Secondary Counselor

Secondary Counselor

The elementary counselor is a member of the district's guidance function, charged with providing a comprehensive guidance program for students. The counselor develops program activities to meet the needs of students; consults with teachers, staff, and parents to enhance program effectiveness, and provides support to other secondary educational programs.

What You'll Be Doing (Responsibilities):

1. Implements the elementary guidance curriculum by conducting guidance learning activities in the classroom as planned in conjunction with school administrators and teachers; consults with and serves as a resource to teachers to facilitate the infusion of guidance learning activities.
2. Develops educational and career plans for groups and individual students; provides orientation activities for new students; participates in orientation programs for parents and students; assists students in transitioning to middle school and informs students and their parents of test results and their implications for educational planning; provides resources and information to assist in career awareness and career exploration activities.
3. Conducts structured, goal-oriented counseling sessions to meet the emotional, physical, and psychological health needs of individuals or a group of students covering topics including self-awareness, self-identity, academic problems, peer problems, family issues, child abuse, and substance abuse.
4. Participates in staff meetings and conducts in-service programs for faculty; conducts and facilitates conferences with teachers, students, and parents; conducts or provides opportunities for parent education programs and assists students and parents in dealing with school related problems; advises administrators and faculty on student disciplinary matters.
5. Consults and coordinates with in-district and community agencies, school psychologists, nurses, administrators, community-based psychologists, service agencies, and physicians in meeting the special needs of students with severe problems.
6. Interprets group test results to faculty and staff; established effective liaisons with all grade levels; acts as an advocate for students as appropriate in conjunction with other staff; assists school staff in the placement of special needs students in gifted education and special education programs; participates with administrators and faculty as a team member in the implementation of the district testing program.
7. Periodically reviews the guidance program with staff and administrators, based on student's needs assessments and program objectives; provides instructional activities and resources and individual planning systems to assists students as they develop educational and career plans; reviews and modifies the program calendar and evaluates guidance learning activities.
8. Pursues professional growth by attending state and local staff development programs; joins professional associations (MSCA, MVA, AACD, AVA, MACD); reads professional journals; attends relevant workshops and conferences, and takes post-graduate courses.

To Be Successful at This Job (Qualifications):

• A master's degree or higher degree in education, school counseling, counseling, counseling psychology, rehabilitation counseling or a closely related mental health discipline
• Completed additional graduate course work specific to school counseling, as designated by the state-approved recommending certification official, including a supervised internship or field experience of at least three hundred (300) hours in an appropriate school setting
• Missouri Certification in Counseling K-8 or K-12

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This job requires that the employee be able to: sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, use hands, fingers, reach with hands and fingers; bend, stoop, lift objects of at least ten pounds. The job requires the employee occasionally to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Visual ability requires mono and color vision, close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Terms of Employment:

Length of work year: 8 hours per day; 5 days/week; 185 workdays

Benefits: Health and Dental Insurance are provided.

KCPS Defined Benefit Pension plan – mandatory 9% contribution is required from employees and matched by KCPS; Voluntary retirement savings plans are also available.

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