School Counselor (Social and Wellbeing) – Yas American Academy (AY 2024/25)

Aldar Academies is currently seeking a School Counselor at Yas American Academy on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. 

This is an exciting opportunity to join the highly successful Aldar family of schools and to help shape the future of Abu Dhabi’s leading school group.

Yas American Academy opened in September 2016 providing high quality education to the Emirate. The children are taught the Massachusetts Common Core Curriculum – tailored to be meaningful to children attending the school, alongside the local curriculum of Arabic, Islamic Studies and Social Studies. Facilities at the school are excellent and include a large astro-turf field, two swimming pools, well stocked library, a large multi-purpose sports hall, an auditorium and outdoor play areas.

In a short period of time the school has achieved outstanding levels of progress and attainment, supported by rigorous tracking of assessment data. We have highly dedicated and talented staff, who work in partnership with parents to ensure success for all.

The successful candidates will be closely aligned with our core values and ethos and possess a genuine understanding and appreciation of the values of the region.

Job Purpose:

The School Counsellors will assist students with personal, family, educational, mental health, or career problems. The counsellors will advocate for students and work with other individuals and organizations to promote the academic, career, personal, and social development of the student.

Main Duties:

• Help students enhance personal, social, and academic growth
• Monitor the progress of individual students
• Make contact with parents to discuss student behaviour
• Take steps to prevent bullying and support victims of bullying
• Help students develop job search skills, such as resume writing and interviewing techniques
• Help students understand and deal with social, behaviour, and personal problems
• Emphasize preventive and developmental counselling to provide students with life skills needed to deal with problems before they worsen and to enhance students’ personal, social, and academic growth.
• Provide special services such as conflict resolution classes; identify cases of domestic abuse and other family problems that can affect a student’s development

Specific Duties:

GROUP COUNSELLING:

• Identifies areas that would be appropriate for intervention in the form of group counselling and regularly forms and leads appropriate groups.
• Utilizes both large (classroom) groups and small groups to make appropriate academic and behavioural interventions.

CAREER COUNSELING:

• Coordinates with the Counsellors regarding career options for students and provides appropriate information to students regarding careers.
• Assists the counsellors in providing students with information for career exploration and selection to assist them in making appropriate academic course selections relating to their interests.
• Maintains an appropriate library/database relating to various careers for students to utilize in their career explorations.

PERSONAL COUNSELLING:

• Works with individual students and groups of students in regards to appropriate social development issues.
• Maintains an awareness of cultural influences regarding social development of adolescents.
• Monitors students who may be at risk in regards to social issues and makes appropriate referrals for interventions outside of school in consultation with parents.

Qualifications:

Bachelor of Science/Education in Social Work 

Experience:

Minimum of 1 year experience in school counselling or other counselling experience required 

Job Specific Knowledge & Skills:

• Appropriate license to carryout student counselling
• Strong interpersonal skills with both students and parents
• Demonstrable organizational skills
• Strong desire to help others and should be able to inspire respect, trust, and confidence
• Must possess high emotional and physical energy to handle the array of problems addressed.