High School Counselor

Guidance Counselor

Plan, implement and evaluate a comprehensive program of guidance to school assigned, including counseling services, in accordance with TEC 33.005. Provide a proactive, developmental guidance program to encourage all students to maximize personal growth and development of academic, career, personal and social abilities. This will be accomplished through a variety of approaches including, but not limited to, guidance, responsive services, and individual planning in order to facilitate and support students in reaching their maximum potential.

Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Counseling and Guidance, with TEA public school counselor certification
• Minimum of 3 years teaching experience, one of which is at a secondary level preferred

Special Knowledge/Skills:

Knowledge of counseling procedures, student appraisal, and career development

Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills

Ability to instruct students and manage their behavior in classroom setting

Ability to present information in one-to-one, small group, and large group situations to students, parents, and staff

Major Responsibilities and Duties:

Guidance Curriculum

1. Plan and conduct structured group lessons to deliver district's guidance curriculum to improve students' interpersonal and intrapersonal effectiveness, personal health and safety, post-secondary planning and readiness, and other developmental needs. Collaborate with teachers who teach guidance related curriculum.
2. Teach the school guidance curriculum components through the use of effective instructional strategies and planned structured groups considering diverse student populations and needs for differentiated instruction.
3. Plan, implement, evaluate, and promote continuous improvement of a balanced comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program that includes guidance curriculum, responsive services, individual planning, and system support components.

Responsive Services

• Use accepted theories and effective techniques of developmental guidance to counsel individual students, small groups of students, and parents to plan, monitor, and manage a student's own personal and social development. Provide preventive, remedial, and crisis counseling as needed.
• Serve as an impartial, non-reporting resource for interpersonal conflicts and discourse involving two or more students. In accusations of bullying, provides counseling to the students, does not conduct investigation or issue consequences.
• Coordinate school, home, and community resources and refer students, parents, and others to special programs and services as needed.
• Implement remediation practices to assist student in coping with problem situations or unwise choices. Identify precipitating and antecedent factors, effective and ineffective approaches to dealing with the circumstances, and provide feedback to guide future decisions.
• Use specialized skills to support students in crisis situations requiring immediate response. Maintain a healthy and safe school environment by collaborating with district staff, parents or guardians, and local officials.
• Provide continued support to students in need through individual counseling, small group counseling, consultation, or referral to services outside the school or district.

Individual Planning

1. Guide individual students, groups of students, and parents to plan, monitor, and manage the student's own educational and career development including creating and reviewing personal graduation plans and providing information about post-secondary opportunities.
2. Interpret standardized test results, offer career development activities, provide strategies for grade level transitions, and guide students in individual goal setting and planning including creating and reviewing personal graduation plans and providing information about post-secondary opportunities.
3. Act as a student advocate, leader, collaborator, and systems change agent. Advocate for a school environment that acknowledges and respects diversity.

System Support

1. Conduct an annual program audit to inform accountability, actions plans, time management, and systematic change.
2. Participate in campus-based school improvement planning and goal setting.
3. Provide parent or guardian and staff training and consultation to foster student educational, career, personal, and social development.
4. Clearly articulate and communicate the counseling program's management system and related program action plans to campus and district staff, parents or guardians, and the community.
5. Participate in staff development and continuing education opportunities to improve job-related skills and research to identify best practices in implementing a comprehensive school counseling program.
6. Maintain counselor use-of -time data

Other Related Duties

1. Compile, maintain, and file all reports, records, and other documents.
2. Comply with policies established by federal and state law, State Board of Education rule, and board policy. Comply with all district and campus routines and regulations.
3. Adhere to legal, ethical, and professional standards for school counselors including current professional standards of competence and practice.
4. Follow district safety protocols and emergency procedures.
5. Performs other duties as assigned by the Principal.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Equipment Used: Personal mobile devices, computer, printer, and copier

Working Conditions:

Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors:

Tools/Equipment Used: Standard office equipment including personal computer and peripherals

Posture: Prolonged sitting; occasional bending/stooping, pushing/pulling, and twisting

Motion: Repetitive hand motions including frequent keyboarding and use of mouse; occasional reaching

Lifting: Occasional light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds)

Environment: May work prolonged or irregular hours; occasional districtwide travel

Mental Demands: Work with frequent interruptions; maintain emotional control under stress

The foregoing statements describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.