JOB DESCRIPTION

Position:               School Counselor

Reports to:            Principal

Site:                      School Site

FLSA Status:        Professional Exempt

Contract Length:   9 months/198 days

Purpose:      Provide comprehensive guidance program for students and specifically provide activities to meet the needs of the assigned case load; consult with teachers, staff, and parents to enhance their effectiveness in helping students, and provide support to other high school educational progress.

Minimum Qualifications:

                   A Master’s degree in counseling or counselor endorsement related field;

                        A Valid Teachers and School Counselors License with proper endorsement;

                        Five years of experience in Counselor preferred;

                        Verifiable demonstrated progressive leadership experience;

                        Working knowledge of Student Assistance Team and Response to Intervention helpful;

                        Ability to use age appropriate language and accompanying techniques with adolescents on one-to-one basis as well as groups;

                        Ability to read, analyzes, and interprets general counseling journals, reports, and governmental regulations;

                        Ability to write reports, keep logs, correspondence and maintain confidential information;

                        Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of teachers, clients, parents, committees, and the general public;

                        Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists;

 Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, and schedule form;

Must have strong verbal and written communication;

Strong communication, organization, and technology skills;

Ability to build effective relationships with students, community, parents, staff and general public.

Essential Duties:

• Counsels groups or individual students through the development of educational and career plans and 4-year school plans;
• Counsel small groups and individual students with problems, refer severe problems to appropriate community resources;
• Performs counseling with individual students to correct those personal, social, or emotional maladjustments related to their educational and social progress;
• Consults with teachers, staff, and parents regarding meeting and developmental needs of students;
• Evaluates and revises the building counseling program;
• Conduct counseling activities in the classroom in the conjunction with administration and teachers;
• Consult with teachers to facilitate the infusion of counseling activities into the regular education curricula.
• Provides orientation for students new to the school;
• Counsel/Guide students and parents in use of test results for education/career planning;
• Responds to crisis situations when appropriate;
• May coordinates school-wide testing program;
• May proctor standardized testing;
• Communicates regularly with parents by means of newsletters, notes, phone calls, conferences, etc.;
• Attends eight (8^th) grade orientation at Middle School, College Night, Honors Night Program, evening parent meetings, and other parent information meeting as needed;
• Maintains all transcripts, academic records, progress reports, report cards, enrollment, dis-enrollments, re-enrollment and dropout reports;
• Develops schedules for all students;
• Meets all the NM PED Competencies for Counselors
• Servers as a resource to district personnel and as a liaison to various agencies (e.g. district committees, interagency boards) for the purpose of explaining procedures conveying and/or receiving information as needed for the purpose of explaining procedures conveying services related to special education.
• Assists other personnel as may be required for the purpose of sporting them in the completion of their work activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned;

Physical Functions:

• Ability to sit, talk and hear for long periods of time;
• Ability to use repetitive hand, arm and finger motions;
• Ability to attend meetings during the day and in the evening at various locations in and out of the District;
• Travel as necessary to conferences, seminars, trainings and meetings;
• Ability to read information in various formats, research information and present information in oral and written form;
• Ability to speak publically to groups of different sizes and discuss issues at hand;
• Ability to lift up to 40 pounds occasionally, 20 pounds frequently; May lift up to 150 pounds with the assistance of another employee, some carrying;
• Ability to push and pull individuals in wheel chairs;
• Ability to walk for short distances on even and uneven surfaces;
• Ability to work in an office environment with varying temperatures and noises;
• Ability to operate equipment with finger and eye coordination;
• Ability to disperse medications according to doctor’s orders;
• May be exposed to human fluids and fecal material;

Mental Functions:

• Ability to handle stress;
• Ability to handle difficult people and difficult situations; work on conflict resolution and problem solving;
• Ability to lead people in creating, brainstorming, team building and project management;
• Ability to access situations, make decisions and provide direction;
• Ability to utilize mathematical strategies and analysis;
• Ability to organize data, tests, information and disseminate to appropriate venue;
• Ability to monitor projects, assignments, and data to ensure work is being completed correctly and meets timelines;
• Ability to analyze data, provide input and articulate the need for changes.
• Ability to connect with people with disabilities;

Essential Equipment:

• Ability to operate phone, fax, computer, scanner, printer, calculator, smart board, etc.;
• Ability to operate a vehicle;