School Counselor

This role is for the 2024 - 2025 school year with an anticipated start date of August 5th, 2024.

The mission of IL Texas is to prepare students for exceptional leadership roles in the international community by emphasizing servant leadership, mastering the English, Spanish, and Chinese languages, and strengthening the mind, body and character.

Primary Purpose:

Assist with identifying and providing support to students, families, and campuses in an effort to overcome barriers that interfere with learning through the use of assessment, counseling, consultation, and coordination of school and community resources. The Crisis Counselor utilizes knowledge of human behavior, social, emotional, and community systems to guide service delivery. The applicant must have general knowledge of and function within the district's crisis response framework and structure interventions accordingly.

Qualifications:

Education/Certification:

Master’s degree from an accredited college or university required

Applicant is responsible for maintaining active licensure throughout employment

Valid Texas License as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Licensed Professional Counselor A (LPC- A) or Licensed Clinical Social Worker(LCSW) or Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) required

Special Knowledge/Skills:

Knowledge of counseling procedures, student appraisal, and career development

Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills

Thorough knowledge of social services and programs available to meet a range of mental health, physical health, academic, and social service needs, as well as knowledge of state, local, and federal laws impacting the lives of students (e.g. laws regarding child abuse and neglect)

Experience in crisis response.

Ability to conduct behavioral and social interventions within a broad range of settings in a professional manner

Must work effectively within a multidisciplinary team, maintain appropriate boundaries, and serve as a liaison between school and community.

Must be able to manage a student caseload for multiple campuses simultaneously.

Exhibit good listening, negotiation, and collaboration skills.

Demonstrate ability to work with diverse individuals and community groups.

Display professionalism, remains composed under stress, and takes responsibility for personal and organizational commitments.

Able to work independently and possesses organization/time management and prioritization skills.

Bilingual in English/Spanish

Experience:

Three years of teaching experience

Three years of counseling experience preferred

Major Responsibilities and Duties:

Guidance

1. Provide individual and small group counseling to identified students.

2. Provide consultation to school personnel, parents/guardians, and community partners for the purpose of enhancing their understanding of student needs, developing effective social and emotional interventions, and building school capacity.

3. Provide crisis intervention counseling and/or education with adults, children, and families experiencing emotional disturbances, mental health concerns that may impact school safety, or problems related to substance abuse.

4. Provide intervention in cases involving child abuse/neglect, domestic violence and sexual assault.

5. Facilitate crisis response at campuses, as well as providing support as needed during district-wide crisis.

Consultation

6. Coordinate school, home, and community resources and refer students, parent, and others to special programs and services as needed.

7. Work collaboratively to advocate for individual students and specific groups of students.

8. Provide crisis counseling and/or consultant services.

Assessment

9. Interpret standardized test results and assessment data to guide students in individual goal setting and planning.

10. Serve on the district crisis team and threat assessment team.

11. Conduct risk assessments of individuals and families with the goal of improving student social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes.

12. Complete assessment of campus needs to prioritize service delivery.

13. Possess knowledge and the insight of the importance of thorough risk assessments for suicide and homicide.

Program Management and Administration

14. Plan, implement, evaluate, and promote continuous improvement of a balanced comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program that includes guidance curriculum, responsive services, individual planning, and system support components.

15. Demonstrate the understanding and use of evidence-informed practices in their social/emotional interventions.

16. Utilize data in assessing needs of, and planning social/emotional interventions for individual students, groups, and/or whole school population.

17. Design and provide professional development and workshops for administrators, faculty and community members to support the understanding of social and emotional barriers to learning.

18. Ensure that students and their families are provided services within the context of multicultural understanding and competence.

19. Interpret individual and family medical and psychosocial histories and communicate with administration risk concerns.

20. Demonstrate a commitment to the values and ethics of the individual's professional code of ethics.

21. Meet the minimum professional development requirements as set forth by the licensing board.

22. Adhere to state and district mandated reporting requirements as they pertain to safety concerns.

23. Maintain documentation of therapeutic services provided.

24. Recognize signs and symptoms of chemical dependency disorders.

25. Serve as primary contact and liaison for specified mental health concerns from schools to community concerning counseling.

26. Collaborate with campus administration to increase accessibility and effectiveness of services

27. Advocate for a school environment that acknowledges and respects diversity.

28. Compile, maintain, and file all reports, records, and other documents.

29. 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

30. Adhere to legal, ethical, and professional standards for school counselors including current professional standards of competence and practice.

Additional Duties:

31. Any and all other duties assigned by your immediate supervisor.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

None

Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors:

Tools/Equipment Used: Personal computer and peripherals; standard instructional equipment

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

Motion: Frequent walking

Lifting: Regular light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds); occasional physical restraint of students to control behavior

Environment: Work inside, may work outside, available to work 5 days per week 8 hours daily

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

This document describes the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.