School Counsellor

**Position Summary**

The School Counsellor provides a confidential, safe, non-judgmental environment where a therapeutic relationship can be formed to facilitate emotional healing, empowerment toward positive change, development of coping strategies, and awareness of developmental issues. The primary role of the School Counsellor is to provide mental health and wellness services and programs to students with a focus on academic, emotional and social issues that foster student success. The School Counsellor does not discipline students but rather helps in the development of effective change. The relative emphasis given to the services described below varies between elementary and secondary schools and reflects the needs of each school.

**Key Responsibilities**

**Key Responsibility 1: Planning and Coordination of Student Support Services**
- ** To plan, develop, organize and provide support services to individual students and/or groups of students**:

- ** To develop individual plans to include strategies for coping and success**:

- ** To support and integrate the anti-bullying program into the school/classroom**:

- ** To provide and promote training programs and workshops for teachers focusing on inclusion**:

- ** To follow the referral/self-referral process**:

- ** Other related duties**:
**Responsibility 2: Providing Strategies and Support**
- ** Maintain a comprehensive understanding of crisis management and impact of trauma on student mental health**:

- ** To guide students in developing academic success plans**:

- ** To work with students identified as having difficulties academically, socially and emotionally, both individually and in small groups**:

- ** To introduce problem solving strategies to students**:

- ** To teach anger management strategies and social skills**:

- ** To incorporate Mohawk culture and spiritual values into strategies used**:

- ** Support students and their families, when possible, in addressing student attendance issues**:

- ** Provide support to other educators in implementing health and career education and promoting healthy school environments**:

- ** Provides mental health and wellness services and programs to students that foster pro-social skills and appropriate behavior. This may include areas such as peer support, conflict resolution, social skills, life skills, low self
- esteem, confidence, and difficult home life situations**:

- ** Identifies the needs of the students; develops and implements treatment plans**:

- ** Provides support in the development of behavior support plans**:

- ** Listens to students' concerns about academic, emotional or social problems**:

- ** Provides support to students to process their problems and plan goals and action**:

- ** Mediates conflict between students and teachers**:

- ** Provides training to students, parents, and staff in behavioral and social-emotional related preventions, interventions, and curricula**:

- ** Collaborates with the school services team and attends the regularly scheduled meetings prepares formal statistical reports, case histories, assessments, and intervention records**:

- ** Provides professional assistance and support to individual students or small group of students during times of transition, heightened stress, critical change or other situations impeding student success**:
**Responsibility 3: Collaboration and Accountability**
- ** Determines the best course of action for student success in collaboration with the student, parent, teachers and student services team**:

- ** Maintains communication with parents/guardians regarding the progress of the student (If under the age of 14 years)**:

- ** Maintains strict confidentiality guidelines regarding student referrals and information discussed in counselling sessions.**:

- ** Maintains documentation regarding students served and services provided**:

- ** Prepares formal statistical reports, case histories, assessments, and intervention records**:

- ** Collaborates with the school services team and attends the regularly scheduled meetings**:

- ** Follows proper internal procedures and protocols to ensure students’ safety**:

- ** Collaborates with external prevention and intervention service providers**:
**Skill & Competency Requirements**

**Core Competencies**:
The necessary core competencies for this position include:

- Strong interpersonal skills
- Excellent management, organizational and problem-solving skills
- Solid motivational skills, adaptability and flexibility
- Positive attitude and desire to help others
- Teamwork
- Professionalism and high ethics standards

**Technical Competencies**:
Required technical competencies for this position include:

- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to establish a strong rapport with students, families and school staff
- Ability to handle physically/emotionally demanding children

**Com**

**Education, Knowledge & Experience**
- ** Master’s degree in Counselli