Job Title: Licensed Professional Counselor

Wage/Hour Status: Exempt

Department: Assigned Campus

Reports To: Campus Principal and Director

Approved By: Board of Trustees

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SUMMARY:

Plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive social-emotional/mental health services program including counseling services. Provide a proactive, developmental counseling program devoted to identify and support the social-emotional/mental health needs of students with direct services, including assessment, counseling, guidance, consultation, and coordination of school, district, and community resources to encourage all students to maximize personal growth and development.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION:

Master's degree from accredited university

Certification as a Licensed Professional Counselor from the Texas State Board of Examiners

EXPERIENCE:

Three years experience preferred

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of counseling procedures, mental health assessments, and evidence based intervention practices.
• Knowledge of social services and programs available to meet a range of mental health, physical health, academic, and social service needs, as well as knowledge of state, local, and federal laws impacting the lives of students (e.g. laws regarding child abuse and neglect).
• Ability to manage a student caseload for multiple campuses simultaneously or students
• Ability to conduct interventions within a broad range of settings in a professional manner and with acumen.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to instruct students and manage their behavior.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with students, peers and parents.
• Effective skill in oral and written communication.
• Bilingual (preferred)
• Ability to maintain accurate and auditable records

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Guidance

• Teach school developmental guidance curriculum to students.
• Help teachers incorporate guidance-related information into existing curriculum.
• Provide guidance to individuals and groups of students to develop mental health plans and social emotional awareness.
• Counsel individuals, classroom, and/or groups of students about their mental health needs.
• Provide counseling and psychotherapy to those experiencing psychological difficulties.
• Develop short-term and long-term counseling plans and goals for students.
• Provide behavioral counseling including crisis intervention and addressing mental health issues.
• Provide support with issues including substance abuse, bullying, anger management, depression, relationships, LGBTQ issues, self-image, stress, and suicide.
• Provide crisis counseling to students.
• Assists students through crises and life challenges they face in connection with mental health, developmental disabilities and addiction diseases.

Consultation

• Consult parents, teachers, administrators, and other relevant people to enhance their work with students.
• Work with school personnel and school district residents to obtain resources for students.
• Use an effective referral process to help students and others use special programs and services.
• Serve as a resource for parents/guardians on problems affecting the behavioral, emotional, or social growth of the student.
• Support school counselors identifying students who may be at risk of hurting themselves or others and to establish a safe mental health placement for student (Section 26 & 28).

Assessment

• Interpret test and other appraisal results appropriately.
• Conduct assessments of students with the goal of improving student social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes, including academic.
• Conduct reliable and valid assessments of students to inform the design of interventions to remove barriers to learning.

Program Management

• Plan school guidance and counseling programs to ensure that they meet identified needs.
• Develop and coordinate a continuing evaluation of guidance program and make changes based on findings.
• Compile, maintain, and file all reports, records, and other documents required.
• Provide counseling, consultation, and coordination of services to meet mental health needs of the student.
• Organize and implement counseling services in treating mental, behavioral, and emotional problems and disorders.
• Assists in curriculum writing for mental health, including instruction about mental health conditions, substance abuse, skills to manage emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making; and suicide prevention, including recognizing suicide-related risk factors and warning signs as required by Senate Bill 11 of the 86 Legislature.
• Develop and provide staff development in the areas of crisis intervention/counseling and mental health/behavioral issues such as alcohol/substance abuse, suicide prevention, grief and trauma-informed practices, mental health or psychological first aid, medications, bulling prevention, healthy relationships, internet safety, child/sexual/physical/emotional abuse, and training related to the safe and supportive school program.

Administration

• Comply with policies established by federal and state law, State Board of Education rule, and board policy in guidance and counseling area.
• Comply with all district and campus routines and regulations.
• Maintain a positive and effective relationship with supervisors.
• Communicate effectively with colleagues, students, and parents.

Professional

• Model behavior that is professional, ethical, and responsible.
• Participate in professional development to improve skills related to job assignment.
• Serve on threat assessment and safe and supportive school and district team.

Other

• Maintain confidentiality.
• Participate in staff development training programs to improve job performance.
• Participate in meetings and special events as assigned.
• Exercise professional judgment in absences; be punctual to work, meetings, and appointments.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the immediate supervisor.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

May supervise assigned clerical employee(s).

May supervise persons completing practicum or internship through a college or university program.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Ability to read and analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of administrators, board of trustees, staff, students, parents, and the general public.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

REASONING ABILITY:

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, or schedule form.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Occasional absences are understood but regular attendance is required.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Light to moderate lifting is required. Specific vision abilities by this job include close vision.

The employee must maintain emotional control under stress.

WORK DEMANDS:

This position requires multiple work locations as assigned. The noise level in the work environment will vary depending upon the activity being conducted. The employee regularly works indoors.