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The mission of the Upper School (US) Counselling Department at ISA is to provide personal, social, academic, college and career Counselling for all students in our Upper School (grades 6-12) community. The Counselling team partners with the Advisory program and follows the International School Counselling Association (ISCA) framework. Essential attributes of an ISA High School Counsellor include: Proficiency with technology (veracross, axiom, CPOMS, Unifrog, Toddle and Google Suite are the current platforms used in the Counselling department).
Through coordination and consultation, High School Counsellors serve to support all members of the ISA High School community in the following ways: Personal, Social, Academic and Career Counseling (Grade 9-12 Counsellors): ISA Counsellors promote personal, social, emotional, academic and career development for all students through proactive advisory lessons, group and individual meetings. HS Counsellors help all students with course selections to ensure that they have a rigorous yet balanced pathway that matches their personal strengths/needs and also helps them meet all graduation (and selected graduation pathway) requirements. Counsellors meet with all new families and assist with new student intakes, scheduling and onboarding. The Counselling team coordinates the New Student Orientation and Student Ambassador programme. Counsellors take an active role in developing and implementing ISA’s child safeguarding policies, protocols and training. Counsellors take an active role in advocating for ISA systems that support student wellbeing. Counsellors collaborate regularly with the following groups: 1) US Leadership Team 2) Admissions Team 3) Nursing Team 4) Child Safeguarding Coordinator 5) Grade Level Coordinators 6) External professionals 7) Upper School Counselling Team 8) Learning Support Department 9) Parents 10) US Faculty Counsellors collaborate regularly with teachers, administrators and parents to discuss student needs and to provide comprehensive support for their growth and development. The ISA Counselling program prepares and delivers lessons to support students in developing competencies in decision-making, career planning, interpersonal relationships, personal health & safety and personal responsibility. Counsellors regularly deliver their curriculum through the HS advisory programme. ISA Counsellors provide prevention, intervention and crisis response services to students and families. When necessary, Counsellors refer students and families to outside resources and then (if possible) partner closely with those outside agencies to work as a support team. Counsellors collect and analyse data to identify and address students’ needs. College/University Counselling (primarily Grade 11 & 12 Counsellors) Coach every student on graduation pathways & provide information about steps needed for worldwide University applications. Provide support and expertise (1:1, small group, grade level). Co-host visits (virtual and at ISA) from universities throughout the school year. Liaise with universities and admissions offices, worldwide. Remain up-to-date on college, university, careers and aptitude exploration resources and platforms. Support graduates as needed over summer holidays (IB releases results in July) Use Unifrog for US and European application processing and UCAS for UK application processing. Manage and track university applications, including processing school-issued support documents, following up with university representatives and troubleshooting as needed. Appropriate Counselling qualifications and a Bachelor's degree are required. A minimum of 4 years relevant teaching experience and a Masters degree are preferred; IB experience, especially if gained in an international school is highly desirable. Fluent proficiency in the English language is required
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