Greetings from Equitas Development Initiatives Trust!!
We are looking for
Job Purpose
The School Child Counsellor will be responsible for supporting the emotional, social, behavioural and overall wellbeing of students through individual counselling, small-group interventions, preventive wellbeing activities, and guidance to teachers and parents.
The counsellor will work closely with the Principal, teachers and parents to identify student concerns at an early stage, provide appropriate support, facilitate timely referrals where required, and contribute to creating a safe, supportive and positive school environment.
The role is primarily focused on school-based counselling, early identification, preventive support and referral, and is not intended to replace clinical mental-health services.
Key ResponsibilitiesA. Student Counselling & Support
- Provide individual counselling and emotional support to students experiencing:
- Emotional or behavioural concerns
- Anxiety, stress or academic pressure
- Peer and friendship-related issues
- Self-esteem and confidence concerns
- Family-related concerns affecting school functioning
- Social or communication difficulties
- Adolescent related concerns
- Concerns related to exposure to or risk of substance use
- Conduct age-appropriate counselling sessions using child-friendly and non-judgemental approaches.
- Help students develop healthy coping mechanisms, emotional regulation, problem-solving and communication skills.
- Provide short-term support and follow-up for students requiring continued monitoring.
- Conduct small-group counselling/intervention sessions wherever appropriate.
- Maintain appropriate records of counselling sessions and follow-up actions.
B. Early Identification & Student Wellbeing
- Work with teachers and school leadership for early identification of developmental, learning, emotional and behavioural concerns and facilitate appropriate intervention or referral in consultation with the school and parents.
- Identify early warning signs such as:
- Sudden behavioural changes
- Repeated conflicts
- Attendance concerns
- Decline in classroom participation or engagement
- Observe and identify possible indicators of:
- Persistent difficulties in reading, writing or spelling
- Difficulty understanding or following instructions
- Persistent difficulties with number concepts or basic mathematical skills
- Attention, concentration or memory-related difficulties
- Significant difficulty with language, communication or social interaction
- Support the school in conducting age-appropriate wellbeing activities or screening initiatives, where required.
- Document observations, suggest appropriate classroom/support strategies and facilitate referral to qualified professionals for further assessment wherever required.C. Teacher Support & Consultation
- Work with teachers to understand and address student emotional and behavioural concerns.
- Provide practical strategies to teachers for supporting students within the classroom.
- Conduct awareness sessions for teachers on topics such as:
- Understanding children's emotions and behaviour
- Positive behaviour management
- Building student confidence
- Identifying signs of emotional distress
- Peer relationships and bullying
- Creating an emotionally safe classroom
- Appropriate response to student disclosures
- Maintain confidentiality and share student information with teachers only on a need-to-know basis.
D. Parent Counselling & Guidance
- Meet parents/guardians when student concerns require parental involvement.
- Provide guidance to parents on age-appropriate emotional, behavioural and social concerns.
- Help parents understand and respond constructively to their child's needs.
- Encourage positive parent-child communication and supportive practices at home.
- Recommend external professional support where the child's needs are beyond the scope of school counselling.
- Maintain appropriate records of parent consultations.
E. Preventive & Wellbeing Programmes
- Plan and conduct age-appropriate student wellbeing sessions on topics such as:
- Emotional awareness and self-regulation
- Self-esteem and confidence
- Friendship and positive relationships
- Empathy and respect
- Bullying prevention
- Conflict resolution
- Stress and examination pressure
- Healthy use of technology and digital wellbeing
- Personal safety and help-seeking
- Responsible decision-making
- Transition and adjustment to new grades
- Use interactive approaches such as discussions, activities, stories, role plays, games and group activities.
- Support the school in promoting a positive and inclusive school climate.
F. Child Protection & Safeguarding
- Remain alert to signs of abuse, neglect, bullying, exploitation or other child-safety concerns.
- Respond appropriately to student disclosures and concerns.
- Follow the school's child protection and safeguarding procedures.
- Immediately escalate serious or safeguarding-related concerns to the designated school authority as per school policy.
- Maintain professional boundaries with students at all times.
- Understand that confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where there is a concern regarding a child's safety.
- Comply with applicable child protection requirements, including POCSO-related procedures wherever applicable.
G. Referral & Follow-up
- Identify cases that require support beyond the scope of school counselling.
- Facilitate appropriate referral to qualified professionals such as:
- Clinical psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Developmental paediatricians
- Special educators
- Speech and language professionals
- Other relevant specialists
- Coordinate with parents and school leadership regarding referrals, wherever appropriate.
- Maintain referral and follow-up records.
- Track whether appropriate support has been accessed, while respecting confidentiality and professional boundaries.
H. Documentation & Reporting
- Maintain confidential records of:
- Student counselling sessions
- Student referrals
- Follow-up interventions
- Parent consultations
- Teacher consultations
- Group counselling/wellbeing sessions
- External referrals
- Prepare periodic reports for the Principal/School Head covering:
- Number and broad categories of students supported
- Counselling and wellbeing activities conducted
- Follow-up status
- Referrals made
- Emerging student wellbeing trends
- Provide anonymised trends and insights to school leadership wherever possible, without unnecessary disclosure of individual student information.
Qualification
- Master's Degree in Psychology / Counselling Psychology / Child Psychology / Clinical Psychology / related field.
- Additional training in child protection, rehabilitation, adolescent counselling or related areas will be an advantage.
Experience
- 2 to 5 years of experience in Child Counselling, School Counselling, Student Support Services, Psychology, Child Development or similar roles.
- Experience working with children will be preferred.
Skills & Competencies
- Strong communication and active listening skills.
- Empathy, patience and emotional maturity.
- Child-friendly and non-judgemental approach.
- Strong observation and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to build trust and rapport with children.
- Sound judgement and problem-solving ability.
- Strong professional ethics and confidentiality.
- Ability to work effectively with teachers and parents.
- Good documentation and reporting skills.
- Ability to identify concerns requiring escalation or professional referral.
- Fluency in English and Tamil.
- Basic proficiency in MS Word, Excel and digital documentation tools.
Other Requirements
- Willingness to work 3 days a week for half a day as per the school's schedule.
- Willingness to follow all school policies relating to child protection, safeguarding, student wellbeing and professional conduct.
- Should be able to work collaboratively with the Principal, teachers and parents.
Pay: ₹20,000.00 - ₹25,000.00 per month
Work Location: In person
