School Counsellor

The School Counsellor plays a key role in supporting the emotional well-being, personal development, and mental health of students across the school. The role is responsible for providing confidential counselling services, early intervention, and guidance to help students manage social, emotional, behavioural, and academic challenges.

The School Counsellor works collaboratively with students, parents, teachers, and school leaders to promote a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment where all students can thrive. The role also contributes to safeguarding, student welfare, resilience-building programmes, and the development of positive relationships and wellbeing initiatives across the school community.

Responsibilities:

1. Pastoral Care Support

Maintain procedures and practices that reflect the School's ethos and comply with Singapore's legislations and statutory requirements.

Oversee the development, review, monitoring, and implementation of all policies and procedures.

Coordinate the timely completion of all statutory and non-statutory training for relevant staff, ensuring records are accurately maintained and kept up to date.

Provide support and remain accessible to all staff, promoting staff well-being in the Pastoral Care department.

Advise and support staff, management and other stakeholders in all matters related to child protection.

Maintain strict confidentiality in all safeguarding matters, ensuring that information is only disclosed when authorised and in accordance with agreed protocols regarding its use, purpose, and recipients.

Assist with the integrated pastoral care service model collaborating with the therapy and teaching team in ensuring understanding of student social-emotional and behavioural strengths and needs through evaluation, educational program planning, and delivery.

Provide social-emotional and behavioural crisis response across school in line with SOS roster set by the department.

2. Counselling

Provide counselling support and programs for school students including but not limited to: education on understanding self and others, peer relationships, coping strategies, effective social skills, communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and multicultural/diversity awareness.

Collaborate with classroom teachers for individual students in the areas of goal setting, decision-making, transition plans, classroom behaviour, restorative conversations and conflict resolution.

Work collaboratively with classroom teacher, parents, and therapists to identify appropriate goals and develop programs for students, including the delivery of a Social-Emotional Learning curriculum in school classrooms.

Provide individual and small-group counselling, individual/family/school crisis intervention, and conflict resolution.

Educate and train parents, teachers and other professionals on a regular basis in the form of in-service trainings for staff, online workshops, and parent support groups.

Work collaboratively with the Admissions team, including conducting initial meetings with parents and prospective students, to assess student needs and determine suitable placement within the school.

Schedule, oversee and conduct assessments and testing as required to determine eligibility for student's placement in school.

3. Safety, Policies and Procedures

Ensure familiarity with TWS's Safeguarding Policy

Obtain certification in Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) Safety Intervention or other relevant crisis management training certification during the course of the year.

4. Documentation and Communication

Provide documented and consistent communication to parents, caregivers and professionals.

Complete behaviour incident reports on a daily basis, as necessary, within 24 hours of the incident. Details of incident to be communicated to parent via email/TEAMs within 24 hours of the incident.

Maintain up-to-date (shared) documentation in each student profile corresponding to Pastoral Care services received in the school year, updated at the end of each term.

Maintain updated clinical documentation for each student on caseload within the Pastoral & Counselling drives.

5. Other Duties

Attend and contribute to staff meetings as required.

Plan and facilitate focus groups during summer breaks, where required.

Maintain confidentiality of student, staff, and school information at all times.

Demonstrate professional, ethical, and respectful conduct in all aspects of the role.

Comply with The Winstedt School policies, procedures, and operational standards.

Develop professional knowledge and expertise through ongoing learning and participation in relevant professional development activities.

Work collaboratively and effectively within the team and with students, teachers, and other stakeholders.

Contribute to service development, review, and continuous improvement initiatives within the team.

Provide supervision and mentorship for other pastoral colleagues as appropriate and required by the team.

Any other duties as assigned and required by the Director of Therapy and Pastoral Care.

Requirements:

Master's Degree in Counselling or Psychology

Minimum3 years of working experience in an International School or Clinical setting

Candidate must also hold a professional license in Counselling and Psychology.

Qualified/registered member/or eligible for registration with Singapore Association of Counselling or Singapore Psychological Society.

Committed and passionate in inclusive education and moulding the next generation.

Enjoy working with diverse learners and motivated to help them succeed.

General knowledge and experience in the use of Microsoft Office, Outlook, and 21stCentury Classroom Technologies are required.

Appointment to this position requires proof of qualification and registration or membership with the appropriate registration authority or association. During the interview process, certified true copies must be provided to the HR Department when requested.