School Counselor

MIDDLESEX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Position: School Counselor

Job Type: Full-time

Contract: 220 days/11 months

FLSA Status: Exempt

General Definition of Work

The High School Counselor provides comprehensive counseling services to students, supporting their academic, social, emotional, and career development. The Counselor collaborates with students, parents, teachers, and administrators to create a positive and supportive learning environment that promotes student success and well-being.

Qualification Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily.

Essential Functions

Academic Counseling:

• Guide students in course selection, academic planning, and graduation requirements.
• Monitor student academic progress and identify students at risk of academic failure.
• Provide academic interventions and support services to improve student performance.
• Assist students with post-secondary planning, including college applications, scholarship searches, and financial aid.
• Assists students with admission and scholarship applications to institutions of higher education.

Social-Emotional Counseling:

• Provide individual and group counseling to address students' social, emotional, and mental health concerns.
• Implement preventative programs to promote mental wellness, conflict resolution, and positive social skills.
• Crisis intervention and management, including suicide prevention and threat assessment.
• Refer students and families to appropriate community resources for mental health support.
• Collaborate with school staff and parents to address student behavioral issues.

Career Counseling:

• Administer and interpret career assessments to help students identify their interests, skills, and aptitudes.
• Plan, organize, and conduct career day programs.
• Provide information about career pathways, educational requirements, and job market trends.
• Plan educational field trips to work sites, industries, and colleges to inform students of diverse occupational and educational opportunities.
• Assist students with developing career plans and setting realistic goals.
• Connect students with career exploration opportunities.

Consultation and Collaboration:

• Consult with parents, teachers, and administrators regarding student needs and concerns.
• Collaborate with school staff to develop and implement school-wide initiatives to promote student success.
• Participate in student support teams (IEP, 504, Child Study) to address the needs of students with disabilities.
• Maintain accurate and confidential student records.
• Participate and lead threat assessment team meetings.
• Initiate referrals to appropriate resources and coordinate pupil personnel specialists' service and community agency services.
• Monitor the data and progress for the School Performance and Support Framework.

Other Duties:

• Participate in school-wide activities and events.
• Adhere to the ethical guidelines and professional standards of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA).
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Principal or Director of Student Services.

Qualifications:

• Education: Master's degree in School Counseling or a related field.
• Certification/Licensure: Valid state certification/licensure as a School Counselor.
• Knowledge:
• • Thorough understanding of child and adolescent development.
  • Knowledge of current educational trends and best practices in school counseling.
  • Familiarity with various counseling theories and techniques.
  • Understanding of special education law and procedures.
  • Knowledge of career development theories and resources.
• Skills:
• • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Strong organizational and time-management skills.
  • Ability to work effectively with students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality.
  • Proficiency in using technology and data management systems.
  • Crisis intervention and conflict resolution skills.
  • Ability to advocate for students.

Physical Demands:

This work is sedentary and requires little to no exertion of force; work regularly requires sitting, speaking, or hearing and using hands to finger, handle, or feel and occasionally requires repetitive motions; work has no special vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data and observing general surroundings and activities; work has no exposure to environmental conditions; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, playground, classroom, light traffic).

Work Environment:

The work environment is typically a school setting. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Reports to: Principal/Assistant Superintendent