Counselor - Secondary

School Counselor

This job description complies with the 80 percent requirement for delivery of the Comprehensive School Counseling Program.

Primary Purpose: Plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program at the assigned campus. Counsel students to fully develop each student's academic, career, personal, and social abilities and address the needs of special population students. Deliver guidance curriculum in various group sizes. Educate students of skills necessary to address troublesome circumstances, support students in challenging situations, and assist students with needed resources to navigate crisis situations.

Qualifications: Education/Certification:

• Master's degree in counseling from an accredited college or university
• Valid Texas school counselor certificate

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
• Ability to present information in one-on-one, small group, and large group situations to students, parents or guardians, and district staff

Experience:

• Two years creditable experience as a classroom teacher

Major Responsibilities:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Guidance Curriculum:

1. Plan, organize, implement, and deliver structured group lessons according to the district's guidance curriculum to improve students' interpersonal and intrapersonal effectiveness, personal health and safety, post-secondary planning and readiness, and other developmental needs.
2. Plan school guidance and counseling programs to ensure that they meet identified needs, priorities, and program objectives.
3. 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.
4. Work with students, staff, parents or guardians, and the community to identify priorities where students will be served through the guidance curriculum component. Collaborate across curricular areas to integrate guidance lessons into content area curriculum.
5. Create a balanced curriculum by using well-planned and intentional activities and materials, incorporating guest speakers, and offering engaging delivery techniques, including technology tools.
6. Develop and coordinate a continuing evaluation of the guidance program and individual activities and make changes based on findings.

Responsive Services:

1. Use accepted theories and effective techniques of developmental guidance to respond to problematic or critical incidents to support students and offer services in time of need.
2. Use preventive activities to remove barriers that interfere with a student's educational, career, personal, and social development.
3. Implement remediation practices to assist students 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.
4. 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.
5. Provide continued support to students in need through individual counseling, small group counseling, consultation, or referral to services outside the school or district.
6. Serve as an impartial, non-reporting resource for interpersonal conflicts and discourse involving two or more students, including accusations of bullying.

Individual Planning:

1. Create school counseling services that are developmental and age appropriate and provide information or literature that highlights related topics to students, teachers, and administrators.
2. Assist individual students and their parents or guardians in monitoring their academic, career, personal, and social development as they progress in school.
3. Act as a student advocate, leader, collaborator, and systems change agent. Advocate for a school environment that acknowledges and respects diversity and ensures equitable access and placement in courses and programs for minority, disenfranchised, homeless, and other special populations.
4. 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.

System Support:

1. Collect, summarize, and interpret testing data to plan, create interventions, guide students, and address specific student needs.
2. Conduct an annual program audit to inform accountability, action plans, time management, and systemic change.
3. Participate in campus-based school improvement planning and goal setting.
4. Provide parent or guardian and staff training and consultation to foster student educational, career, personal, and social development.
5. Assist the principal with Family Engagement planning and activities.
6. Educate the school staff, parents, and community about the guidance program through a public information program.
7. 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.
8. 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.

Assessment:

1. Participate in planning and evaluation of campus standardized testing program.
2. Interpret tests and other appraisal results appropriately and communicate to school personnel, students, and their parents as requested.
3. Maintain the confidentiality of student assessment.

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. Must be present regularly in person.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

1. Supervise assigned counseling aide(s) and clerical employee(s), if applicable.

Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors:

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

Posture: Prolonged standing; frequent kneeling/squatting, bending/stooping, pushing/pulling, and twisting

Motion: Frequent walking

Lifting: Regular light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds); may lift and move text books and classroom equipment

Environment: Work inside, may work outside; regular exposure to noise

Mental Demands: Maintain emotional control under stress; work prolonged or irregular hours