School Counsellor (K-12)

at  St Margarets School

SUMMARY

St. Margaret’s School (SMS) is Western Canada’s only girl-centered, independent day and boarding school located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on the unceded traditional territories of the Esquimalt Nations, Songhees Nations, and W̱SÁNEĆ Nations. Founded in 1908, SMS is an international centre for girl-centered learning and leadership development, providing empowering education for girls from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 (boarding grades 7–12). St. Margaret’s School is an International Baccalaureate (IB) School offering the Diploma Program.
St. Margaret’s School is seeking a self-motivated and team-oriented School Counsellor to provide social/emotional support and teach within the Social Emotional Education Program. The School Counsellor will work closely with the Director of Community, other Counsellors, Vice Principals, Boarding Staff and the Management Team to assist all students develop skills in the areas of personal and social growth.
The Counsellor will provide individual and group counselling services, and consult with students, parents, teachers and other school and community personnel to assist in meeting the needs of students. The Counsellor works as an integral part of a multi-disciplinary team using human development theories in combination with counselling theories and framework to guide school-based practice, to increase the well-being of students. The Counsellor is also expected to be comfortable teaching in the classroom, and further develop, lead and implement social- emotional health and wellness curricula.
Our school’s motto “service with love” embraces both individual pursuits and shared responsibilities. At SMS, teachers are required to participate in the extra-curricular life of the school, thereby educating the whole person and supporting students to develop the full range of their skills, talents, and interests.

REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• BC Teacher certification
• Minimum 4-year Bachelor’s Degree in Counselling or a related field
• Master’s Degree preferred in School Counselling or Counselling Psychology.
• Minimum 3 years of counselling experience in an educational setting or social service agency where one of three years may be internship.
• Experience working with children/youth experiencing social/emotional challenges.
• Experience working within a diverse team.
• Experience interacting with students, family members, staff, visitors and government agencies.
• Experience supporting students with diverse backgrounds and identities.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Knowledge and training in Safer School procedures and protocols (Erase Tool)
• Knowledge of sources on adolescent health data and research used to develop health and wellness, and social emotional education.
• Knowledge of educational software for reporting and attendance.
• Knowledge of Mental Health screening tools and basic assessments.
• Skills to manage complex student wellness needs.
• Skills to respond to acute mental health concerns or crisis and access required external services.
• Ability to negotiate with parents, teachers and support staff for students’ holistic wellness.
• Ability to support the delivery of social emotional programs and adapt according to class makeup.
• A second language would be considered an asset.

• Collaborate with the Director of Community and the School Based Team to collectively meet the needs of our learners.
• Initiate and coordinate school-wide counselling mental health wellness initiatives.
• Serve as primary contact for at risk students seeking counselling services for personal and socio/emotional needs; undertake initial intervention strategies and refer to school and community resources as appropriate.
• Work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team: (1) internally with the Director of Community, the Director of Boarding and Student Engagement, Student Services staff, school nurses, and school doctor; and (2) externally with social workers, health visitors, health nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists or any other involved professionals.
• Assist parents and teachers in understanding and responding to developmental levels of students.
• Assist teachers with the integration of guidance activities into the curriculum/ classroom.
• Help students resolve teacher and classroom concerns and assist students in developing advocacy and problem-solving skills.
• Work with Student Service colleagues to assess student and program needs, set goals, and formulate a plan of action and evaluation.
• Document measurable progress and observations.
• Collect and analyze behavioural data and communicate results to the team.
• Participate in transition planning for students.
• Seek input from teachers and staff to make decisions about the school prevention, intervention and services provided.
• Serve as a liaison between the school/family/community.
• Provide brief individual supportive counselling and follow up to monitor students social-emotional needs.
• Group facilitations for various types of support groups and/or interventions.
• Referrals to specialist services in the community and implements specialists’ recommendations in the school context.
• May assist in the planning, organization, and supervision of social events, field trips, sports and other activities.
• Adhere to the ethical standards of the teaching and counselling profession.
• Follow the laws, policies and procedures governing school programs.
• May on occasion be required to perform other related duties as assigned.
• Awareness and understanding of the social/emotional needs of girls in a gender neutral school.
• Superior communication, organizational and interpersonal skills in working with colleagues, parents support personnel with the school and larger community team.