Job Description
Description:
The Counselor works with School leadership, Social Worker, Culture Team, and the Senior Director of Community Wellness to provide counseling services to students, teachers, parents, and others regarding personal, academic, and career issues in-person and/or in a virtual environment. Ensures guidance and counseling programs are implemented and educate and aid the students and community effectively.
Reports to: Principal
Network Support: Sr. Director of Community Wellness and SEL
PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:
Student Support
- Identify students with mental-health related concerns and make appropriate recommendations and referrals.
- Designs and implements a data-driven, comprehensive school counseling program for all students to address barriers to student learning and to close the achievement/opportunity gap.
- Spends a minimum of 80 percent of time providing direct services and 20 percent indirect services.
- Direct services include, but are not limited to, school counseling core curriculum, individual counseling and student planning, classroom lessons, small group counseling, and preventative and responsive services.
- Indirect services on behalf of students include, but not limited to, referrals for additional assistance and consultation/collaboration with parents, teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders to create a learning environment promoting educational equity, access, and success for every student.
- Delivers programs that promote students’ development of essential mindsets and behavior standards including, but not limited to, learning skills, social skills, self-management skills, and college/career readiness skills.
- Reviews and disaggregates student achievement, attendance, and behavior data to identify and implement interventions with current knowledge of promotion, retention, and graduation requirements.
- Uses school data to identify and assist individual students who do not perform at grade level and do not have opportunities and resources to be successful in school.
- Creates yearly, data-driven goals that advance student outcomes in areas of academic, social/emotional, and college/career development.
- Uses the skills of leadership, advocacy and collaboration to create systemic change to improve the academic, social/emotional, and high school transition success of all students.
School Initiatives
- Provide individual counseling and group guidance to help students cope effectively with personal, social, academic, career readiness, and family concerns.
- Schedule opportunities for students to visit with resource persons about academic and career readiness
Promoting Positive School Climate
- Acts as a systems change agent in collaboration with the school leadership team to ensure a safe, supportive, and respectful school climate that promotes the social/emotional and academic development and success of all students.
- Fosters family and community partnerships to support the social/emotional and academic development of all students.
- Infuses cultural competence, ethical and professional competencies in planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating the comprehensive school counseling program.
- Provides preventative education and skill building along with counseling for students during times of transition, separation, heightened stress and critical change.
- Uses appropriate responses and a variety of intervention strategies to meet the needs of the individual, group or school community before, during and after crisis response.
- Supports the continuum of mental health services, including prevention and tiered intervention strategies, and collaborates with both school-based and community mental health providers to enhance student success.
Leadership and Advocacy
- Develops and communicates a school counseling mission statement that is specific, concise, clear and comprehensive, describing a school counseling program’s purpose and vision of the program’s benefits for every student in alignment with the school, district and state missions.
- Uses student data to demonstrate a need for systemic change in areas such as course enrollment patterns; equity and access; and achievement, opportunity and/or information gaps.
- Advocates for student equity and access to a world-class education that leads to high school graduation and fosters post-graduate success.
- Analyzes and reports outcomes of the school counseling program and goals, which are presented in the context of the overall school and district performance.
- Utilizes technology effectively and efficiently to plan, organize, implement and evaluate the comprehensive school counseling program.
- Uses legal and ethical decision-making based on standards and principles of the school counseling profession and educational systems, including district and building policies.
- Collaborates with school staff in the analysis of student performance data, rigorous goal-setting, and development of effective action plans for improving academic, social/emotional, and post-graduate outcomes for all students.
Community Connection
- Consults with parents, teachers, administrators, and supporting agencies concerning the needs and abilities of students
- Communicates effectively with all members of the school district and community.
- Works effectively with community organizations
- Ensures that all activities conform to district guidelines
- Update and maintain confidential student records, including cumulative transcripts and student files.
- Attend and assist when necessary with school events such as musical programs, athletics, student recognition ceremonies, graduation, and open house.
- Provides mental health and wellness services and programs that foster pro-social skills and appropriate behavior; identifies the mental health and behavioral needs of students; develops and implements treatment plans;
- Implements a system of universal screening in coordination with the school-wide system of social-emotional supports for early identification of students at risk
- Provides training to students, parents, and staff in behavioral and social-emotional related preventions, interventions, and curricula; collaborates with school team and attends various school-site meetings
- Provides counseling to individuals and groups in-person and/or in a virtual environment by listening, identifying problems, and discussing solutions.
- Provides advice on course selection, personal issues, post-secondary selections, and career needs.
- Develops various community programs, including drug-free school programs and career activities.
- Administers and/or supports state, local, and virtual standardized testing processes, policies, and student placement.
- Consults with staff and parents about problems, concerns, and any other issues involving students.
- Coordinates with school staff to develop plans for evaluating and improving schools.
- Conducts classroom guidance activities and evaluates the effectiveness of the programs.
- Works together on strategic initiatives to address areas of need in the school that they identify with the administration.
- Participates in professional development and collegial support to build leadership skills.
- Acts as a skillful participant in all aspects of the school by actively participating in all meetings; advancing the school goals; modeling core norms and definitions of excellence; stepping up when leadership is needed; and mobilizing others to lead.
- Reflects on successes and areas of growth, seeks to improve performance, and responds to feedback.
- Required to have prompt, regular attendance in-person or virtually and be available to work on-site, in-person during regular business hours and as needed.
- Performs other duties as assigned by an appropriate administrator or their representative.
Professionalism
- Participate in weekly check-ins and goal reviews with supervisor and provide updates
- Collaborate with admin team to implement professional development training for educational staff and parents
- Participate in professional development activities aimed at current trends and best practices for the provision of comprehensive school social work services
- Perform related work as required
KEY ATTRIBUTES:
- Values that align with the Kindezi model and goals
- Demonstrated commitment to increasing student achievement and supporting the social-emotional needs of students
- Dedicated, reflective thinker with a growth mindset
- High academic expectations; Believes that all students deserve an equitable education experience no matter their circumstances.
Requirements:
- 3+ years of experience working directly with students in a role that supports their socioemotional development (either as a counselor/ therapist, special education, or as a school staff member focused on socioemotional learning and development)Be a United States citizen or otherwise have authorization to work in the United States
- Have the ability to pass an Atlanta Public Schools background check
- Must possess or be able to obtain a Georgia Professional Standards Commission-issued clearance certificate
- Master’s Degree in School Counseling or related field i.e. human services, health or education or social work
REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS:
- Fully Licensed in the state of Georgia preferred (LCSW, LPC, LMFT)
COMPENSATION/BENEFITS:
- Starting salary $64,750
- Compensation aligned with The Kindezi Schools’ salary schedule
- Teacher Retirement System (TRS) pension, 403b plan, paid time off, health, vision, and dental insurance, employer-paid life insurance, and short and long-term disability benefits.
JOB CLASSIFICATION:
- Work Days: 190 school staff
- Salaried, Full-Time, Exempt