Personal Counselor

Kodaikanal International School is a 120-year-old dynamic international school with a rich history of holistic education, offering the IB continuum of the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP) to our learners. Our beautiful school and community are nestled in the Palani Hills of Tamil Nadu, South India.

At KIS, we empower our students to navigate through life’s challenges to achieve their true potential. We follow an inquiry-based approach that promotes critical thinking, learner agency and a dedication to serving others. We recognize the importance of a meaningful, relevant and engaging curriculum that connects students to real-world contexts for their learning. We are keenly aware of the need to adapt our teaching and learning model to respond to the needs of our students in a world of fast-paced change.

**Role**:
This position is a full-time role. The Personal Counsellor is responsible to provide school-wide support and best-practice mental health counselling at an international residential school. Counselling includes: diagnosis and treatment and/or external referral medical treatment and medications when necessary. All members of the KIS professional community are expected to fully support a residential-school ethos and environment.

**About Kodaikanal International School**:
KIS Vision Statement: We strive to be a school the world needs: Our graduates will be transformative leaders, caring humans and thoughtful ambassadors for a just, sustainable and peaceful world.

KIS Mission Statement: Kodaikanal International School (KIS) is committed to empowering young people from diverse backgrounds with vision, knowledge, compassion and cross-cultural understanding. We are a community that welcomes everyone and seeks our purpose in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

KIS Values: Accountability, Appreciation, Concern for Others, Consistency, Context, Cooperation, Integrity, Openness, Performance, and Reverence.

**We are seeking colleagues who are driven by**:

- a strong belief in KIS’s guiding principles;
- the IB philosophy;
- service and action;
- a focus on trust, relationships and community.

**Our learning environment is characterized as**:

- inquiry-based learning;
- fostering agency in our learners;
- transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary;
- service-oriented;
- diverse, safe and inclusive.

**Safeguarding Statement**:
KIS is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people in our care. We support the rights of the child and will act without hesitation to ensure a child-safe environment. We also support the rights and wellbeing of our staff and volunteers and encourage their active participation in building and maintaining a secure environment for all participants. Teachers at KIS must follow the guidelines of the school’s protective behavior policies and protocols, including reporting any situation that might constitute a health and/or safety hazard to students or school employees.

**Qualifications & Experiences**:
**Preferred Qualifications**:

- Clinical psychologist or counseling psychologist, preferably licensed, with a minimum of 5 years of work experience, preferably with adolescents.
- Proficient in counseling skills and techniques and adopting and implementing appropriate and specific solutions and goals.
- Knowledge of the personal, developmental, and academic needs and challenges facing children and adolescents, and all aspects of children’s emotional and psychological health.
- Experience in a residential-school setting, or experience working with residential schools (preferred).

**Preferred Skills and Dispositions**:

- Proven ability to work successfully in a diverse and inclusive environment;
- Ability to communicate effectively with students, parents, teachers and others;
- Understanding and awareness of the challenges faced by learners in a multicultural environment;
- Dedication to student learning;
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills;
- Strong organizational skills;
- Team player with ability to delegate and coordinate work;
- Willing to work creatively with available materials/ resources;
- Able to create and teach interdisciplinary lessons;
- Capacity to support the goals and mission of KIS through his/her personal philosophy.

**Reports to**:Dean of Residential Life***
**Coordinates with**: Counselors, Coordinators, departmental leaders and colleagues, secondary teachers.
**Time Period**: Initial 2-year contract, potential extensions after initial contract.

**Responsibilities**:
**Instruction**

A KIS Personal Counselor:

- Along with the Dean of Religious Life, responsible for planning and implementing comprehensive and effective Social and Emotional Learning and Living (SELL) programs at KIS.
- Responsible for promoting the school’s child protection and welfare policies and serving as the school’s Child Protection Officer.
- Counsel students on a one-on-one basis f