JOB PURPOSE
The School Counsellor is a full-time staff member dedicated to providing essential, confidential counselling and wellbeing support to students. Collaborating closely with the multidisciplinary student support team, the counsellor adopts a holistic and proactive approach to student wellbeing and success, fostering personal, social-emotional, and academic growth in alignment with Aiglon’s Mind-Body-Spirit philosophy. This role involves significant contributions to the school's overall life, including pastoral and co-curricular duties.
KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Counselling & Student Support
- Provide individual and group counselling to students.
- Support students through personal, social, emotional, and academic challenges using a student-centered approach.
- Maintain professional boundaries and uphold confidentiality in accordance with school policies and ethical standards, while continually upholding the duty to disclose in cases where a child is at risk of significant harm.
- Encourage students to utilise house and tutor teams for early support, promoting the message that wellbeing is everyone's responsibility.
Wellbeing Coordination & Collaboration
- Work closely with Tutors, Houseparents (HPs), Assistant Houseparents (AHPs), House Assistants (HAs), Assistant Heads, the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), and the Health Centre to ensure cohesive support services.
- Maintain high levels of joint student support with House staff and the Health Centre.
- Consult with teachers and administrators on student mental health needs, offering intervention recommendations and helping to build staff confidence in managing lower-level emotional and mental health issues.
- Assist in developing and implementing school-wide wellbeing strategies, actively contributing to action plans.
Safeguarding & Confidentiality
- Maintain accurate and confidential records in line with legal and professional guidelines.
- Collaborate with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSLs), and the Deputy School Director to assess and implement interventions for students at risk.
- Contribute actively to safeguarding meetings and participate in necessary case reviews.
- Share relevant information with key pastoral staff while supporting a culture where students are encouraged to make disclosures.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice (DEIJ) Advocacy
- Promote an inclusive and culturally responsive approach to counselling and student wellbeing.
- Support students from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences with sensitivity and awareness.
- Collaborate with school leadership and DEIJ teams to enhance inclusive wellbeing initiatives.
Reflection & Program Development
- Monitor, assess, and evaluate the effectiveness of counselling services and wellbeing initiatives.
- Prepare termly reports for senior leadership on current trends.
- Collaborate within the department to assess the self-referral threshold, ensuring service capacity focuses on the most essential casework.
Training & Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
- Provide training and regular supervision to Wellbeing Ambassadors.
- Contribute to the school’s SEL curriculum, supporting initiatives that ensure clear developmental progression in wellbeing learning across year groups, particularly in emotional literacy, mindset, and strengths-based approaches.
Pastoral & Residential Life Contribution
- Serve as a full-time staff member, actively contributing to the overall life of the school.
- Participate in the Boarding Duty Rota, working approximately every third weekend during Saturday and Sunday activities/duties.
- Engage in activities such as meal times and house visits, fostering an approachable presence within the student community.
Co-Curricular & Wellbeing Programming
- Offer one regular activity per week, contributing to the school's diverse co-curricular program and supporting student enrichment.
- Contribute to school-wide wellbeing initiatives and curriculum, supporting wellbeing-led talks.
- Assist in developing age-appropriate mindset support and structured reflections for students, especially around Expeditions, to enhance resilience and coping skills.
Community Engagement & Trips
- Serve as a visible and approachable member of the school community to foster trust and accessibility.
- Be prepared to provide support, consultation, or intervention on Community, Leadership, and Expedition (CLE) trips as needed, ensuring student emotional and psychological safety during challenging experiences.
Crisis Support
- Be available to assist with urgent situations as reasonably possible.
- Collaborate with leadership and external agencies in cases that require immediate intervention.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.