Counselor

Job Position/Title: Counselor
Office/Campus:  Faculty/Bento Elementary
Reports to: Principal
Status: 10 Months, Full-time, Exempt

Primary Purpose:  Counsel with students and parents regarding any emotional, social or academic problems.

Essential Duties/Functions:

• Identify problems of students.
• Counsel students one-on-one and in small groups.
• Work with teachers and principal to solve problems regarding students or parents.
• Consult with the principal and outside professional resources.
• Counsel parents one-on-one, in groups or by phone.
• Teach guidance classes for K-6 grades.
• Coordinate K-6 testing program (select materials, schedule testing, interpret results).

Other Duties/Functions:

• Plan and implement special events (i.e. Parent Cafe)
• Attend meetings, workshops and school functions
• Assist with Admissions orientation
• Assist with entrance testing of student applicants
• Other duties as assigned

Core Competencies Required of all HBA Employees 

An employee of HBA must demonstrate the following core competencies:

• Christ-like Conduct.  Imitate the life of Jesus Christ and take on his behavior, mindset, choices, and character, and apply it to everyday life.  Exhibit love, humility, compassion, and servanthood, and allow God the opportunity to work in us and to manifest His Glory within us.
• Passion for Our Calling.  Respond to God’s passion in our hearts to complete the things He calls us to do.  Acknowledge that passion encompasses more than the work, it taps into one’s whole life purpose.  Reward of wages and prestige are peripheral to using the God-given gifts and talents to have an effect on the greater good and an impact beyond oneself.  Yield passionately to God’s calling to live a life full of joy, satisfaction, and true fulfillment.
• Teamwork.  Promotes teamwork through building consensus to develop mutual trust, respect, and commonality of goals.  Supports team decisions, collaborates with others to develop team solutions, builds consensus, and resolves conflict.
• Customer Focus.  Organizes and prioritizes resources to focus on and exceed customer expectations.  Make it “easy to do business with” HBA.  Demonstrate understanding, helpfulness, sensitivity, and a concern of the needs and feelings of external and internal customers.
• Effective Communication.  Listens carefully to feedback and others’ views and asks clarifying questions to confirm understanding.  Clearly states views and opinions.  Actively takes responsibility to ensure there is mutual understanding in all viewpoints and communication.  Effectively adapts oral and written communication to the needs and interests of the target audience.  Openly shares information in a timely manner with others who need that information.
• Results Orientation. Can be counted on to achieve assigned or promised results in a timely manner by utilizing resources effectively.  Clarifies expectations and measurements of performance.  Seeks guidance or other resources needed.  Takes personal ownership for results by holding self and others accountable for results.  Shows strong desire and drive for success by identifying and overcoming obstacles.  Demonstrates a sense of urgency and is persistent in using extra effort to achieve results.  Focuses efforts on, and strives to attain, results that are important to the mission of HBA and specific department goals.
• Practical Thinking and Decision-Making. Identifies, defines, and focuses on specific problems or issues.  Determines information needs; collects, analyzes, interprets, and develops it for use in making decisions.  Makes timely and appropriate decisions driven by the information, the needs of the organization, and the need for innovation and creativity to accomplish assigned tasks.
• Continuous Improvement. Strives to continually improve one’s own job performance and to better the work environment, work quality, results, and how the work is done.  Accepts both the need for and positive potential of change in the workplace.  Willing to take managed risk to test approaches that may better satisfy a customer’s needs or to meet HBA’s needs and goals.  Develops alternative and imaginative solutions and approaches to problems.  Actively looks for opportunities to redesign and improve work methods and makes changes to improve operating efficiency and quality of output.
• Supporting and Leading Change. Participates in all aspects of both the organizational and process oriented change cycles to accomplish the goals set for their particular level of responsibility.  Identifies, plans for, and leads change needed to support HBA’s mission and values.

Working Conditions:

• Equipment and Software Use: Computer skills, photocopier, multi-line push button telephone, Smart Board, iPad, Google docs/calendars/forms, FinalSite, myBackpack
• Work Hours:  7:30 a.m. – 3:00p.m., Monday – Friday. Some weekday after-hours and weekend work may be required. Occasional outside workshops and conferences may be required.
• Mental Demands:  Ability to see both overall picture and detail. Ability to do long-range planning. Exercises good judgement, able to make sound decisions, ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, show good judgement.
• Physical Demands: Ability to stand for long periods of time. Flexibility in moving with children. Ability to move heavy objects.
• Social Demands: Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with all stakeholders in a friendly and concise way.

Qualification Requirements:

• Spiritual:  Must have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of his/her life and demonstrate a living relationship with Jesus Christ as described in “The Baptist Faith and Message”, the tenets of the Southern Baptist denomination.
• Skills/Knowledge:  Empathic, ability to listen well. Knowledge in areas of psychology, childhood development, parenting skills, behavior modification, and diagnostic education skills. Knowledge in utilizing technology to enhance and support student learning, Strong organizational skills. Ability to work with a variety of people; team player. Ability to motivate others to reach their fullest potential. CPR, First Aid, and AED training is required.
• Education/Training:  MA degree in School Counseling or related field. Undergraduate degree in education or psychology preferred.
• Experience:  Minimum of three (3) years working in an elementary setting preferred.

Updated 2.3.21