School Counselor
Holy Name Catholic School - Omaha
Education
Full-Time
Location
Name of Facility: Holy Name SchoolAddress
2901 Fontenelle Blvd
Omaha, Nebraska
68104
Submitted By
Name: Tanya SantosEmail: tsantos@hnsomaha.org
Description
Department: PreS-8th Grade SchoolReports to: Principal
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
The certified school counselor provides leadership in the school through the implementation of a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program aligned with the district and school’s mission to promote academic, social/emotional, and college/career development, while ensuring equity and access for all students.Student Success for All
Designs and implement a data-driven, comprehensive school counseling program for all students to address barriers to student learning and to close the achievement/opportunity gap.
Spends a minimum of 80 percent of time providing direct services and 20 percent indirect services.
Direct services include, but are not limited to, school counseling core curriculum, individual counseling and student planning, classroom lessons, small group counseling, and preventative and responsive services.
Indirect services on behalf of students include, but not limited to, referrals for additional assistance and consultation/collaboration with parents, teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders to create a learning environment promoting educational equity, access, and success for every student.
Delivers programs that promote students’ development of essential mindsets and behavior standards including, but not limited to, learning skills, social skills, self-management skills, and college/career readiness skills.
Reviews and disaggregates student achievement, attendance, and behavior data to identify and implement interventions with current knowledge of promotion, retention, and graduation requirements.
Uses school data to identify and assist individual students who do not perform at grade level and do not have opportunities and resources to be successful in school.
Creates yearly, data-driven goals that advance student outcomes in areas of academic, social/emotional, and college/career development.
Uses the skills of leadership, advocacy and collaboration to create systemic change to improve the academic, social/emotional, and post-graduate
Requirements
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities1. Analytical Skills
A school counselor should be able to monitor, aggregate and analyze their students’ behavior. This will allow them to contextualize students’ actions to identify bigger issues. In an increasingly data-driven world, school counselors must also nurture this skill to provide the right interventions to the right students at the right times.
2. Critical-Thinking Skills
Pure numbers will never be able to replace human intuition and instinct. As such, critical-thinking skills are important for school counselors, who need to be able to make decisions quickly in response to dynamic learning environments.
3. Problem-Solving Skills
Good problem-solving skills aren’t just about treating symptoms as they arise; they’re about being able to identify and resolve core issues. Students may be acting out or misbehaving, but uncovering the deeper causes of that behavior can help them make sustainable positive change rather than simply reacting to a single outburst.
4. Communication Skills
A core school counselor skill is the ability to communicate effectively with students, parents, teachers and other administrators. These professionals must be able to communicate clearly, concisely and confidently with all stakeholders. Each audience requires its own approach, so school counselors need to adapt their communication style to the situation.
5. Empathetic Listening
Building upon communication skills is the ability to listen in a way that allows for students to open up and feel heard. Students often feel talked down to and misunderstood, so school counselors must strive to fully comprehend where their students are coming from.
6. Cultural Competency
A fundamental school counselor skill is being able to navigate various cultural backgrounds and experiences. If this skill isn’t nurtured, the rest may not matter.
Education and Experience
Bachelor's Degree in Education
Master's Degree in School Counseling