EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Far too often, the road for a troubled teen leads to a dead end. Fortunately, that doesn't have to be the case. There is another path, another trail that can lead a teen to hope and self-discovery...and you can be a part of taking teens in that positive direction.
The outdoor programs of New Dominion have helped young people to find their way for nearly 25 years. Located in the mountains of western Maryland (eastern US), New Dominion provides an effective adventured-based/experiential program. Teens live in small groups and learn to negotiate the challenges of living outdoors and the challenges of living with each other.
Group activities include: extended hiking trips on the Appalachian Trail, month-long canoeing adventures on selected rivers, bike and sailing trips. Although the physical challenges can be rigorous, New Dominion's largest emphasis is in developing emotional and relational health and maturity. Therapeutic group meetings are conducted on the spot and issues are resolved appropriately and naturally.
This program couldn't be successful without dedicated counselors leading the way. Group counselors are career oriented and either have a desire to pursue goals within the New Dominion Program or have educational objectives of returning to a post-graduate program.
This position requires an applicant to have a Bachelor Degree. Counselor's first year starting salary ranges from 21-24 (US) and does include health care benefits and vacation package. In addition, New Dominion is able to offer invaluable educational opportunities. If you are interested in helping teens to find lasting solutions to their problems then call Hilary Quick, at 1-888-841-4421. Fax: 301-478-5723. Address 20700 Wagner Cutoff Road; Oldtown, MD 21555. Email Hilary Quick at: hquick@threesprings.com . Begin your journey today.
The following is an excerpt taken from Campbell Loughmiller's Wilderness Road. Copyright 1965 by Campbell Loughmiller. Library of Congress Catalog Number 65-20580.
The Job
The counselor job is difficult relatively easy depending on what he brings to it in terms of personal qualifications, including his reasons for being here, his motivation. A great part of the satisfaction of the job comes from seeing the progress and growth of the boys under his care. If he is the sort of a person who does not receive this satisfaction, he could not help the boys in the first place.
We could never pay a person enough to do this work. Money is important we try to be realistic about it, but it is secondary. Fortunately, there are plenty of young men, with a sense of service to others, who see this not a an impossible job, but as a rare opportunity; and it is. We do not expect a large percentage of them to make a career of it, although many are willing to invest two or three years -- some more--in the counselor's position. Nowhere that I know of ,is there a better opportunity for personal and professional growth. Every time a counselor helps a boys, he grows too. He realizes this. He deepens and refines his own values, skills, and attitudes.
The counselor who does a good job rarely thinks of it as being unduly burdensome. He has rough days, to be sure. He has a learning period to go through before he can work skillfully with the group which, in turn, relieves him of much pressure; but day by day he senses his own growth, the value of which is self-evident and deeply gratifying. He would have to work long and hard at college to get this sort of training, even if it were available; and he would have to pay for it. The satisfaction that he gets from this personal development and the skills he acquires on the job are far deeper than he woud derive from top grades in a university course.
If a counselor, therefore, has good motivation, a warm personality, is a person who likes and respects others; if he is imaginative flexible and willing to learn; and if the boys can trust him -- his difficulties on the job will be minimized. The longer he works, the easier the job gets and the more effective he becomes. Looked at in one way, no job is harder. Along with his co-counselor, he has the whole boy the whole time --ten of them.The boys all too frequently exhibit hate, anger, hostility, despair, and defiance. As skills develop in the groupwork process, the counselor learns how to guide the group towad solutions of its on problems, thus freeing him of much of the tension that formerly came from his assuming personal responsiblity for everyone's problems. The day-to-day help he gets from other staff members is vital in giving him the emotional support and professional skills the job requires. This is a constant process.
A counselor does not need to be a psychologist. We try to be sure that he operates with some basic mental health concepts, that he be a person of some initiaive who can act decisively, have imagination, and the desire and flexibility to learn. We can teach him the rest. The training process goes on as long as he is on the job.
APPLICATION FORM
For more information: Telephone: (301)478-5721 Fax: (301)478-5723
or 1-888-841-4424
E-mail: hquick@threesprings.com
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