School Counsellor

The Parkland School Division currently has a Full-Time School Counsellor (1.0 FTE) position available at Prescott Learning Centre.  This position is open to Teachers as well as Non-Certified Support Staff that have the qualifications.

Summary/Role Description

The School Counsellor is responsible for providing collaborative mental health services to support students that are experiencing social/emotional difficulties that are impacting the student’s ability to learn, as well as their overall wellness. These services are provided through intervention counselling, individual counselling, targeted counselling, and universal programming. The Counsellor liaises between the school, the family, and the community, to provide the most effective services for the students.

Primary Responsibilities 

Counselling Services

• Maintains a high level of knowledge regarding current and developing best practices in the field of student wellness, trauma-informed and restorative practices, assessing and managing risk of harm, and creating a safe school culture.
• Ensures that a continuum of preventative, developmental, remedial, and intervention services are provided to students and their families to support student wellness.
• Provides individual and targeted counselling services to students who are exhibiting emotional, behavioural, and social needs.
• Provides informal needs assessments and intervention that may include individual, targeted and/or universal strategies, referral and follow up.
• Develops, conducts, and supports workshops, training, and in-service presentations on various approaches, strategies and techniques to support students exhibiting emotional, behavioural, and social difficulties.
• Supports students and parents/guardians in identifying, planning for, and accessing professional services to support student wellness needs.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with parents/guardians of students with wellness and/or counselling needs.
• Fosters relationships and builds partnerships with community supports and agencies.
• Knowledgeable of community agencies, their mandates, and referral procedures.
• Demonstrates strong problem solving and coping skills, and is competent and flexible in intervention strategies.
• Consults with the Division Psychologist and engages in an ethical decision making process when encountering ethical concerns.

Crisis Intervention Support  

• Provides crisis intervention support and services to students.
• Participates in the Violent Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) process.
• Assesses the level of risk and provides intervention for students showing signs of suicidal behaviour, implementing the guidelines outlined in the PSD’s suicide ideation protocol.
• Models calmness in times of crisis.

Additional Responsibilities  

• Models and promotes continuous learning experiences through reflection, conversation, and practice.
• Willing to engage in lifelong learning with respect to professional development, training, in-services and courses of study.
• Provides thorough and timely data and information as requested.

Qualifications

• Masters degree in Counselling or related field, with clinical and practicum component
• 3+years of experience in providing counselling services with extensive clinical experience, preferably within a school environment.
• Registered or certified member in good standing with a professional governing body, or willing to pursue registration/certification.
• Extensive experience in working with children, adolescents, families and social service agencies
• Experience in Play Therapy would be an asset.
• Tiered Response Model Training (i.e., Response to Intervention, Collaborative Response Model) is an asset.A complete Application Package will include the following: 
  1. Cover Letter and Resume
  2. Three Professional References
  3. Copy of relevant registrations and certifications.
  4. Philosophy of School Counselling . This is a one to two page document where you describe your philosophy of working with children who have emotionally and psychologically diverse needs in a school setting.

  To apply please visit our website at: https://www.psd.ca/