Primary Purpose:

The primary role of the Mental Health Counselor is to assist with identifying and providing support to students, families, and campuses in an effort to overcome barriers that interfere with learning through the use of assessment, counseling, consultation, and coordination of school and community resources. The Mental Health Counselor utilizes knowledge of human behavior, social, emotional, and community systems to guide service delivery. The applicant must have general knowledge of and function within the district's crisis response framework and structure interventions accordingly.

Qualifications:

Education/Certification:

• Valid Texas Certificate as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) (or related licensure), preferred
• Master's degree in Counseling or related counseling field from a recognized, accredited college or university, preferred
• Three years of counseling experience, preferred
• Applicant is responsible for maintaining active licensure throughout employment

Special Knowledge/Skills:

• Knowledge of school district organization and operations.
• Knowledge of counseling and mental health.
• Thorough knowledge of social services and programs available to meet a range of mental health, physical health, academic, and social service needs, as well as knowledge of state, local, and federal laws impacting the lives of students (e.g. laws regarding child abuse and neglect).
• Experience in crisis response.
• Ability to conduct interventions within a broad range of settings in a professional manner.
• Must work effectively within a multidisciplinary team, maintain appropriate boundaries, and serve as a liaison between school and community.
• Must be able to manage a student caseload for multiple campuses simultaneously.
• Excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills.Exhibit good listening, negotiation, and collaboration skills.
• Demonstrate ability to work with diverse individuals and community groups.
• Display professionalism, remains composed under stress, and takes responsibility for personal and organizational commitments.
• Able to work independently and possesses organization/time management and prioritization skills.

Major Responsibilities and Duties:

• 1. Assessment of individuals and families with the goal of improving student social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes.
  2. Support school staff to provide interventions to remove barriers to learning.
  3. Complete assessment of campus needs to prioritize service delivery.
  4. Provide consultation to school personnel, parents/guardians, and community partners for the purpose of enhancing their understanding of student needs, developing effective interventions, and building school capacity.
  5. Collaborate with campus administration to increase accessibility and effectiveness of services.
  6. Provide individual and small group counseling to identified students.
  7. Provide crisis intervention counseling and/or education with adults, children, and families experiencing emotional disturbances, mental health concerns that may impact school safety, or problems related to substance abuse.
  8. Provide intervention in cases involving child abuse/neglect, domestic violence and sexual assault.
  9. Act as a liaison with community agencies to ensure continuity of services.
  10. Serve on the district crisis team and threat assessment team.   
  11. Facilitate crisis response at GISD campuses, as well as providing support as needed during a district-wide crisis.
  12. Provide crisis counseling and/or consultant services.
  13. Demonstrate the understanding and use of evidence-informed practices in their interventions.
  14. Utilize data in assessing needs of, and planning interventions for individual students, groups, and/or the whole school population.
  15. Design and provide professional development and workshops for administrators, faculty and community members to support the understanding of social and emotional barriers to learning.
  16. Maintain accurate, complete, and punctual records, as well as safeguards the privacy and confidentiality of information as required by law, district policy, and licensing requirements.
  17. Ensure that students and their families are provided services within the context of multicultural understanding and competence.
  18. Interpret individual and family medical and psychosocial histories and communicate with administration risk concerns.
  19. Maintain documentation of therapeutic services provided.
  20. Recognize signs and symptoms of chemical dependency disorders.
  21. Serve as primary contact and liaison for specified mental health concerns from schools to community concerning counseling.
  22. Assist in classroom and/or behavioral management planning with parents and professional personnel.
  23. Possess knowledge and the insight of the importance of thorough risk assessments for suicide and homicide.
  24. Demonstrate a commitment to the values and ethics of the individual's professional code of ethics. 
  25. Meet the minimum professional development requirements as set forth by the licensing board.
  26. Adhere to state and district mandated reporting requirements as they pertain to safety concerns.
  27. Perform other duties as assigned. 

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Possible supervision for assistant-level professionals, at the discretion of board regulations.

Working Conditions:

Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors

Tools/Equipment Used:

Standard office equipment including personal computer and peripherals, prolonged use of computers

Posture: 

Prolonged sitting; occasional bending/stooping, pushing/pulling, and twisting

Motion: 

Repetitive hand motions including frequent keyboarding and use of mouse; occasional reaching

Lifting: 

Occasional light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds)

Environment: 

May work prolonged or irregular hours; occasional district wide travel

Mental Demands: 

Work with frequent interruptions; maintain emotional control under stress; frequent prolonged and irregular hours; deadline-driven workload; frequent contact with parents, community, and/or district/campus employees

The foregoing statements describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.