School District of Philadelphia·Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Provides comprehensive counseling services to foster students' academic, personal, and social development. Acts as a primary resource for crisis intervention, child abuse reporting, and collaboration with community agencies.
Job Summary Provides counseling services that foster the academic, personal, social, and career development of all students.
Provides individual/group counseling and guidance for students and implements broad based programs that deal with decision making, conflict resolution, self esteem, coping strategies, and other issues.
Serves as both the primary agent for addressing issues that impact students at risk of failing to attain their full academic potential and the school-based resource for dealing with child abuse/neglect and crisis prevention/intervention.
Acts as a liaison between the school and various community/governmental agencies that may provide services to students and their families and participates on the school’s multidisciplinary committee.
NOTE: External candidates or current SDP employees seeking to reclassify into a School Counselor role must go through, at least, two-steps to complete in order to determine eligibility.
First step is completion of the Eligibility Application to ensure minimum requirements are met, and the second step is an interview with members of the District’s Prevention and Intervention office.
Bilingual School Counselors must go through a third-step, which is a language assessment to confirm the bilingual skill.
Essential Functions Provides general school counseling and guidance programs/services including individual and group counseling and guidance; Implements broad based programs dealing with decision-making, conflict resolution, self esteem, coping strategies, and other issues; Plans and provides classroom guidance focusing on social and emotional issues, family and/or peer relationships, and decision-making; Provides formal and informal counseling services to students and their parents concerning issues that are affecting or may affect the students’ school adjustment; Serves as the primary agent for addressing issues that impact students at risk of failing to attain their full academic potential; Serves as the school-based resource for dealing with child abuse/neglect and crisis prevention/intervention; Participates in team interventions with other staff to support students; Participates on the school’s multidisciplinary committee that includes other staff members; Collaborates with parents, teachers, and other staff members in the planning and implementation of a comprehensive educational program for students; Makes referrals to outside agencies as needed and provides ongoing follow-up services to students and their families; Gathers and disseminates information on critical issues such as student substance abuse, child abuse/neglect, suicide prevention/intervention, preteen/teen pregnancy, and homelessness; Keeps abreast of current techniques and trends in school counseling and guidance for elementary, middle, and/or high school students; Prepares and maintains student counseling records; Prepares reports on students, correspondence, and statistical summaries; Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with representatives of various community/governmental agencies to facilitate the availability and accessibility of services to meet the needs of students and their families.
For bilingual Counselors (in addition to the above) Communicates with bilingual or deaf/hearing impaired students/families using English and a specified world language, or English and American Sign Language or Signed English; Provides students and families with general school and guidance programs and services in English and a specified world language, or English and American Sign Language or Signed English; Creates an environment in which schools have access to bilingual counseling/guidance materials that address their needs and interests; Keeps abreast of current techniques and trends in bilingual school counseling and guidance.
PLEASE NOTE: Salary is commensurate with experience in education and educational attainment.
Both prior experience and educational degree must go through the District's verification process in order for final salary to be confirmed.
Please click this link to read through the process and download the verification forms for your previous employer(s) to complete.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.
The School District of Philadelphia provides to all persons equal access to all categories of employment in this District, regardless of race, color, age, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin or handicap/disability, gender identity, or genetic information. Please refer to Board Policy 104 for further information regarding the District's commitment to Nondiscrimination in Employment Practices.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.
The School District of Philadelphia provides to all persons equal access to all categories of employment in this District, regardless of race, color, age, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin or handicap/disability, gender identity, or genetic information. Please refer to Board Policy 104 for further information regarding the District's commitment to Nondiscrimination in Employment Practices.
Market context
In Pennsylvania, secondary school counselor roles are typically driven by student support needs, academic planning, and social-emotional services in middle and high schools. These positions are competitive because districts look for candidates with a master’s degree, a valid Pennsylvania instructional specialist certificate in school counseling, and readiness for an eligibility application and interview process. Review the district’s counseling priorities and tailor examples of student support work, and note that the job requirements and benefits here are AI-summarized from the original posting to save research time.
SY 26-27 Elementary School Counselor - K-6
SY 26-27 Elementary School Counselor - K-6
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