Elementary Guidance Counselor

Watson Chapel School District•Pine Bluff, AR

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Guidance Counselor - Elementary. Counsel students to help them achieve academic, personal/social/emotional, and career success. This role involves providing crisis intervention, maintaining student records, evaluating student abilities, and counseling students and parents regarding educational and personal issues. The counselor will also collaborate with administrators on school programs, assess needs for assistance, and prepare reports. Additionally, the role includes teaching classes, presenting information sessions, planning orientation programs, attending meetings and conferences, addressing community groups, reviewing transcripts, providing information on educational and career opportunities, compiling occupational and educational information, referring students to degree programs, planning and participating in recruitment activities, sponsoring extracurricular activities, promoting understanding of diverse populations, monitoring student progress, assisting with transitions, interpreting assessment results, producing and adjusting student schedules, and creating events for parents. The counselor must demonstrate knowledge of child and adolescent development, counseling theory, state and federal regulations, and integrate the counseling program with the school program. They will also be responsible for assessing the counseling program, creating an environment of respect, establishing productive communication, managing routines, setting standards of conduct, assisting students and teachers with plans, using counseling techniques, arranging resources, demonstrating flexibility, reflecting on practice, communicating with families, participating in a professional community, maintaining professionalism, assessing student needs, reporting suspected child endangerment/neglect/abuse, reporting suspected bullying, and adhering to all district policies.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree (four-year college or technical school) Required, Field of Study: Counseling
Current Arkansas teaching license required.
Must meet all state and federal requirements for the position.
Successful completion of pre-employment background checks.
Appropriate personal and professional conduct at all times around students, staff, and the general public.
Shall be able to demonstrate an acceptable level of proficiency with computers and programs associated with the position.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree Preferred, Field of Study: Counseling
Previous experience as a school counselor is preferred.

Responsibilities

Counsel individuals to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.
Provide crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur at school.
Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by law, district policies, and administrative regulations.
Evaluate students' or individuals' abilities, interests, and personality characteristics using tests, records, interviews, or professional sources.
Report cases of suspected domestic abuse or other family problems and encourage students or parents to seek additional assistance from mental health professionals.
Counsel students and parents regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.
Collaborate with department chairs to assist administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of school programs and in the preparation of master schedules for curriculum offerings.
Assess needs for assistance such as rehabilitation, financial aid, or additional vocational training, and refer students to the appropriate services.
Prepare reports on students and activities as required by the administration.
Teach classes and present self-help or information sessions on subjects related to education and career planning.
Plan and conduct orientation programs and group conferences to promote the adjustment of individuals to new life experiences such as starting college.
Attend meetings, educational conferences, and training workshops and serve on committees.
Address community groups, faculty, and staff members to explain available counseling services.
Review transcripts to ensure that students meet graduation or college entrance requirements and write letters of recommendation.
Provide students with information on such topics as college degree programs and admission requirements, financial aid opportunities, trade and technical schools, and apprenticeship programs.
Compile and study occupational, educational, and economic information to assist counselees in determining and carrying out vocational and educational objectives.
Refer students to degree programs based on interests, aptitudes, or educational assessments.
Plan, direct, and participate in recruitment and enrollment activities.
Sponsor extracurricular activities such as clubs, student organizations, and academic contests.
Promote an understanding and appreciation of diverse populations and cultures.
Monitor and advise students and their parents as to progress toward promotion/graduation.
Assist in the transition from middle school to high school and to post-secondary high school options. as well as student success plans.
Interpret tests, student data, and other assessment results for students, parents, and staff.
Produce, maintain, and adjust individual student schedules.
Create evening events for parents to receive information on academic, graduation, and career opportunities for students.
Demonstrate knowledge of child and adolescent development.
Demonstrate knowledge of counseling theory and techniques.
Establish goals for the counseling program according to the setting and the students served.
Demonstrate knowledge of state and federal regulations and of resources both within and beyond the school and district.
Plan the counseling program integrated with the regular school program.
Develop a plan to assess the counseling program.
Create an environment of respect and rapport.
Establish a culture for productive communication.
Manage routines and procedures.
Establish standards of conduct and contribute to the culture for student behavior throughout the school.
Assist students and teachers in the formulation of academic and/or personal/social plans based on knowledge of students.
Use counseling techniques in individual and classroom programs.
Arrange resources to meet needs.
Demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness.
Reflect on practice and participate in professional development activities to enhance professional learning.
Communicate with families.
Participate in a professional community.
Maintain professionalism with all staff members.
Assess student needs.
Report to the proper authorities any cases of suspected child endangerment, neglect, or abuse.
Report suspected bullying to building principal or designee as required by Arkansas law and district policies.
Adhere to all policies of the District.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Principal or other administrators.