Under general direction of an educational administrator, to provide counseling for a diverse student population regarding personal, educational, career development/vocational choice, psychological testing, and other matters, utilizing various assessment techniques, to provide orientation and outreach efforts and crisis intervention and emergency counseling, to function as liaison between students and District faculty members, secondary schools, other post-secondary educational institutions, and the community, and to do related work, as required.
 

Examples Of Functions and Tasks

Academic Advising/ Educational Planning - ESSENTIAL: Assist students with the process of course selection and other educational processes/experiences; provide information regarding District degree/certification requirements; provide direction regarding selection of educational major(s); provide information regarding transfer requirements to other post-secondary educational institutions; develop Student Educational Plans (SEPs) with individual students, updating as necessary; evaluate student progress toward established goals. PERIPHERAL: Refer students to other District and/or external support services for assistance, as appropriate to meet student needs.

Career/ Vocational Counseling and Development - ESSENTIAL: Assist students to clarify life and career goals; provide assistance to students to develop greater self-knowledge and self-awareness to enhance self-esteem; provide "world of work" vocational information to students; obtain current labor market information for students; maintain information regarding occupational trends; utilize a variety of occupational resources and systems to serve student needs; administer to students and interpret various career assessment tools. PERIPHERAL: Provide students with job-seeking skills and strategies, as appropriate

Personal Counseling - ESSENTIAL: Provide personal counseling to students, as appropriate, regarding assistance with interpersonal relationship issues and problems, development of interpersonal communications skills, clarification of values and goals, psychological and/or behavioral difficulties, development of decision-making skills, chemical dependency problems, gender/sexuality issues and concerns, health problems and concerns, and/or other problems and concerns; provide referrals to students to external community mental health and/or professional counseling and/or other assistance agencies, as appropriate to meet student needs; provide crisis intervention and/or emergency counseling for students experiencing serious problems, as necessary to meet student needs.

Assessment and Interpretation - ESSENTIAL: Provide counseling to students to assure that assessment/matriculation regulations and guidelines are followed; administer to students and interpret various career assessment instruments; provide advisement to students based upon results of basic skills assessment.

Instruction - ESSENTIAL: Instruct Personal Development courses, including developing and providing curriculum for student enhancement, maintaining current occupational information and professional resources, reviewing current texts, presenting lectures and lessons, maintaining records of student grades and attendance, and participating in conferences and professional workshops, as authorized.

Outreach/ Liaison - ESSENTIAL: Participate in visits to local area high schools to provide outreach information; function as liaison between the District, local area high schools, and other post-secondary educational institutions regarding Counseling Center programs and services. PERIPHERAL: Attend community events as District representative, as authorized; provide bi-lingual translational assistance to students and prospective students regarding information on District and/or Counseling Center programs and services, as assigned and authorized.

Student Advocacy/ Development - ESSENTIAL: Facilitate support groups for students, as feasible and appropriate; provide workshops for students on topics of interest, as appropriate; refer students to District and/or external resources and support services, as appropriate to meet student needs; participate in new student orientation. PERIPHERAL: Participate as a member of student governmental and/or District shared governance and/or other committees with regard to student affairs, as feasible and appropriate.

District Programs - ESSENTIAL: Participate as a member of District shared governance and/or other committees regarding District affairs, as feasible and appropriate; function as liaison between Counseling Center and other District organizational units and/or individual faculty or other staff member(s), as necessary; participate in District institutional planning, as requested.

Specialized Programs - ESSENTIAL: Participate in program development for specific student and/or prospective student populations, as requested; coordinate activities of specialized programs, as requested; evaluate activities of specialized programs, as applicable.

Minimum Qualifications
Master’s in counseling, rehabilitation counseling, clinical psychology, counseling psychology, guidance counseling, educational counseling, social work, career development, marriage and family therapy or marriage, family and child counseling,

OR the equivalent

(NOTE: A bachelor’s degree in one of the listed degrees and a license as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) is an alternative qualification for this discipline.)

Knowledge of: ESSENTIAL: General counseling theories and practices. PERIPHERAL: Community resources; microcomputer operation.

Ability to: ESSENTIAL: Communicate effectively with and maintain effective and cooperative working relationships with students, staff, and managers; provide diverse counseling services to a diverse student population in areas of academic, career, and personal counseling, work independently, identify and solve problems; communicate effectively orally and in writing, listen effectively; follow oral and written directions; develop curriculum; instruct assigned classes; supervise student and/or other temporary help and/or classified employees; function well under pressure from deadlines, timetables, etc. PERIPHERAL: Maintain empathy, friendliness, and a sincere desire to help others; maintain flexibility with regard to responding to situations requiring tact, discretion, sensitivity, and creativity with respect to providing services to students on an individual basis; process large amounts of information and disseminate information accurately and clearly; operate a microcomputer.

Physical Suitability Requirements: ESSENTIAL: Incumbent must be able to function indoors in an office and/or classroom environment engaged in work of primarily a sedentary nature, and to accomplish the following, with or without reasonable accommodation: Almost Constantly: Sit, to accomplish desk work and to counsel students; utilize vision (near) to write and to read printed materials and computer screens; utilize hearing for ordinary and telephonic conversation and to hear sound prompts from equipment; utilize manual and finger dexterity to type/keyboard and/or utilize mouse and otherwise operate a microcomputer and other office equipment. Frequently: Utilize vision (far) to observe student demeanor during counseling sessions and observe students in the classroom; walk, to move about office, classroom, and campus environs; stand upright and forward flexing, to present lectures and lessons in the classroom.