POSITION: School Counselor
REPORTS TO: Site Administrator/Supervisor
LOCATION: Various Locations
NATURE OF WORK:
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:
- 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:
- Delivers a developmental school counseling program (K-12) to students to include: individual and group counseling, and classroom guidance
- Provides career, social/emotional, and academic development to students in accordance with ASCA professional standards
- Consults with staff and parents
- Connects students with services provided through the local school district and community agencies, and remains aware of state laws and local district policies related to students with special needs, including limits to confidentiality and notification to authorities as appropriate
- Facilitates short-term groups to address students' academic achievement, postsecondary and career exploration, and social/emotional well-being
- Informs parents/guardians and school administration when a student poses a serious and foreseeable risk of harm to self or others
- Collaborates 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
- Collaborates 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
- Provides a list of outside agencies and resources to students and parents/ guardians when students need or request additional support
- Assists students, through individual and small group sessions, to understand and accept themselves and others, resolve conflicts, overcome crisis situations, etc.
- Coordinates and implements student career development in conjunction with the school counseling program
- Provides culturally responsive counseling to students in a brief context
- Provides 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
- Consults with school staff as a resource to change the disruptive behavior of students
- Helps with such issues as child abuse, suicidal tendencies, and substance abuse
- Take part in professional development activities
- Cooperates with students and staff
- Maintains open lines of communication with students, staff, and parents
- Performs other related and non-related job duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS:
Required:
- Master's degree in School Counseling or School Guidance and Counseling
- 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