Our Educational Programs
Main Responsibilities
The School Guidance Counselor works with parents, teachers, school principal and community-based resources to enhance student success, academically, socially, and emotionally, in school by promoting an understanding of children’s strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and behaviors. It is the responsibility of the School Guidance Counselor to provide consultation services to parents and school staff to assist the early identification of the needs of students, and to help prevent and resolve problems that may become barriers to learning. To perform this job successfully, the School Guidance Counselor must be dual language proficient (Chinese/English) and able to perform the following essential duties efficiently and accurately:
1. Assessments
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Collaborate with teachers and parents to conduct psychosocial assessments and diagnosis of behavioral disabilities with recommendations and or environmental manipulations at the school, home, and or in the community.
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Participate as an active contributor in the shared decision-making process at the team and the school level.
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Assist in the application process of Individual Educational Plan (IEP), Title I, and CPS Child Find Screening as required.
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Collaborate with teachers/staff in the recognition, identification of child abuse/neglect situations.
2. Counseling and
Crisis Intervention/
Student Guidance
Part A - Counseling:
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Counsel individuals and small groups of students with problems interfering with their educational progress.
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Determine and implement appropriate strategies to effect changes in behavioral –social interactions of students and their families.
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Monitor students’ progress and follow up on student issues referred by school personnel.
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Keep the school Principal abreast on all ongoing counseling cases.
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Consult with teachers and parents to meet the developmental needs of students.
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Establish and maintain regular personal contact with families and student caregivers.
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Collaborate with teachers and parents to address students’ social, emotional, and behavioral obstacles to academic success.
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Other general counseling and administrative functions as needed.
Part B - Crisis Intervention:
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Work with the School Principal to establish the School Crisis Management Team.
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Develop and maintain Crisis Management Procedures.
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Develop, facilitate, and coordinate prevention activities and intervention strategies.
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Facilitate prevention, education and intervention activities in response to critical incidents.
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Deal with students experiencing emotional traumas (anger outbursts, anxiety, panic attacks, etc.)
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Assist students in dealing with family crisis (e.g., separation, divorce, illness, death, neglect and abuse, unemployment, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.).
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Intervene and assess students who demonstrate suicidal ideation and or behavior.
Part C - Student Guidance:
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Provide guidance to graduating students regarding high school selection and application.
3. Teachers/Staff Support
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Participate in class/students observation when requested by teachers or principal
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Consultation for teachers on students' academic struggles, behavioral issues, and emotional problems; suggest various intervention strategies, provide analysis of student’s personality which may contribute to the behavioral and emotional issues, offer to take an active part in meeting with parents to learn more about students’ home life.
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Support the Pre-K classes at the beginning of the school year when students have adjustment problems in separation at drop off time.
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Provide support and assistance in parent-teacher conference when requested.
Part A - Parent:
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Consult with parents regarding ways they can help their child become effective in school.
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Provide parent educational workshops on identified issues related to child development, stress reduction, discipline and safety, and teacher/parent/student communication. Topics may include academic failure, family issues, child abuse, attendance and or behavior problems, peer problems, and substance abuse.
Part B - Teachers/Staff:
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Participate as a resource person for in-service training and planning.
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Conduct staff training on issues related to social-emotional-environmental factors that impact learning.
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Provide consultation to teachers and staff on behavioral, emotional, and environmental issues affecting student participation in the learning process.
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Help students and families obtain needed services from the community/local agencies.
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Make appropriate referrals by referring students with problems and their parents to special programs, therapists, and outside agencies if additional counseling services are required.
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Build supportive resources from the community by consistently integrate community resources from partnerships such as school administrators, nurses, school psychologists, community-based psychologists, service agencies, and physicians.
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Participate in case conferences involving school personnel and community resources.
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Collaborate with school groups to develop coping, social, and decision-making skills.
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Update/improve the School Disciplinary Plan.
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Keep a record of student discipline.
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Maintain accurate records of all counseling and guidance activities.
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Protect the confidentiality of student counseling records and release personal data per state laws and Board policies.
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Submit a quarterly counseling report to the Principal.
6. Documentation
5. Community Resources
4. Education
