Traci Small
Newton,MA
Summary
Experienced counseling educator with proven background meeting and exceeding job responsibilities across a 27-year career. Maintains current knowledge on trends in the counseling field. People-person with an equity and systems thinking focus. Exceptional organizational skills.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
School Counseling Director
Somerville High School
Somerville, MA
07.2014 - Current
- The Counseling Director is a member of the school’s Administrative team and oversees a comprehensive School Counseling Program for over 1300 students
- The
- Director supervises a team of seven school counselors, six adjustment counselors, one registrar, one administrative assistant and a variety of support programs for struggling students
- Responsibilities and accomplishments include some of the following:
- Administrator at the forefront of creating systems of support for a diverse student population along with increasing access to mental health services
- Serves as a lead administrator in decisions related to all student support programming
- Assisted in restructuring our Student Support systems in order to streamline communication and provide wraparound supports for all students
- Oversees Section 504 and supervise the case managers
- Helps to facilitate our Crisis Team and Hospital Response Team
- Evaluates all School Counseling Department staff using DESE mandated rubric
- Facilitates relationships with community resources to improve access for students
- Facilitated a Strategic Planning process to review our support services and made recommendations for hiring additional staffing and enhancing programming
- Oversee the School Counseling budget
- Works closely with the College and Career Team to support the implementation of college and career services for all students
School Counseling/Guidance Director
Camden Hills Regional High School
Rockport, ME
08.2008 - 12.2013
High School Counselor
Camden Hills Regional High School
Rockport, ME
08.2001 - 12.2013
- The school counselor carries a caseload of up to 200 students offering individual, small and large group social/emotional support, academic advising, career, post-secondary and college planning for all students
- Responsibilities and accomplishments include:
- Providing crisis prevention and intervention for addressing complex trauma needs associated with suicide contagion
- Building strong relationships with students in order to best support their individual needs
- Serving as the Chair of the Dropout
- Prevention and SAT Teams
- Participating on the Crisis Team
- Responsibility for academic advising and individual student schedules using PowerSchool
- Case managing 504 students and their accommodation plans
- Serving as an integral team member during IEP meetings
- Writing letters of recommendation for college-bound seniors, private school applicants and school year abroad programs
- Providing brief, short term counseling for a variety of adolescent issues
- Referring to community resources (therapists, case managers, crisis workers)
High School Counselor/English Teacher
Trinity Catholic High School
Newton, MA
08.2000 - 06.2001
- The school counselor is responsible for overseeing half of the student body by offering school counseling services
- The English teacher is responsible for teaching one 9th grade English class
- Responsibilities and accomplishments include:
- Creating and implementing the School Counseling curriculum
- Managing a large caseload of students while teaching a class
The Assistant Director
Intervention
Brockton, MA
02.1998 - 08.2000
- Provides supervision and training to a trans-disciplinary team of thirty-five employees including social workers, EI psychologists, educators, nurses, occupational, speech and physical therapists
- Responsibilities and accomplishments include:
- Overall system and program development
- Case management for early intervention services for families
- Implementing services for at risk families and their children during home visits, through office visits and small groups
- Building and maintaining community relationships
Counseling Director
- Serves as a senior member of the School Leadership
- Team
- Through ongoing collaboration with the Counseling Department, faculty, administration, students and families the Director provides management and oversight for the delivery of a comprehensive, preventative school counseling curriculum for all students
- Responsibilities and accomplishments included some of the following:
- Supervising three school counselors, two secretaries and a registrar
- Encouraging a Counseling Office atmosphere that is welcoming and supportive, while being organized and efficient
- Collaborating with the administration and faculty on the development of school wide policies and procedures
- Creating and supporting a curriculum at each grade level that fostered the social/emotional, academic, career and postsecondary development of all students
- Implementing an effective and supportive college application process
- Developing protocols for suicide intervention and prevention, crisis response and DHHS referrals
- Overseeing and organizing the 504 process case management services that counselors provided
- Writing and distributing the monthly School Counseling Newsletter to families, faculty, students and the CHRHS School Board to increase communication
- Serving as a member on a committee to implement numerous initiatives via a large MELMAC grant to encourage more of our students to attend a postsecondary education program
- Establishing ongoing clinical support and consultation with a Psychologist for our school counselors
- Working with local colleges, alternative education programs, our technical school and the Special Education Department to provide varying educational opportunities for students
- Coordinating annual educational nights for parents regarding financial aid and the college process
- Hosting and/or planning an annual “College-Bound” conference for students and parents
- Reviewing all newly enrolled/transfer/ELL transcripts to determine eligibility for graduation
- Establishing of a referral process and integration of community behavioral health support at the high school
- Serving as a member of the Leadership, Dropout Prevention, Crisis
- Response and Child Find/SAT teams
- Working closely with the ELL program coordinator to best support ELL and international students as they were transitioning into our high school
- Creating the course selection and scheduling process
- Preparing and overseeing the Counseling Department budget
Assistant Director/Early Intervention Psychologist
South Bay Early
Education
MA DESE -
01.2024
Masters of Science - Educational Psychology - Specializing, School Counseling
The University of Maine, Northeastern University
01.2013
University of Massachusetts
01.1996
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
01.1993
MA DESE Licensed -
Massachusetts Guidance
Skills
- Planning and Coordination
- Computer Skills
- Team Management
- Relationship Building
- Planning & Organizing
- Friendly, Positive Attitude
- Team Building
- Supervision & Leadership
- People Skills
- Good Work Ethic
- Conflict Resolution
- Organizational Skills
- Reliable & Trustworthy
Affiliations
Maine Counseling Association (MeCA) - the Maine branch of the American Counseling
Association (ACA)
President Elect and Co-chair of MeCA annual conference (2010-2011)
MeCA President - Responsible for facilitating board meetings and for the
executive oversight of the Association; worked to revise by-laws and create
procedures to help the Association (2011-2012)
Represented MeCA at the American Counseling Association (ACA) National
Accomplishments
- Conferences in New Orleans and San Francisco - MeCA won an ACA “Most
- Innovative Practices” Award (2011, 2012)
- Past President and Co-chair of MeCA annual conference - Responsible for coordinating the annual MeCA Conference that provides professional development for over 300 mental health counselors annually (2012-2013)
- Professional Development
- Massachusetts School Counselor Conference; Panel presenter (April 2022)
- SHS Supervisors by Invitation Only: Building Systems to Support Equity (3/24/2021)
- Using Google Meet to Connect with Students (4/7/2020)
- VIRTUAL PD: Using Zoom to Connect with Colleagues (3/30/2020)
- Equity in Counseling (10/30/2019)
- SHS Guidance Transgender Training (11/14/2018)
- SHS Envisioning the Future Performance Based Assessments (10/17/2018)
- EDUC 717Z Special Education Law (6/30/2018)
- EDUC 711X Creating a Mindful Environment (1/31/2018)
- Guidance Cultural Prof/Department Meeting (11/7/2017)
- EAD 510 Educational Supervision (10/1/2013)
- EAD 560 Fund/Theories Ed Leadership (8/1/2013)
- Maine School Law Institute at Thomas College (2013)
- Proficiency-Based Diploma Stakeholder meeting, Maine DOE (2013)
- Marzano’s Art and Science of Teaching - Implementation school-wide (2013)
- Member of the Maine Counseling Association (2001-2013)
- 504 Training – Drummond Woodsum Law (2012)
- Introduction to Restorative Practices and Community Circles (2011)
- MeCA Summer Leadership Conference (2010-2012)
- Choices” Career Planning Workshop (2007)
- Maine School Counseling Association (MESCA) Conferences (2009, 2012)
- Restorative Justice Workshop (2011)
- Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Workshop: School
- Incident Drill (2009)
- Association of Computer Technology
- Educators of Maine Conference (2009)
- MELMAC Peer Learning Workshops (2005, 2008, 2012)
- New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts College Guidance Counselor
- College Tours (2002-2009)
- Managing the 504 Explosion” workshop (2008)
- FEMA- Introduction to Incident Command Course (2008)
- Career Pathways Workshop-Preparing Students for Life (2006)
- Drug Impairment Training for Educational Professionals (2002)
- Youth Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training (2001)
- Technology
- Proficient in Aspen, First Class/Outlook, Google Suite, Zoom (2023)
- CHRHS distributed 1:1 iPads to all high school students, iPads/laptops to all teachers (2013)
- CHRHS participated in the 1:1 laptop initiative in collaboration with the
- State Department of Education and Apple Mac OS X - All students and faculty received a laptop (2001-2013)
- Somerville High School distributed 1:1 Chromebooks to all students (2020)
- Experience with Powerschool, mini iPad applications, Mac OS X applications,
- Excel
Certification
- Massachusetts School Guidance Director - Licensed
- Massachusetts School Guidance Counselor - Licensed
Timeline
School Counseling Director
Somerville High School
07.2014 - Current
School Counseling/Guidance Director
Camden Hills Regional High School
08.2008 - 12.2013
High School Counselor
Camden Hills Regional High School
08.2001 - 12.2013
High School Counselor/English Teacher
Trinity Catholic High School
08.2000 - 06.2001
The Assistant Director
Intervention
02.1998 - 08.2000
Counseling Director
Assistant Director/Early Intervention Psychologist
South Bay Early
MA DESE -
Masters of Science - Educational Psychology - Specializing, School Counseling
The University of Maine, Northeastern University
University of Massachusetts
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
MA DESE Licensed -
Massachusetts Guidance
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