School Counselor

School Counselor

The mission of The Vanguard School is to help guide students in development of their character and academic potential through academically rigorous, content-rich educational programs.

Job Product:  Coordinated mental health services and resources aimed at supporting Vanguard students’ social/emotional health and academic success.

General Purpose:  The School Counselor serves as a resource to the building principals and as the connection between students and families to community resources in terms of behavioral health needs and crisis intervention.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Promotes the well-being of all students.
• Provides short-term counseling to assist students during transitions, triage counseling, and other high-stress situations.
• Provides immediate behavioral and crisis invention as necessary.
• Supports students, on a short-term basis, who need intensive mental health services; and makes recommendations for outside behavioral health therapy services.
• Assists teachers and administrators with behavioral and emotional issues by communicating with students to find the cause of their distress; works to maximize coping skills for students in difficult situations.
• Provides information to outside support services to help students and families with economic, emotional, or physical issues.
• Assists students/families in understanding school policies and procedures.
• Participates in Child Find meetings.
• Works with outside therapists/agencies to discuss support for students' long-term well-being.
• Understands, communicates, and complies with child welfare laws. If applicable, provides timely reporting, documentation, and record keeping of suspected child abuse and/or neglect.
• Provides suicide and threat assessments as requested by building leader.
• Provides re-entry meetings and is responsible for Safety Plans being created and distributed.
• Provides professional development training as requested.
• Provides support to building leaders for Safe2Tell reports.
• Maintains timely and accurate documentation.
• Adheres to laws protecting the confidentiality of students, parents, and staff.
• Other duties as required.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities 

• Knowledge of community resources for referrals.
• Knowledge of school counseling and brief intervention.
• Knowledge of typical child development and learning theories.
• Ability to successfully provide support to students and parents.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals and agencies.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Ability to perform risk assessments.
• Ability to meet schedules and timelines.
• Ability to plan, coordinate, and document in a timely manner.

Minimum Requirements:  

• Have a minimum of a master’s degree in counseling, Social Work, Psychology, or Human Service-related field.
• Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Special Service Provider License or Temporary Educator Eligibility (TEE) license.
• Willing to work with the right candidate if the applicant has a minimum of a master’s degree and a plan for getting their mental health provider license and CDE Special Service Provider license.  Upon gaining both a professional and CDE license, the position would no longer be an assistant role.

Salary Range:

$45,000 - $50,000 per year, based on qualifications.

Benefits: 

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance
• Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA) a lifetime monthly benefit in retirement. 

DISCLAIMERS

• You are required to disclose relevant issues related to criminal history, employment history, and licensure history in order to apply.
• All employees must submit to and pass a CBI / FBI fingerprint background check as a condition of employment. 
• The Vanguard School is subject to all federal and state laws and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, or ancestry in its programs and activities.