School Counselor

School Counselor

This is a professional position to provide students with a school counseling program that promotes academic, career, and social/emotional development and academic achievement outcomes.

Essential functions include:

• Ability to professionally relate to and collaborate with co-workers, students, and community members
• Ability to understand and maintain confidentiality
• Ability to use technology effectively to complete tasks
• Ability to report to work daily and on time
• Ability to organize, supervise, coordinate and establish priorities of tasks to be completed
• Ability to work independently in the absence of detailed instructions and to follow complex oral and/or written instructions
• Ability to communicate orally or in writing, courteously and tactfully, with staff, students, parents, and the community in a timely manner
• Possess excellent time management skills and the ability to take initiative and make decisions within assigned responsibility in a challenging, fast-paced professional environment and be flexible in work responsibilities and hours
• Possess knowledge of the programs, policies, and procedures of the St. Mary's County Public Schools
• Possess an in-depth knowledge of the ASCA Comprehensive School Counselor program

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Delivering a developmental school counseling program (K-12) to students to include: individual and group counseling, and classroom guidance
• Providing career, social/emotional, and academic development to students in accordance with ASCA professional standards
• Consulting with staff and parents
• Connecting students with services provided through the local school district and community agencies, and remaining aware of state laws and local district policies related to students with special needs, including limits to confidentiality and notification to authorities as appropriate
• Facilitating short-term groups to address students' academic achievement, postsecondary and career exploration, and social/emotional well-being
• Informing parents/guardians and school administration when a student poses a serious and foreseeable risk of harm to self or others
• Collaborating as needed to provide optimum services with other school and community professionals with legitimate educational interests (e.g., school nurse, school psychologist, school social worker, speech-language pathologist), following all local, state, and federal laws
• Collaborating with all relevant stakeholders, including students, school faculty/staff, and parents/guardians, when students need assistance, including when early warning signs of student distress are identified
• Providing a list of outside agencies and resources to students and parents/guardians when students need or request additional support
• Assisting students, through individual and small group sessions, to understand and accept themselves and others, resolve conflicts, overcome crisis situations, etc.
• Coordinating and implementing student career development in conjunction with the school counseling program
• Providing culturally responsive counseling to students in a brief context
• Providing career awareness, exploration, and postsecondary planning and decision-making to support students' postsecondary options, including but not limited to college/university, career and technical school, military, or workforce
• Consulting with school staff as a resource to change the disruptive behavior of students
• Helping with such issues as child abuse, suicidal tendencies, and substance abuse
• Taking part in professional development activities
• Cooperating with students and staff
• Maintaining open lines of communication with students, staff, and parents
• Performing other related and non-related job duties as assigned

Qualifications include:

• Master's degree in School Counseling/School Guidance and Counseling and completion of an approved pathway outlined by MSDE
• Three (3) semester credits in Special Education

Term of employment: Full-time, ten-month position.

Salary grade range: The salary for this EXEMPT position will be based on EASMC Teacher Career Ladder for ten-month employees.

Bargaining unit eligibility: EASMC

Updated 10.2024, 04.2025

The Board of Education reserves the right to reject any or all applicants, re-advertise, and/or withdraw the positions.

The St. Mary's County Public School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, age, national origin, marital status or sexual orientation, religion, or disability in matters affecting employment or providing access to programs.