High School Counselor

Purpose: Utilizing leadership, advocacy, and collaboration, school counselors promote student success, provide preventative services, and respond to identified student needs by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program that addresses academic, career, and personal/social development for all students.

Qualifications:
 

• Master's degree in school counseling from an accredited college.
• Current Kansas Teaching Certificate or license on file in the Central Office with counseling endorsement.
• Kansas Certification of Health Certificate on file in the Central Office (after employment offer is made).
• Desire to continue career improvement.
• High expectation for all students

Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge of child development � specifically physical, emotional and developmental patterns
• A team player with experience working in a collaborative environment
• Professional manner and appearance
• Ability to listen to and communicate with parents and see parents as a resources
• Possesses conflict resolution skills
• Is patient and caring
• A demonstrable effectiveness in classroom management skills.
• Uses good organizational skills to meet the needs classroom and individual
• Believes that a successful learning process is a collaborative effort between student, teacher and parent.
• Is capable of working with small and large classroom groups
• Experience in a school environment.

Essential Functions:

• Develop and maintain a written plan for effective delivery of the school counseling program.
• Develop and deliver age appropriate guidance curriculum to all students.
• Accurately and appropriately interpret and utilize student data.
• Collaborate with parents/guardians and educators to assist students with educational and career planning.
• Provide preventative and responsive services.
• Provide appropriate information to staff, parents/guardians in interpreting and understanding student data.
• Participate in professional development activities to improve knowledge and skills.
• Use available technology resources to enhance the school counseling program.
• Monitor student academic performance, behavior and attendance and assist with appropriate interventions.
• Adhere to laws, policies, procedures and ethical standards of the school counseling profession.

Physical Requirements/Environmental Conditions:
 

• Must work in noisy and crowded environments.
• Must lift and/or carry instructional equipment and materials generally up to 50 pounds.
• May work in classrooms or multiple locations depending upon nature of the instructional activities.
• Requires extended periods of both sitting and standing.

General Responsibilities:
Counseling 

• Provide individual planning sessions to students in the areas of social and emotional development, academic planning, and career awareness appropriate to the grade level.
• Conduct structured, goal-oriented counseling sessions in response to identified needs of groups of children. Themes include academic skill building, social skill development, conflict resolution, family issues, making healthy choices, and career awareness.
• Assist in the transition to the next grade level.
• Interpret tests, student data, and other assessments appropriately.
• Provide individual counseling in response to student needs and requests.

Consulting 

• Take a leadership role in the infusion of counseling content into the curriculum, staff development, and parent education programs.
• Provide information and skills to parents, school staff, administration and the community to assist them in helping students in academic and social development.
• Assist parents in addressing school related problems and issues. Refer students and their parents, as needed, to appropriate specialists, special programs, and/or outside agencies.
• Inform students and their parents as to pertinent assessment results and their implications for social, emotional, and educational planning.

Coordinating 

• Advocate for equal access to programs and services for all students.
• Promote the liaison and coordination of school activities and resources and communicate between and among home, school, community and other organizations as appropriate.
• Coordinate parent education programs to assist students in making a smooth transition from elementary to middle school.

Curriculum 

• Design, deliver, evaluate and revise a planned sequential and developmentally appropriate school counseling curriculum, to include lessons in academic success, personal/social growth and understanding, and career awareness.
• Deliver the curriculum in a systematic manner using diverse strategies and settings.
• Facilitate the instructional process in collaboration with school and community resources.

Individual Planning 

• Create and address written objectives for grade level in collaboration with the school community.

Managing

• Review the school counseling program annually with the school community. Establish a calendar for activities.
• Plan, implement, maintain and evaluate the systems necessary for the support, maintenance and improvement of the school counseling program.
• Contribute to a program of public relations.
• Articulate the school counseling program to students, parents, teachers staff and community.
• Develop and maintain skills needed to utilize technology systems and participate in professional development activities.

 
School System 

• Participate in school decision making and in activities, which contribute to the effective operation of the school.
• Cooperate, collaborate, and communicate with the DCPS community in enhancing the education of students.
• Provide information to the DCPS community about the role of the school counseling program in the overall educational process of the school.

Professionalism 

• Adhere to ethical standards and best practices of state and national school counselor associations.
• Demonstrate knowledge of local policies and state and federal laws pertaining to school counseling.
• Demonstrate personal growth and professional development.