for school-based mental health services, and are excited to be part of a close-knit community of dedicated individuals serving and celebrating our students, we invite you to apply.

Qualifications, Responsibilities & Essential Job Functions

Qualifications  

• Master's Degree in school counseling, social work, psychology, or related field required
• Independent Clinical Licensure (LCSW, LPC, LMFT, etc.) required, with the ability to provide clinical supervision
• 6+ years of post-degree clinical experience with adolescents, including 3+ years of supervisory experience
• Experience counseling in a school environment required, experience in a residential/boarding setting highly preferred
• Experience utilizing a MTSS for case management
• Experience with program development and evaluation in a school setting
• Knowledge of current trends in adolescent mental health and wellness
• Experience with data-driven decision making and outcome measurement
• Substance Use and Addictions Licensure or Certification (LADC/CADC) preferred
• Advanced medical training (First Aid instructor, EMT, WFR, etc) preferred 
• Bilingual preferred, with ability to provide services in English and Spanish
• Formal or informal teaching experience preferred
• Professional written and verbal communication; effective public speaker and active listener
• Strong organizational, time management, leadership and interpersonal skills
• High ethical standards and strong professional boundaries
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement departmental policies and procedures
• Experience in program development and evaluation
• Strong understanding of ethical and legal issues related to health service delivery in a school setting                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Responsibilities

1. Leadership and Strategic Planning
   • Develop and implement a comprehensive vision and strategic plan for the H&W team
   • Partner with the leadership team to ensure alignment with the overall organizational strategy
   • Manage H&W operations, including budget oversight and resource allocation
   • Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and policies
   • Support the ongoing development and revision process of the ERS H&W manual
2. Supervision and Staff Development
   • Provide job supervision for school nurse, mental health counselor, and H&W fellows
   • Provide clinical supervision for clinical interns (H&W fellows)
   • Provide mentorship to staff on the H&W team and other staff as needed
   • Engage in true partnership with H&W team members to elevate each person’s expertise, experience, and humanity
   • Facilitate wellness and mental health professional development opportunities for staff
3. Direct Student Support
   • Support coordination of student care
   • Provide individual counseling sessions and monitor student progress
   • Facilitate group counseling sessions and activities
   • Support medication distribution from both a systemic level as well as part of the medication delegation team, in support of the school nurse
   • Oversee multi-tiered intervention support system
   • Assess students and coordinate appropriate interventions
4. Crisis Management and Safety
   • Create and maintain crisis preparedness, response, and recovery plans
   • Respond to student and campus emergencies
5. Collaboration and Community Engagement
   • Consult and collaborate across the school staff team
   • Lead community engagement efforts, including workshops and parent education sessions
   • Coordinate treatment and continuity of care with various constituents
6. Program Development and Evaluation
   • Oversee and support ongoing development and implementation of H&W curriculum in alignment with graduation competencies & requirements
   • Oversee Personal Growth and Rights of Passage curriculum and celebrations
   • Support the coordination of community-wide wellness experiences
   • Assess practices to ensure equitable access and support for diverse student populations
7. Professional Growth and School-Wide Involvement
   • Stay current on mental health trends, resources, and practices; engage in continuing education to maintain licenses
   • Engage in school-wide activities and residential duties as needed
   • Participate in Belonging & DEI learning and community-building events

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional boarding school environment, on a gated campus in a mountainous area of Colorado, above 7,700 ft. in elevation.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time position with year-round responsibilities. While students are on campus each trimester, a typical weekly schedule will include evening and weekend hours, and an on-call rotation. In addition to position-specific duties, all Eagle Rock staff engage in community events and activities, which may fall outside their typical work schedule.

Physical Essential Job Functions

The person in this position will: constantly operate a computer, frequently communicate with students and staff, observe students in the classroom and during residential programming, and frequently move about campus grounds - including ascending/descending stairs. The employee must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time, and may frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Occasional travel for work may be required.

Benefits

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package:

• Salary range for this position: $70,000-$120,000, based on education and experience
• Signing bonus $1,000
• Annual Bonus
• Medical/dental/vision plan
• Vacation/sick time/additional paid time off
• 401(k)
• Attractive vehicle lease and purchase program
• Educational assistance program available
• Professional development budget
• Access to school facilities (e.g., gym, library)
• Free meals while students are on campus
• Potential for on campus housing

This job description is subject to change at any time.

Hiring Timeline

We are hoping to fill this position immediately - with a start date as soon as possible. We are committed to finding the right person; we realize that there might be a circumstance with the best candidate that would require us to shift our plan. We hope the right person is not dissuaded from applying by incongruence between their commitments and our timeline.

• If this position is posted, we are still accepting applications
• Start Date: as soon as feasible 

To Apply

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and 3 professional references (phone number and email address) as ONE document submitted through https://tinyurl.com/ERSHWDean. Clarifying questions can be sent to Christi Kelston, ckelston@eaglerockschool.org. No phone calls please. We will only accept electronic submissions through the link above. 

Eagle Rock is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not tolerate any form of unlawful discrimination. All employment decisions at Eagle Rock are based on merit and to the principle of equal employment opportunity. In keeping with both the letter and spirit of this policy, Eagle Rock will continue to recruit, hire, train, and promote into all job levels the most qualified persons without regard to race, color, religion, genetic information, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic. Members of racial/ethnic minorities and other protected classes are encouraged to apply.