School Counselor - 2026/2027 SY

Position Summary

The K-12 school counselor provides academic; career; college access, affordability and admission; and social-emotional competencies to every student annually by helping design, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive evidence-based school counseling program in each school across the district.

Services to Students

• Plans, delivers, and evaluates school counseling interventions to help close achievement, opportunity, and attainment gaps.
  • Delivers academic success skills including: organization, time management, study skills to all students annually.
  • Delivers career development skills including assessments, career clusters, use of Occupational Outlook Handbook, creating resumes/cover letters, job shadowing/searching techniques.
  • Delivers college access/affordability/admission skills to all students with attention to first-generation students, students with disabilities, and students needing affordability resources.
  • Provides social-emotional skills to all students including anti-violence/anti-bullying, stress management, cultural diversity, and strategies to improve energy/ mood.
• Ensures every student has an annually updated ACCESS & Accomplishments Plan.
• Ensures ethical practice by using a decision-making model and sharing most recent updates of the ACA, ASCA & NACAC codes of ethics with all stakeholders.
• Collaborates with teachers, school social workers, and school psychologists for optimal student success.
• Coordinates orientation for new and transfer students and families.
• Applies developmental, learning, counseling, and education theories.
• Uses Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success standards (ASCA) in the school counseling program.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the impact of cultural, social and environmental influences on student success and opportunities.
• Designs and implements instruction aligned to Mindsets and Behaviors in Classroom, Group, and Individual Settings.
• Provides appraisal/advisement in Classroom, Group, and Individual Settings.
• Provides short-term counseling in Group and Individual Settings.

Collaboration with School and Professional Staff

• Collaborates with teachers, school social workers, and school psychologists for optimal student success.
• Collaborates with multiple school systems and peers for systemic change: as Equity Consultants on the Master Schedule, supporting all students' access to challenging coursework for all students, Academic Support Services, and Co-Curricular Activities.
• Consults with teachers on creative, culturally responsive interventions to support struggling students including noncognitive factors affecting student success.
• Participates in PPT/504 meetings, team meetings, and restorative justice settings.
• Makes referrals to appropriate school resources.
• Consults with educators for student achievement and success.

Liaison and Collaboration with Outside Resources

• Maintains professional memberships in state and national school and college counseling organizations (ASCA/CSCA, ACA, NACAC/NEACAC).
• Collaborates with family members and community agencies/businesses in a school/family/community partnership for student achievement/success.
• Makes referrals to appropriate community resources.

Planning and School Counseling Program Development/Evaluation

• Demonstrates leadership as a system change agent for equity by developing and implementing a comprehensive school counseling program.
• Establishes and maintains School Counseling Program Advisory Council.
• Affords and works effectively with students and other stakeholders of multiple cultural and linguistic identities.
• Knowledge of ACA, ASCA and NACAC professional codes of ethics for school and college counselors.
• Experience in implementing and evaluating a school counseling program model such as the ASCA National Model.
• Experience in advising/planning for all students, developmental school counseling curriculum lessons, group counseling, and individual counseling.
• Technology skills including use of spreadsheets, social media, websites, apps, and other ways that build and enhance the school counseling program effectiveness with all stakeholders.
• Analyzes school disaggregated data to inform school counseling program best practices.
• Applies school counseling professional standard, competencies and legal and ethical principles to the school counseling profession.
• Creates school counseling program beliefs, vision and mission statements aligned with school and district.
• Identifies gaps in achievement, attendance, discipline, opportunity, and resources.
• Develops annual student outcome goals based on data.
• Develops and implements action plans aligned with student outcome goals and data.
• Affords and reports program results to the school community.
• Uses time appropriately according to national recommendations and student/school data.
• Establishes annual agreement with building leaders about the SC program.
• Uses a SC appraisal process (ASCA SC Appraisal/101 Solutions-CAFE Model).
• Maintains weekly and annual calendars of SC use of time and school counseling program/ school-wide events for all stakeholders.

Qualifications/Certificates

• 068 School Counselor certification/eligibility in CT.
• Master's degree in Counselor Education/School Counseling.
• Knowledge of evidence-based research and best practices in designing, implementing, and evaluating a school counseling program and interventions including school counseling curriculum lessons, group and individual counseling, and planning/advising for all students.
• Demonstrated professional identity/memberships in state and national school and college counseling professional organizations.