School Counselor

School Counselor

Summary

Utilizing leadership, advocacy, and collaboration, school counselors promote student success, provide preventive 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.

The major functions of the school counselor job description incorporate the North Carolina State Board of Education’s guiding mission that every public school student will graduate from high school globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the twenty-first century. 

Required Education

Holds a valid student services license in school counseling as defined in North Carolina School Board Policy LINC-001.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Discusses the comprehensive school counseling program with the school administrator.
• Develops and maintains a written plan for effective delivery of the school counseling program based on the NC Comprehensive School Counseling Standard Course of Study and current individual school data.
• Communicates the goals of the comprehensive school counseling program to education stakeholders (i.e., administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community/business leaders).
• Maintains current and appropriate resources for education stakeholders. 
• Uses the majority of the time providing direct services through the GuidanceCurriculum, Individual Student Planning, and Preventive and Responsive Services, and most remaining time in program management, system support, and accountability (National standards recommend 80% of the time in Guidance Curriculum, Individual Student Planning and Preventive and Responsive Services and 20% of the time in program management, system support, and accountability (American School Counselor Association). 
• Uses data to develop comprehensive programs that meet student needs. 
• Provides leadership and collaborates with other educators in the school-wide integration of the State Guidance Curriculum Standard Course of Study.
• Implement developmentally appropriate and prevention-oriented group activities to meet student needs and school goals.
• Incorporates into their programs the life skills that students need to be successful in the twenty-first century.
•  Assists all students, individually or in groups, with developing academic, career and personal/social skills, goals, and plans.
• Accurately and appropriately interprets and utilizes student data.
•  Collaborates with parents/guardians and educators to assist students with educational, career, and life planning.
• Provides individual and group counseling to students with identified concerns and needs.
• Consults and collaborates effectively with parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, and other educational/community resources regarding students with identified concerns and needs.
• Implement an effective referral and follow-up process as needed.
•  Accurately and appropriately uses assessment procedures for determining and structuring individual and group counseling services.
• Provides appropriate information to school personnel related to the comprehensive school counseling program. 
•  Assists teachers, parents/guardians, and other stakeholders in interpreting and understanding student data.
• Participates in professional development activities to improve knowledge and skills.
• Uses available technology resources to enhance the school counseling program.
• Adheres to laws, policies, procedures, and ethical standards of the school counseling profession.
• Conducts a yearly program audit to review the extent of program implementation and effectiveness.
• Collects and analyzes data to guide program direction and emphasis.
• Measures results of the comprehensive school counseling program activities and shares results as appropriate with relevant stakeholders.
• Monitors student academic performance, behavior, and attendance and facilitates appropriate interventions. 

Physical environment

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 essential functions.

• Must be physically able to operate a variety of equipment including computers, copiers, etc. 
• Must be able to exert up to 10 pounds of force frequently; 20 pounds of force occasionally; and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.

Work environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.  There may be changing priorities and interruptions during the workday. 
• Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or composite characteristics of data, people, or things.
• Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information.  Includes giving instructions, assignments, or directions to subordinates or assistants.
• Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, articles, proposals, contracts, etc.  Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, evaluations, policies, etc. using prescribed formats.
• Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form.
• Requires the ability to record and deliver information, explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions.  Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages including medical, legal, and counseling terminology.

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this position. They are not intended to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and skills that may be required of the employees assigned to this position. This description may be revised by the supervisor, with HR review and approval, at any time.