2026-27 - Substitute School Counselor

North Thurston Public Schools • Lacey, WA

22h • Onsite

About The Position

The school counselor works with the Principal in carrying out the school’s guidance and counseling program. As a professional educator with a mental health perspective, the counselor, social worker or mental health counselor understands and responds to the challenges presented by today’s diverse student population. The counselor, social worker or mental health counselor provides proactive leadership to engage all stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to support the students’ academic achievement, career preparation, personal, mental health, and social development. The school counselor, social worker or mental health counselor may be assigned at the elementary, middle or high school level. The District represents a diverse community. More than 50% of our students arrive with diverse backgrounds. We seek an individual who has successful experience in working with culturally diverse families and communities. The selected candidate must demonstrate a commitment to strengthening community engagement and communication with the District’s diverse populations.

Requirements

• Candidate must have successful experience in working with culturally diverse families and communities, or have otherwise demonstrated a commitment to strengthening engagement of a diverse community and skill in communicating with a diverse population.
• Successful completion of a master’s degree in school counseling and required state certification as an educational staff associate in counseling work in Washington State.
• Demonstrated ability to apply and use effectively a variety of evidence based personal and family counseling models.
• Skills and ability to serve as an educational leader including the ability to plan, organize, and facilitate staff meetings, planning processes, and cultural community projects and events.
• Strong assessment, analytical and diagnostic skills.
• Demonstrated ability to relate in a positive way with students, staff, parents and the community.
• Demonstrated skills in human relations including demonstrating sensitivity to the needs and concerns of others.
• Understanding of unique physical, social, emotional and intellectual characteristics of middle and high school students.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing with clarity.
• Ability to work cooperatively in a team and with staff, administrators and support personnel in a team approach to solving individual student learning and behavior problems.
• Ability to maintain high ethical standards throughout all duties.
• Ability to provide direct counseling in academic and social skill building to groups of identified students.
• Ability to appropriately intervene in crisis situations.
• Ability to establish and maintain open and stable interpersonal relationships.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Demonstrated sensitivity to cultural, developmental, religious and ethnic diversity of students and community.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual skills
• Successful experience at the level of assignment
• Demonstrated knowledge of current trends in the field of counseling/mental health and counseling/therapy techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to use conflict resolution and crisis intervention skills

Responsibilities

• Implements the district’s counseling and intervention program and serves as a resource for building staff, administrators, and parents in working with students, creating a positive school climate, and helping students develop a positive self-concept.
• Consults with district administration and building staff with respect to development of the curriculum to meet the identified needs of the students.
• Participates or leads development of positive behavior support systems and development of intervention strategies.
• At the elementary level, provides for early identification and intervention of students’ academic and personal/social needs to help remove barriers to learning, promote academic achievement, and create a foundation for future success.
• Liaison with outside agencies for child safety and welfare.
• Attends IEP meetings if needed.
• At the middle school level, provides a comprehensive developmental school counseling program to create a supportive climate and atmosphere whereby young adolescents can cope with the passage from childhood to adolescence and achieve academic success.
• The middle school counselor helps students explore a variety of interests; connect their learning in the classroom to its practical application in life and work; adjust to high levels of activity coupled with frequent fatigue due to rapid growth; search for their own unique identity as they begin turning more frequently to peers for ideas and affirmation.
• At the high school level, assists students in the final transition into adulthood and the world of work as the students are beginning to separate from parents and explore and define their independence.
• Helps students evaluate their strengths, skills and abilities, explore career choices, and develop decision making skills.
• Provides programs and support to students as they face increased pressures regarding high risk behaviors.
• High school counselors enhance the learning process and promote academic achievement by helping students acquire positive social skills and values, set appropriate career goals and realize full academic potential to become productive, contributing members of the world community.
• Provides school orientation to new students and plans for and assists students in grade level transition.
• Develops and manages both school and individual student schedules.
• Determines student placement and, at the secondary level, guides students in course selection.
• Coordinates the process for identification of students with educational handicaps and report these to the appropriate district personnel.
• Provides academic, vocational, and personal counseling to students.
• Works directly with students to help them learn how to manage themselves, improve study and test-taking skills, organize information, make decisions, and deal with change.
• Guides and assists students in peer relationships and in developing effective coping skills necessary to refuse participation in substance abuse, physical violence, or other at-risk behaviors.
• Provides individual and small-group counseling to support peer mediation and crisis intervention.
• Works as part of a cross-district counseling team to ensure implementation of American School Counseling Association standards in order to implement a comprehensive counseling and guidance plan.
• Coordinates the effort necessary for the referral of families to special in-district and out of district services.
• Assists with staff training, including training in the identification of high-risk youth and effective interaction with those students in the school setting.
• Provides referrals for students and their families related to use, misuse and abuse of drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
• Makes class and community presentations in such areas as study skills, goal setting, career awareness and the world of work, substance abuse education, parenting, school-to-work, and multicultural/diversity awareness.
• Initiates and maintains adequate student and office records and school data basis for the coordination of a student’s total program.
• Required to follow Board policies and stay abreast of updates and changes.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision, long term disability and basic life insurance benefits
• Washington State Healthcare Authority under the School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB)
• Washington State Department of Retirement Systems Plan
• 403(b) and 457 Deferred Compensation Plans (DCP)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Mid Level