"Counselor"

Full Job Description

Under general direction of an educational administrator, to provide counseling to a diverse student population regarding personal, educational, career development/vocational choice, psychological testing, and other matters, utilizing various assessment techniques, to provide orientation and outreach efforts and crisis intervention and emergency counseling, to function as liaison between students and District faculty members, secondary schools, other post-secondary educational institutions, and the community, and to do related work, as required.

Example of Duties

Academic Advising/Educational Planning - ESSENTIAL:

Assist students with the process of course selection and other educational processes/experiences; provide information regarding District degree/certification requirements; provide direction regarding selection of educational major(s); provide information regarding transfer requirements to other post-secondary educational institutions; develop Student Educational Plans (SEPs) with individual students, updating as necessary; evaluate student progress toward established goals.

PERIPHERAL: Refer students to other District and/or external support services for assistance, as appropriate to meet student needs.

Career/Vocational Counseling and Development - ESSENTIAL:

Assist students to clarify life and career goals; provide assistance to students to develop greater self-knowledge and self-awareness to enhance self-esteem; provide "world of work" vocational information to students; obtain current labor market information for students; maintain information regarding occupational trends; utilize a variety of occupational resources and systems to serve student needs; administer to students and interpret various career assessment tools.

PERIPHERAL: Provide students with job-seeking skills and strategies, as appropriate.

Personal Counseling - ESSENTIAL:

Provide personal counseling to students, as appropriate, regarding assistance with interpersonal relationship issues and problems, development of interpersonal communications skills, clarification of values and goals, psychological and/or behavioral difficulties, development of decision-making skills, chemical dependency problems, gender/sexuality issues and concerns, health problems and concerns, and/or other problems and concerns; provide referrals to students to external community mental health and/or professional counseling and/or other assistance agencies, as appropriate to meet student needs; provide crisis intervention and/or emergency counseling for students experiencing serious problems, as necessary to meet student needs.

Assessment and Interpretation - ESSENTIAL:

Provide counseling to students to assure that assessment/matriculation regulations and guidelines are followed; administer to students and interpret various career assessment instruments; provide advisement to students based upon results of basic skills assessment.

Instruction - ESSENTIAL:

Instruct Personal Development courses, including developing and providing curriculum for student enhancement, maintaining current occupational information and professional resources, reviewing current texts, presenting lectures and lessons, maintaining records of student grades and attendance, and participating in conferences and professional workshops, as authorized.

Outreach/Liaison - ESSENTIAL:

Participate in visits to local area high schools to provide outreach information; function as liaison between the District, local area high schools, and other post-secondary educational institutions regarding Counseling Center programs and services.

PERIPHERAL: Attend community events as District representative, as authorized; provide bi-lingual translational assistance to students and prospective students regarding information on District and/or Counseling Center programs and services, as assigned and authorized.

Student Advocacy/Development - ESSENTIAL:

Facilitate support groups for students, as feasible and appropriate; provide workshops for students on topics of interest, as appropriate; refer students to District and/or external resources and support services, as appropriate to meet student needs; participate in new student orientation.

PERIPHERAL: Participate as a member of student governmental and/or District shared governance and/or other committees with regard to student affairs, as feasible and appropriate.

District Programs - ESSENTIAL:

Participate as a member of District shared governance and/or other committees regarding District affairs, as feasible and appropriate; function as liaison between Counseling Center and other District organizational units and/or individual faculty or other staff member(s), as necessary; participate in District institutional planning, as requested.

Specialized Programs - ESSENTIAL:

Participate in program development for specific student and/or prospective student populations, as requested; coordinate activities of specialized programs, as requested; evaluate activities of specialized programs, as applicable.

Supplemental Information

Why Sierra?

One of Aspen Institute's Top 150 Community Colleges in the nation. The Accrediting Commission recognized Sierra "for its exemplary practice of providing personnel with opportunities for continued professional development in order to meet its mission." This includes providing students and employees with a robust set of programs, events, and conferences related to equity-mindedness and supporting the success of our students, etc. Sierra has a commitment to culturally-responsive strategies and methods, and therefore all newly hired faculty participate in a Faculty Equity and Inclusion Certificate. State Teachers Retirement System (STRS). Competitive benefits package. 190 day per year contract. Qualifying Employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (in most cases). Sierra College is a Community College located near Sacramento, California where a heavy emphasis is placed on academic excellence and student success. Since its founding in 1936, Sierra College has focused on quality instruction and meeting the evolving needs of the students and communities that it serves. The Sierra Community College District covers more than 3,200 square miles and serves the Northern California foothill counties of Placer and Nevada, as well as parts of El Dorado and Sacramento. We serve over 17,000 students throughout the region in both on-ground and online courses, including students at our main Rocklin Campus as well as at two centers located in Grass Valley and Tahoe/Truckee. Our District prides itself on academic excellence. Sierra College has a strong commitment to the achievement of equity and inclusion among its faculty, staff, and students and values the rich, diverse backgrounds that make up the campus community. A strong candidate for this position must demonstrate a profound understanding of and experience with successfully supporting individuals with varying backgrounds. This includes persons with disabilities, various gender identities and sexual orientations, as well as individuals from historically underrepresented communities and other groups. Our District is committed to providing strategies for success and proactive student-centered practices and policies focused on eliminating equity gaps to ensure the District provides an inclusive educational and employment environment focused on strategies for success and equitable outcomes for all. As an institution, Sierra College is committed to eliminating the equity gap in all student populations with dynamic, learner-centered practices and policies that fully engage the college community. The ideal candidate will share the College's commitment to helping its racially and socioeconomically diverse students succeed in their degree and career objectives. Currently, Sierra College enrolls 17,800 students per term, where approximately: 23% of Sierra College's students are Latin(o)(a)(x)(e), 3% are African-American/Black, 2% are Filipino, 6% are Asian, 1% are American Indian/Alaskan Native, 8% are Multiethnic and 55% are White. The successful candidate will join a College dedicated to the use of culturally responsive teaching strategies and methods that meet the varying needs of our students and ensure a successful learning environment. Sierra College demonstrates its commitment to equity by supporting ongoing professional development for students, faculty, and staff. These opportunities include trainings and workshops on equity and inclusion, a Faculty Equity and Inclusion Certificate series, active Academic Senate standing committees concerned with student success and equity, a Presidential Equity Advisory Committee (PEAC), culturally responsive student engagement centers, support for our undocumented and AB540 students, campus-wide equity summits, a robust set of programs, events, and conferences related to equity-mindedness and supporting the success of our diverse students.

Compensation

Placement on the District's Faculty Salary Schedule is dependent upon years of experience and level of education. Entry-level is from $72,539.35 to $97,209.68 at the time of employment. The current highest salary attainable after employment is $130,270.24. The District offers a very competitive benefits package, which includes health and welfare as well as income protection. Employees also will be members of the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS). Sick leave, sabbatical, and other leaves are available according to the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.

Required Application Documents

There are five (5) required documents to apply for this position: Employment Application, Resume or Curriculum Vitae, Applicable transcripts with conferred degree and date (unofficial transcripts are accepted), Cover Letter that addresses the responsibilities and qualifications listed above on the job announcement. You will need to write this statement on a separate document and upload the attachment at the end of the application. The transferable experience, knowledge, skills and abilities for college-level counseling; Experience and expertise in culturally-responsive counseling methods, particularly as it relates to career, personal, and academic counseling. Evidence of responsiveness to and understanding of the racial, socioeconomic, academic, and cultural diversity within the community college student population, including students with different ability statuses (e.g., physical and/or learning), sexual orientations, gender identity and expressions as these factors relate to the need for equity-minded practices within counseling, the classroom, Student Services, and the campus community. Please respond to the prompt below for your Counseling Philosophy Statement. You will need to write this statement on a separate document and upload the attachment at the end of the application. What do you feel are the best strategies for supporting historically underrepresented and underserved students? Specifically, what are the key factors that contribute to their success and the closing of equity gaps from a counseling lens, particularly for African-American, Latin(o)(a)(x)(e), and Native American students with intersecting identities, such as LGBTQIA+, visible and invisible disabilities, and any other disproportionately impacted populations? Describe how your counseling approach has changed/evolved since you began counseling. Provide examples of what motivated the change(s). What role should counseling faculty play in equitable student success? How might that differ, be similar or integrate with the role of teaching faculty as related to equitable student success? Please describe your approach to equity-minded, restorative justice, and/or trauma informed practices in Counseling.