JOB DESCRIPTION OF THE SCHOOL GUIDANCE COUNSELOR

Qualifications: Masters degree in School Guidance Counseling; NCDPI Licensure as a School Counselor; School Guidance Counselor experience preferred.

Reports to: Principal and Chief Student Services Officer

Supervises: May coordinate and direct activities of Guidance Office Administrative Assistant.

Purpose of Position:

MGSD is looking for an experienced and licensed Guidance Counselor to assist in coordinating and linking necessary services for students and families in need. Under general supervision, the Guidance Counselor serves as the center of the guidance effort of the school and is the person through whom all pertinent information regarding the student is channeled. The Guidance Counselor helps students develop skills in the areas of personal-social growth, educational planning, as well as career and vocational development. This will include working with families and the community to build awareness around mental health, create access to counseling services, develop systems of support at the school level and address barriers for students and families seeking assistance.

Responsibilities, Duties, & Expectations:

Instructional Support Process

Public Relations and Professional Code of Conduct

Professional Growth

Evaluation and Measurement of Performance: All staff are evaluated using the North Carolina Educator Effectiveness System, formal and informal classroom walkthroughs, along with formal and informal observations by School Administration and Central Services Administration.

Term of Employment: 10-month contract with salary commensurate with the NC State Salary Schedule as outlined by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Full benefits package offered with full-time employment.

GENERAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. MAJOR FUNCTION: Program Planning

The school counselor establishes the school-counseling program and develops activities and resources to implement and evaluate the program.

The school counselor involves other school staff in making decisions about the school counseling program.

2. MAJOR FUNCTION: Counseling

The school counselor provides individual and group counseling services to meet the developmental, preventive, and remedial needs of students.

3. MAJOR FUNCTION: Consulting

The school counselor consults with students, parents, teacher, and other school a community personnel to assist in meeting the needs of students.

4. MAJOR FUNCTION: Coordinating

The school counselor coordinates all counseling services for students and assists with the coordination and implementation of student services in the school.

The counselor also assists teachers with the Guidance Curriculum.

5. MAJOR FUNCTION: Student Appraisal

The school counselor accurately interprets test results and other student data.

The counselor also assists teachers with the educational placement of students by using appropriate educational assessment strategies.

6. MAJOR FUNCTION: Professional Practices and Development

The school counselor adheres to ethical standards of the counseling profession, and abides by the laws, policies, and procedures that govern the schools.

The counselor also participates in professional associations and upgrades professional knowledge and skills when needed.

7. MAJOR FUNCTION: Learning Management system for Online Program

All online courses are taught using the Guilford County Schools Learning Management System. Counselors assigned to the Virtual Learning Program are expected to attend professional development trainings in order to be proficient in the use of the management system.

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s degree in a related field with a Master’s degree in counseling or any equivalent combination of training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Must be licensed by the State of North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in counseling or able to obtain licensure in this area.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OR STANDARDS REQUIRED TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Physical Requirements:

Must be physically able to operate a variety of equipment including computers, typewriters, copiers, calculators, etc.

Must be able to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to lift, carry, push, and pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body.

Light Work usually requires walking or standing to a significant degree.

Data Conception:

Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural or composite characteristics (whether similar or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.

Interpersonal Communication:

Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments or directions.

Language Ability:

Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, press releases, etc.

Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style.

Requires the ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.

Intelligence:

Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Verbal Aptitude:

Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions.

Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently using a variety of technical or professional languages including counseling terminology.

Numerical Aptitude:

Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; and to apply the theories of descriptive statistics.

Form/Spatial Aptitude:

Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.

Motor Coordination:

Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using office equipment.

Manual Dexterity:

Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as office equipment. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.

Color Discrimination:

Does not require the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color.

Interpersonal Temperament:

Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions.

Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.

Physical Communication:

Requires the ability to talk and hear: (Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words.

Hearing:

Perceiving nature of sounds by ear.) Must be able to communicate via telephone.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

General knowledge of the ethical guidelines applicable to the position as outlined by professional organizations and/or federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations.

General knowledge of the principles of organization and administration.

General knowledge of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

Skill in counseling and motivating students.

Ability to plan, coordinate, and evaluate the effectiveness of student programs.

Ability to coordinate the efforts of support services personnel and outside agencies.

Ability to use common office machines and popular computer-driven word processing, spreadsheet and file maintenance programs.

Ability to maintain complete and accurate records and statistics and to develop meaningful reports from them.

Ability to effectively express ideas orally and in writing.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.

DISCLAIMER

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job.