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Elementary School Counselor

Employer
Steilacoom Historical School District
Location
Steilacoom, Washington State

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COUNSELOR
Elementary School counselors are an integral part of services and support for the district’s elementary students. Elementary students are in a developmental period of their lives where they begin to develop their academic self-concept and feelings of competence and confidence as learners. They are beginning to develop decision making, communication and life-skills, as well as character values. It is also a time when students develop and acquire attitudes toward school, self, peers, social groups and family. Our counselors are a central part of improving student success for ALL students through the implementation of the school’s counseling program.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties
Our school counselors work with our school teams to provide direct and indirect services to students. The below description represents the key areas of responsibilities - specific other duties may be assigned.

Counseling: Provides professional assistance and support to a student or small group of students during times of transition, heightened stress, critical change or other situations impeding student success. School counselors recognize and respond to student mental health needs and assist students and families in connecting with community resources. Assists students, families and teachers in finding ways to help students develop a positive sense of identity. Identifies and creates peer supports, including problem-solving groups and peer-helper programs to help students increase resiliency and self-determination.

Instruction and Advocacy: Supports students in applying social emotional learning strategies and help them identify and remove barriers to learning and developing skills critical for academic achievement. Assesses student abilities, interests and achievement to identify when students are struggling. Advocates for students at individual education plan (IEP) meetings, system intervention teams, and school attendance conferences. Interprets cognitive, aptitude and achievement tests in relationship to achievement while protecting student records and information per state and federal regulations. Serves as the 504 case manager for eligible students and partners with them to develop accommodations to support their success and school experience.

Consultation and Collaboration: Consults and collaborates with teachers and other educators about building classroom connections and the role of non-cognitive factors in student success. Collaborates with assigned Military Family Life Counselors (MFLCs) to identify resources for military-connected families. Partners with teachers by scheduling and presenting curriculum lessons based on developmental needs and needs of students identified through data. Serves as a part of the school leadership team to analyze disaggregated schoolwide data to identify student issues, needs and challenges.

Minimum Qualifications and Skills

  • Successful experience or demonstrated commitment toward working with culturally and racially diverse students, families and communities.
  • Possess or qualify for issuance of a valid Washington state Educational Staff Associate (ESA) certificate in counseling.
  • Experience of supporting adult learner’s understanding of anxiety, the consequences of excessive anxiety, and how to identify symptoms indicating anxiety. 
  • Experience identifying and addressing mental health cognitive barriers, including recognition of the role environmental factors have in causing or exacerbating mental health issues.
  • Knowledge of strength-focused strategies for students, including trauma-informed and social emotional learning (SEL) practices. 
  • Training or experience in Neural Education or a desire to be trained. 
  • Demonstrated skill or experience supporting and contributing to the success of students with disabilities. 
  • Understanding of how injustice or racial inequity may impact students and families experience with school. 
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate with others. 
  • Self-motivated and organized with the ability to manage responsibilities independently. 
  • Ability to evaluate the school’s counseling program effectiveness, assess program gaps and problem solve. 
  • Strong relationship building, networking skills to connect with community partners and resources. 
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality, work effectively under pressure, and remain flexible.
  • Ability to meet and maintain punctuality and attendance expectations.

Desired Qualifications and Skills:

  • Successful completion of a master’s degree in school counseling. 
  • Experience and training in identifying and responding to anxiety in children. 
  • Experience with mental health models. 
  • Experience working with military-connected students and families. 
  • Bilingual skills.

 

Physical and Environmental Requirements:
The district is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities to access the physical and environmental requirements of this position. This position typically requires: stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, finger dexterity, grasping, talking, hearing, seeing, and repetitive motions. This position may be exposed to prolonged exposure to visual display terminals as required. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals. It may be expected that the individual could be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials during the course of their duties. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but can be loud on occasion.

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