Student Wellness Specialist, Wellness Coach II

UpValley Family Centers

Position Title: Student Wellness Specialist, Wellness Coach II

Employment Type: Full-time, 40 hours/week, non-exempt

About UpValley Family Centers (UVFC): UpValley Family Centers is a dynamic nonprofit organization that provides prevention services to strengthen children, adults, and families. Our mission is to provide guidance, support, and resources in the community, the home, and the individual so everyone can achieve a better life. Our offices are located in Calistoga and St. Helena including on school campuses; we serve children, youth, adults, and seniors. Taking a prevention-focused, community-responsive approach, our broad scope of services includes guided information and referrals, access to health services and other resources, education and mentorship opportunities for all ages, case management and counseling services, disaster relief and emergency preparedness services, and more. Learn more at www.upvalleyfamilycenters.org About this position: The Student Wellness Specialist is stationed on the St. Helena High School campus and provides support for the St Helena High School Wellness Center including planning, organizing, coordination and supervision of prevention education programs for students and their families to address non-academic problems that interfere with the students’ ability to be successful in school. The Student Wellness Specialist greets and triages students; serves as a liaison with community providers, and provides organizational support for wellness-related services, school events and partnerships; schedules student appointments, connects students to the Student Assistance Program; collects documentation and keeps track of data. A Certified Wellness Coach (CWC) is a state-certified profession established by California’s Department of Health Access and Information as part of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative. The role of the CWC is to offer prevention and early intervention services to support the behavioral health and well-being of children and youth. CWC qualifications include but are not limited to, psychoeducation, system navigation, crisis de-escalation, safety planning, coping skills, and motivational interviewing. CWCs engage and support children and youth in cultural, linguistic, and age-appropriate services, with the ability to refer and link to higher levels of care, as needed. The Student Wellness Specialist reports to UVFC’s Education Program Manager.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

Wellness Center Student Drop-in Support
 Creates and maintains an inviting safe space for students.
 Provides a consistent presence in the Wellness Center to manage/facilitate student needs.
 Greets and triages all students who visit the Wellness Center.
 Gathers, displays, and provides health education resources and information to students.
 Provides students with access to coping and self-care activities.

Wellness Center Services and Support  

Establishes and maintains collaborative partnerships with community based organizations to provide services to students and families on and off site. 

Collaborates with school counselors and other student services staff. 

Maintains a cooperative working relationship with parents, service providers and district personnel to assist students in meeting their wellness needs.
 Refers and assists students and parents with referrals and applications to Medi-Cal and other health insurance services.
 Coordinates and/or publicizes school-wide health awareness events and workshops in collaboration with district personnel, service providers and student leaders.
 Oversees the coordination of wellness support groups in coordination with UVFC’s Youth Program team.
 Acts as a Wellness Liaison for Student Clubs.

Documentation and Data Collection 

Documents students attending and receiving services at the Wellness Center.  

Tracks referrals and follows up with students.  

Tracks and collects community partners service data. 

Certified Wellness Coach
 Delivers structured curriculum to small groups or classrooms focused on: Wellness promotion and education (e.g., building positive relationships, bullying prevention, nutrition and exercise in relation to behavioral health, Check-In/Check-Out); mental health literacy (e.g., symptom recognition, help-seeking strategies, how to provide support); life skills (e.g., stress management, time management, problem-solving).
 Conducts screenings (i.e. support youth in completing behavioral health screenings, support universal screening programs in schools) and identifies behavioral health needs of youth and refer to behavioral health providers in school or community settings.
 Supports care coordination, such as: connecting youth to internal and external behavioral health resources; facilitating communication with other professionals; providing support and care to youth, including licensed providers, so all care team members work together; providing additional support to providers, caregivers, school, or UVFC personnel.
 Provide brief check-ins and scheduled meetings to students that provide emotional support and/or follow curriculum that enhances wellness, such as: education (e.g., basics of behavioral health symptoms, nutrition, and exercise in relation to behavioral health); goal setting/planning (e.g., increasing movement, sleep hygiene); life skills (e.g., stress management, time management, problem-solving).
 Delivers curriculum to small groups to enhance wellness and life skills, such as: social-emotional skills, stress management, time management, organization, problem-solving.
 Crisis referral, which includes: using a standardized protocol, respond to signs of crisis in the school or broader organization setting; identifying potential risks and referring to the on-site behavioral health provider; providing emotional support and engaging in warm handoffs with on-site behavioral health providers for youth waiting to be seen for crisis services.
 Refer and assist clients with referrals and applications to Medi-Cal and other health insurance services.
 Assist in community outreach events, providing information regarding public benefits, including Medi-Cal.
 Participate in Wellness Coach supervision sessions and community of practice trainings.  Other duties as assigned. 

Desired Qualifications:  

Bachelor Degree in human services, social work, addiction studies, child development/early intervention, psychology, or sociology.  

One or more years of experience in mental health related activities and/or case management  

Ability to multi task in a student-oriented environment  

Ability to oversee day-to-day Wellness Center flow and triage of high school students

Bilingual in English and Spanish is required  

Demonstrates excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing, for a variety of audiences (parents, students, staff and community based organizations)  

Demonstrates ability to take initiative and provide self-directed leadership  

Requires strong computer and technology skills to operate email, website, databases, spreadsheets and student informational systems  

Desire to be part of an organization supporting individual and family wellness and working towards solutions that address societal inequities.  

Experience working in a nonprofit organization and/or school-based setting.  

Valid Driver’s License, insurance, or transportation  

Conduct a fingerprint background check and TB test and receive clearance 

Hours of Work: 

Our business hours are 8:00 am – 4:30 pm. General work hours will be during regular business hours, though schedule might vary, including some evenings and weekends according to work duties.

To Apply:

Email cover letter and resume to Marcela Rodriguez, Education Program Manager at mrodriguez@upvalleyfamilycenters.org. Position open until filled. No phone calls, please.

This job description is intended to indicate the kinds of work duties required in this position. It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the rights of any supervisor to assign, direct, and contract work of staff under his/her supervision. The use of a particular illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties, not mentioned, that are of a similar level or difficulty.

Salary Range: $22.97 – $34.45 per hour. Actual payment within range will be contingent on several factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s qualifications, education, experience, internal equity, and alignment with market data, following our compensation philosophy. Anticipated starting salary not expected to exceed the range median.

Benefits: Our competitive benefits package includes full health, vision, and dental insurance, 401K match contribution, 10 days of vacation increasing with tenure and 12 days of sick time, federal Holidays plus a floating Holiday and paid holiday time between Christmas day and New Year’s Eve. A 3% one-time increase over starting salary for fluency in Spanish/English. Annual training budget, supportive and team-oriented work environment. UpValley Family Centers is a Blue Zones Project Approved™ organization that provides opportunities designed to foster employee wellness. We are committed to creating an equitable, sustainable, joyful culture where each team member thrives.

UpValley Family Centers is an equal-opportunity employer committed to maintaining a diverse staff and providing culturally responsive services.