Guidance Counselor

Guidance Counselor Job Description

12-month position

FLSA Status: Exempt

MISSION

Faithful to Catholic Tradition and our Dominican heritage of scholarship and service, Bishop Lynch High School promotes the development of the total person by bringing together a diverse community in a rigorous college preparatory environment where students are taught to strive for excellence, seek truth, and work for justice in the world.

SUMMARY

A Bishop Lynch Guidance Counselor is responsible for promoting students’ academic success, personal/social development, and college/career guidance by using counseling expertise, leadership, advocacy, and collaboration within an interdisciplinary team. The counselor will support the emotional well-being of students while promoting positive interpersonal relationships, self-advocacy, and healthy communication within families, peer relationships, and student/teacher relationships.

Reporting to the Director of Guidance, the Guidance Counselor establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with students, teachers, staff, parents, and the entire guidance team through meaningful, supportive and frequent communication regarding students’ needs and interests.

A Guidance Counselor is responsible for the implementation of the goals of Catholic education as outlined in The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools (Archbishop Michael Miller):

• Inspired by a Supernatural Vision
• Founded on a Christian Anthropology
• Animated by Communion and Community
• Imbued with a Catholic Worldview
• Sustained by Gospel Witness

Qualified candidates will be driven and inspired by the mission of Catholic schools to form young men and women in a high school setting “who will be good citizens of the world, loving God and neighbor and enriching society with the leaven of the gospel, and who will also be good citizens of the world to come, thus fulfilling their destiny to become saints” (Miller, p. 20).

JOB EXPECTATIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Personal Counseling:

• Conduct group and/or individual short-term counseling and intervention as appropriate
• Support students who are experiencing behavioral problems, social issues or at-risk behaviors and make appropriate referrals to outside agencies
• Maintain strong lines of communication with families about student progress and needs
• Facilitate necessary meetings among students, parents, teachers, and administration
• Establish working counseling relationships with teachers to best support the academic and social-emotional well-being of students

Academic Advising:

• Monitor students’ academic performance establishing appropriate goals for success
• Assist students in the course selection process
• Facilitate communication and meetings between students, parents, and teachers
• Deliver goal setting, problem solving, organizational and time management tools
• Provide ongoing monitoring of student scheduling, including summer school classes and summer school remediation registration
• Complete letters of recommendation
• Work in collaboration with the college advisors to support students and families

General:

• Embrace the mission of Bishop Lynch High School as a Catholic institution
• Work in collaboration with other professionals to promote student growth in all areas of formation
• Embrace and live out the school’s core values: faithful, caring, dedicated
• Actively support the Bishop Lynch House System
• Operate effectively as a member of a team
• Consistently display a positive attitude, flexibility, and a “can-do” spirit
• Commit to ongoing professional growth and development
• Demonstrate a high degree of ethical practice and professionalism at all times, including a commitment to confidentiality
• Perform other duties assigned by the Director of Guidance

After Hours Required Events

• Evening guidance meetings
• Back to School nights
• Parent/teacher conferences
• 8th grade interviews
• New family meetings
• Graduation
• Weekend proctoring (SAT/ACT/Combo Tests)
• TSI testing
• Financial aid workshops
• College and career fairs
• BL Sunday

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS

• Meet all requirements of the Texas Catholic Conference Bishops—Education Department
• Master’s degree in counseling, social work, or psychology
• Demonstrated experience within a high school setting is a plus
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations while maintaining professional boundaries
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to prioritize competing tasks and demands
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to being a supportive, respectful, and energetic colleague
• Ability to instruct students and manage their behavior while maintaining a professional manner
• Ability to demonstrate poise, empathy, tact, and diplomacy
• Working knowledge or experience with Blackboard (or other LMS) is a plus
• Catholic school experience is a plus
• Bilingual is a plus

Qualified candidates should email their resume to resume@bishoplynch.org.