School Counsellor

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. Akanksha currently serves 10,000 children and 4000 alumni, through

its 26 schools in Pune, Mumbai & Nagpur Metropolitan Regions in partnership with

the municipalities.

Position: School Counselor

Function/Team: Counseling

Location: Kalewadi, Bopkhel.

Compensation: Based on skill sets, experience and sector standards.

Reporting Manager: School Leader

Supporting Manager: City Lead Counselor

Position Summary: As an Akanksha Counselor, 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”. Student Voice and Wellbeing 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

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 counseling.
- 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
- Co-planning and Leading Youth Development Spaces within school (like CT,

Empowerment, Advisory, Student Council etc) alongwith the School Leadership

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
- Advocating Student Voice and Wellbeing
- Contributing by leading or volunteering for project by planning, designing

modules, facilitating, supporting research work etc
- 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

**Job Types**: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: ₹35,000.00 - ₹37,000.00 per month

**Benefits**:

- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Provident Fund

Schedule:

- Day shift

**Experience**:

- total work: 1 year (required)

Work Location: In person