Position: Head of Department, Counselling

Organization: Avasara Academy

Location: Pune

Key Responsibilities

● Contribute to building a healthy and professional school culture that aligns with the Avasara values of Integrity, Reflection, Empathy, Excellence, Diversity, Fortitude, and Optimism

● Lead the Counselling Team to design and execute a comprehensive school counselling program

● Provide individual and group counselling services to students as needed while maintaining confidential records of the services provided

● Provide support and guidance to parents, members of faculty and other groups involved in the well-being of students

● Conduct diagnostic assessments to identify students with different learning needs and create specific interventions, refer them to other professionals

● Collaborate with members of faculty, other NGOs and professional organizations to assess needs of students, plan interventions and programs accordingly

● Participate in and conduct trainings, workshops, conferences for professional development

● Plan and conduct Counselling Classes as per the school schedule

● Conduct regular home visits to provide counselling services to families and involve them in their daughters’ socio-emotional journeys

● Plan and deliver Parent Engagement Workshops to assess parent needs, provide support accordingly and empower them

● Work closely with Advisors to strengthen the Advisory program and teacher-student relationships

● Work on strengthening and bringing more cohesion into the three socio-emotional support structures at Avasara; advisory, grade-level seminar and counselling

● Plan and implement activities to foster a feeling of sisterhood among students

● Update and report to the Head of School on counselling services and cases regularly and discuss short-term and long-term goals and plans

● Research and work on integrating SEL (socio-emotional learning) frameworks into our existing SEL support structures and pedagogy

● Take initiative and participate in other school activities and events

● Collaborate and work closely with the Senior College and Career Counsellor to plan and execute grade-wise college and career counselling programs.

Profile of the Ideal Candidate

● Excellent written and verbal communication skills

● Ability to work independently and collaborate effectively with others

● A genuine interest in helping students, adolescents and young adults strengthen their mental wellbeing

● A sincere interest in working with adolescents and their families

● A genuine interest in providing college and career guidance to students and exploring and studying this area in detail

● Patient and sensitive

● A mature and non-judgemental outlook

● Good multitasking skills, flexible and open

● Ability to think innovatively to identify solutions

● A wholehearted belief in the Avasara mission, vision and values

● A genuine desire to be a part of a community of changemakers

Desired Experience

● Master’s degree with specialisation in Clinical/Counselling/Educational/Child Psychology/Social Work or equivalent

● At least 10-12 years of relevant experience in socio-emotional counselling, therapy, mental health-related services or psychology

● At least 3-4 years of experience in college and career counselling

● Prior experience in working with parents and parent groups

● English language fluency is a must. Proficiency in Hindi and/or Marathi is preferred

● Computer fluency is a must