Posted: 16-Jun-25
Location: Austin , Texas
Type: Full Time
Preferred Education:
Job Title: Full-Time School Counselor
Reports To: Director of Student Support
Location: Austin International School
Salary: $60,000 - 70,000 (commensurate with experience and schedule (hourly or salaried, to be determined)
Term: August 6, 2025 – June 5, 2026
Type: Full-time, 40 hours/week
Benefits: Contractor and salaried candidates encouraged to apply
Comprehensive benefits package is available for salaried candidates including employer-sponsored health insurance, paid time off (school holidays and personal leave), and 401(k) retirement contributions. Tuition remission is also available for eligible dependents.
Austin International School is committed to building a diverse team. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds and identities to apply.
About Austin International School (AIS)
Austin International School (AIS) is a private, nonprofit, multi-accredited school in Austin, Texas, serving approximately 330 students from preschool through 8th grade. Our diverse community represents over 40 nationalities, and our students (50% male, 50% female) seamlessly learn in French, English, and Spanish through a French-based global curriculum. AIS is accredited by the French Ministry of Education (AEFE), the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), and is a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP). Our inclusive, multicultural environment fosters global citizenship, cross-cultural understanding, and academic excellence in three languages.
About the Position
Austin International School (AIS) is seeking a full-time school counselor with 5+ years of school experience and licensure as an LISW, school counselor license, or LPC-S. We strive to build a student support team that reflects the rich diversity of our student body and provides strong role models for all children. Additionally, it is paramount that our approach to student support and counseling aligns with the school’s values of adaptability, autonomy, creativity, inclusiveness, kindness, and responsibility.
This key leadership position within our student support team is ideal for a counselor with a strong sense of presence, experience managing school-wide initiatives, and an ability to connect authentically with students of all ages. This position plays a key role in supporting the social-emotional well-being of students across the school’s multilingual and multicultural environment for small issues such as adjustment to acute mental health and safety concerns as they may arise. This role has a particular focus on students with moderate to intensive needs of all ages, and addressing challenging topics for pre-adolescents and adolescents (grades 5 and up).
With a student body that is evenly split by gender, we value a counselor attuned to the social-emotional needs of all children and a wide range of developmental and cultural experiences. In this role, the school counselor provides individual and small group counseling, proactive in-class support to promote effective emotional-regulation and social skill development, leads school-wide PBIS and wellness initiatives, and collaborates with school leadership, teachers, families and students to cultivate and maintain a safe, inclusive, and nurturing school culture aligned with our school values.
This is a student-facing position designed for a compassionate, culturally competent professional with experience in school-based counseling, prevention programs for children and teens, and cross-cultural communication for our prekindergarten through grade eight program. Additionally, this role offers the opportunity to help shape and grow a comprehensive student support program within a collaborative and forward-thinking school community.
Key Responsibilities: All responsibilities apply to all students and all grades.
- Direct Student Support
- Provide short-term individual and small-group counseling to students presenting with moderate to intensive social-emotional, mental health or behavioral concerns
- Serve as a lead member of the school’s crisis response team, providing crisis support, assessment, mediation, and referral when urgent student needs arise.
- Provide proactive in-class support and presentations to discuss topics and teach skills related to health, wellness, and development. This includes topics that may be sensitive or challenging to address (e.g., anxiety, identity, boundaries, dating, substance abuse, bullying, social media use, etc.)
- Lead in the creation and implementation of behavior intervention plans and provide support for students with moderate to intensive behavioral needs.
- Maintain appropriate and confidential documentation of student support services in accordance with school policies.
- Manage an active caseload of students receiving support services, including progress tracking and case management responsibilities.
- Uphold ethical guidelines and all applicable federal, state, and school-level regulations related to confidentiality, mandated reporting, and student privacy (e.g., FERPA, Title IX).
- Serve as the schools title IX coordinator.
- Collaboration with Faculty and Families
- Partner with the Director of Student Support, part-time school counselor, school leadership, and classroom teachers to identify and serve students in need of moderate to support.
- Participate in student support meetings, contributing professional insight on emotional well-being and behavioral needs.
- Provide guidance to families navigating mental health and emotional development topics and needs; help connect families with external resources as needed.
- Support coordinated care between outside providers and the school for students with moderate to intensive needs.
- Serve as a liaison between school staff and external clinicians for shared students on the FTC caseload (PTC as needed).
- Schoolwide Wellness Initiatives and Program Development
- Collaborate with school leadership to deliver age-appropriate presentations and classroom workshops or wellness activities aligned with topics that may be sensitive or challenging to address.
- Contribute to the design or facilitation of faculty training related to child development, mental health, and student wellness.
- Participate in campus events, community education, or parent workshops. This may include creating, delivering, or collaborating on presentations that align with the counselor’s expertise.
- In collaboration with the Director of Student Support, lead the development and refinement of schoolwide crisis response protocols.
- Provide mentorship and regular consultation to the part-time school counselor, helping to ensure alignment and consistency across SEL initiatives.
- Assist the Director of Student Support in the program evaluation of schoolwide counseling services and student wellness initiatives, including contributing insight on effectiveness and future areas of growth
Qualifications
Required:
- Minimum 5 years of counseling experience in a school or child-centered setting. Comfort with children of all ages is a must.
- Master’s degree in School Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, or related field
- Current license as an LISW, Licensed School Counselor, or LPC-S
- Experience providing 1:1 school-based counseling and leading school-wide mental health or behavior initiatives
- Demonstrated ability to lead student wellness programming, behavior intervention plans, or restorative practices
- Experience working with children from diverse backgrounds and family structures, with a strong ability to establish rapport across age and gender lines.
- Proven strategies for engaging students who may be hesitant to open up.
- Commitment to confidentiality, professionalism, cultural humility, clear and compassionate communication, and ethical practice
- Significant experience with school-based programs such as:
- Social-Emotional Learning (e.g., Second Step, CASEL framework, RULER, ROX)
- Crisis Prevention and Intervention (e.g., QPR, ASIST, trauma-informed care, ATOD, healthy relationships, body image, and eating).
- Behavior Management, Behavior Intervention and Restorative Practices (e.g., PBIS, Restorative Circles, Responsive Classroom, etc.)
- At-Risk screening tools and referral processes
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training (e.g., culturally responsive practices, anti-bias education)
- CBT and DBT in Schools
- Legal and Ethical Compliance (e.g., FERPA, IDEA, Section 504, Title IX)
Preferred:
- Bilingualism w/ English is required; French and/or Spanish strongly preferred
- Experience in international, multilingual, or culturally diverse school settings
- Background in classroom teaching, instructional collaboration, or co-curricular leadership (e.g., advisory, student mentorship, athletics, recess, or afterschool clubs)
- Experience mentoring boys and young men or facilitating gender-responsive SEL programming (e.g., BAM, ROX)
- Training in restorative practices, behavior coaching, or conflict resolution/ Familiarity with psychoeducational or behavioral assessment tools