School Counselor

The Akanksha Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide children from low-income communities with a high-quality education, enabling them to maximize their potential and transform their lives. Akanksha works primarily in the field of education, addressing formal education by initiating school reform through its School Project. Currently, Akanksha reaches out to the 9800 children through its 21 schools in Mumbai and Pune.

Position Summary: As an Akanksha Counsellor, while you will work to meet the needs of students with specific social/ emotional challenges and/or disabilities, you will also work with schools and key stakeholders to build spaces where different learners thrive in an inclusive classroom setting, where learning is holistic.

A key unique factor of the role is to support the schools from the lens of a “whole school approach”. Safety and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Development form the foundation of this approach. This will involve addressing the needs of learners, staff and the wider community and building the capacity of key stakeholders to ensure the overall wellbeing of children.

As a part of the counseling team, you will also be designing and facilitating modules and professional development sessions across the network. A counselor will visit the allocated schools within the city (1-2 schools)

What your role will entail:
With Children
- Doing Classroom Observations (for whole class and/or individual)
- Identifying children with socio-emotional, behavioral and learning difficulties
- Supporting children who require critical therapeutic intervention due to a traumatic event/reported abuse. Conducting One-on-one sessions with children and parents referred for counseling
- Facilitating Small group sessions (focussed groups) for children/parents with similar needs/concerns
- Conducting workshops/sessions with children in classrooms on relevant topics like Personal safety education, socio-emotional skills or sessions addressing the developmental needs (e.g. sessions on self awareness, communication, compassion)
- Documentation of cases and initiatives

With Teachers, Social Workers and School Leaders
- Capacity building of teachers to support children in the classroom.
- Regularly briefing the teachers, social workers and School Leaders about the status and progress of the children who are undergoing counselling.
- Collaborating with the school social worker to ensure necessary follow ups are done for individual counseling cases and for child safety cases
- Facilitating sessions in every school with the aim of building teacher, social worker and school leader awareness on child development (socio-emotional development) and child safety

Outside the Schools and With the Community
- Conducting home visits and meeting parents to work in collaboration to support the child
- Visiting homes in the community with the aim of understanding the family, its dynamics and other aspects which affect the children
- Capacity building of parents to help them address their concerns and build their parenting skills
- Working with the Social worker and collaborating with parents as partners in the child's development.

Network level Support and beyond
- Opting to be a part of one of the task forces under Student Wellbeing Centre of Innovation
- Contributing by leading projects, planning, designing modules, advocating, facilitating, supporting research work
- Facilitating workshops for external agencies as a part of the outreach multiplier programmes

Collaborations With External Agencies
- Coordinating with government hospitals for psychoeducational testing, Speech therapy, Occupational therapy

Collaborating with external experts for counseling of cases of severe distress or abuse. Collaborating with external experts for conducting capacity building sessions for the teachers and parents

With the team
- Working with a team of Counsellors and participating actively in opportunities for training and collaboration.
- Supporting team members and being open to sharing and learning skills

Expectation of Role Commitment: at least 2 years

Experience required:

- Experience of working directly with children/youth
- Experience in documenting case-work and planning workshops
- Prior experience in building capacity in teachers and parents with respect to child development and allied areas (preferred).
- 2 years or more of relevant experience in the field of education working with children and parents (preferred).

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

- An empathetic and patient approach towards counselees
- Having knowledge of trauma-informed and systems approaches
- Having group facilitation skills
- Comfortable using technology and working on online platforms
- Positive and solution-oriented attitude with the demonstration of strong work ethics and professionalism
- Highly motivated and persevering
- Openness to learning and willingness to actively participate in personal and professional develo