Job Summary:

The Personal Counselor works with co-Counselors in service to 500+ students.

Key Responsibilities:

• Actively supports the mission and charism of the School; demonstrates an understanding of and enthusiasm for secondary education, for girls education, and for Catholic education.
• Designs and implements a counseling curriculum for students addressing the academic and emotional needs of adolescents.
• Facilitates student counseling groups once an academic cycle.
• Organizes and facilitates small group and individual counseling sessions with students as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Faculty & Staff Partnership:

• Works collaboratively with members of the school community (teachers, the Academic Dean, Dean of Student Life, School Nurse, etc.) to address students of concern and to share information about individual and collective student well-being.
• Attends regularly scheduled faculty meetings, grade level meetings, and student services team meetings.
• Collaborates with the College Counseling Office in writing college recommendations for seniors.

Parent & External Partnership/s:

Counselors are a resource for parents.

• Discuss parents academic, social, emotional questions and concerns about their daughters.
• Design and implement a variety of parent and family programs throughout the academic year, including a variety of assemblies and community conversations.

Counselors partner with external care providers to support families.

• Make referrals to outside agencies and specialists as needed and ensure appropriate documentation of therapeutic relationships, release forms, etc. to effectively care for students on campus.
• Maintain contact with outside specialists caring for students.
• Attend professional development workshops to remain current on topics related to adolescent development, as well as monthly meetings of the Washington Area Independent School Counselors.

Job Requirements:

Academic and professional experiences:

• Masters Degree in school counseling or a related field required.
• Minimum of five years of relevant counseling experience in Catholic or independent schools preferred.
• Previous experience supporting and teaching young women in an all-girls learning environment is ideal.

Interpersonal competencies:

• Must be willing to work closely with colleagues and students in a dynamic, collaborative setting.
• Display empathy and cultivate positive relationships, particularly with young people.
• Possess discretion and maintain high standards of professionalism, to include responsibility for ongoing professional development and training (supported by the school and of individual professional interest) in standards of confidentiality, collaboration, mandatory reporting expectations, etc.
• Time management, flexibility to respond to emergent situations, and the ability to make good judgements and quick decisions are essential.
• Outstanding oral and written communication is essential; collaboration with students, parents, faculty, and school leaders is ongoing.

Technological competencies:

• Must be comfortable with school data management systems, Google apps, MS applications, etc.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to talk; finger; grasp; sit for extended periods of time; and repetitive motion
• Sedentary work: possibly exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry or otherwise move objects
• Ability to move around campus and into several non-ADA compliant buildings
• Working conditions: this position is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions

Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to their age, color, disability status, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, sex, veteran status, or any other class protected by state or federal law. As a Catholic school, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School reserves the right to use religion as a hiring criterion for selected positions, as permitted by law. Employment offers are contingent on the satisfactory outcome of a standard background screening.

Proof of vaccination is required for this position.