Head of the Department: Personal Counseling

PURPOSE OF THE JOB: The Head of Personal Counselling provides leadership, coordination, and oversight of Woodstock School’s mental health and socio-emotional support systems. This role promotes student and staff wellbeing; ensures high standards of clinical practice, safeguarding, and ethical conduct; develops counselling programmes aligned with international school expectations; and leads a multi-disciplinary counselling team in supporting student and staff growth within an inclusive, residential, multicultural environment. As a visible leader and positive change agent, the Head of Personal Counselling models Woodstock’s guiding principles, facilitates restorative practices, and teaches in ways that elicit greatness—intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. In both pastoral and professional ways, exemplify Our Calling by teaching in a way which Elicits Greatness and make decisions that align with our Guiding Principles. To know more, please visit About Woodstock.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

LEADERSHIP & ADMINISTRATION

• Provide strategic direction and a multi-year vision for counselling services, including programme design, resource planning, and policy development.
• Ensure departmental alignment with IB/MYP/DP expectations, CIS accreditation standards, and Indian safeguarding legislation in coordination with Woodstock’s Child Protection Officer.
• Develop and review departmental annual plans, assessment rubrics, methodology, and use of technology.
• Plan staff scheduling and rostering to ensure coverage at the upper and lower campuses for student and staff mental health and wellbeing services.
• Lead weekly departmental meetings, maintain agendas and minutes, and ensure documentation is accessible and archived.
• Prepare annual departmental budgets in coordination with the Dean of Student Life; oversee expenditures, resources, testing materials, software, and wellbeing curricula.
• Foster departmental ethos, belonging, and professional wellbeing.

CLINICAL & COUNSELLING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain confidential records of caseloads, interventions, and safety plans, ensuring that each counsellor maintains detailed case management records for each client.
• Support counsellors to conduct risk assessments for self-harm, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse; implement crisis-response protocols.
• Train and mentor school counselors in facilitation of restorative justice circles, mediation, and conflict-resolution meetings.
• Coordinate psycho-educational and socio-emotional assessments in collaboration with teachers and external clinicians.
• Support monitoring of students of concern in a non-disciplinary capacity.
• Attend psychiatrist consultations as needed based on family availability.
• Contribute to Woodstock’s PSHE curriculum development, planning and management as needed.

STAFF SUPERVISION, MENTORING, & DEVELOPMENT

• Provide supervision for 3 school counsellors who provide individual and group counselling for referred or self-referred students across K–12. Take individual cases as needed.
• Develop and ensure availability of mental health support services for Woodstock staff.
• Provide clinical supervision, reflective case consultation, and performance feedback to departmental counsellors.
• Conduct professional observations twice per semester and provide documented guidance.
• Mentor staff in trauma-informed practice, confidentiality, and restorative approaches.
• Identify training needs and recommend internal/external professional development.
• Induct new counselling staff; ensure they have curricular, material, and technological support.
• Facilitate counsellor Plans for Improvement where necessary with time-bound targets.

SAFEGUARDING & CRISIS MANAGEMENT

• Lead crisis-response efforts, escalating to medical, legal, or residential authorities when necessary.
• Ensure compliance with POCSO ACT requirements and Indian child-protection protocols.
• Advise staff on ethical disclosure, mandated reporting, and confidentiality boundaries.
• Support residential life staff during after-hours emergencies and dormitory crises.

STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS & CONDUCT SUPPORT

• Serve as first-line support for counsellors managing student behavioural and emotional concerns.
• Mediate disputes between students, faculty, and parents to restore healthy communication.
• Support positive student conduct during transitions, breaks, and school events.

COORDINATION, COLLABORATION & COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

• Work closely with the Socio-emotional Learning (SEN), Outdoor Education, Center for Imagination and Physical Education departments to coordinate wellness initiatives and activities for students and staff.
• Contribute to the Wellbeing Ambassadors program through training and mentoring.
• Consult with faculty and residence staff regarding emerging student needs.
• Organize and co-lead school-wide mental-health awareness initiatives.

DATA, REPORTING & QUALITY ASSURANCE

• Maintain data on referrals, interventions, external referrals, and crises.
• Review departmental effectiveness annually; report action items to the Dean of Student Life.
• Monitor consistency of documentation, assessment, and communication.

POLICY & PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT

• Design and implement a comprehensive wellness program focused on prevention of mental health challenges and promotion of psychosocial and physical health.
• Develop and update policies on necessary wellbeing and mental health topics as needed.
• Design prevention and intervention programmes (e.g., bullying, vaping, substance use recovery groups, managing academic anxiety, etc).
• Contribute to inclusive Religious Life policy adherence.

TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Organize and deliver staff workshops on trauma-informed care, classroom behaviour, and nonviolent communication.
• Provide in-service training for faculty and residence staff.
• Support curriculum decisions and selection of age-appropriate wellbeing content.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES

• Chaperone events, trips, and Activity Week activities (annually).
• Participate in relevant school committees.
• Provide on-call crisis availability during evenings/weekends as required.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR INDIAN APPLICANTS

• Master’s degree (M.A./M.Sc.) in Psychology from a recognized university.
• One of the following RCI-approved postgraduate qualifications: - M.Phil. in Clinical Psychology (RCI-recognized, 2-year, full-time), OR - PsyD in Clinical Psychology (RCI-recognized), OR - Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology preceded by an RCI-approved M.Phil. • Current RCI registration as a Clinical Psychologist.
• Minimum 2–3 years of post-qualification clinical experience (preferably with children/adolescents).
• Familiarity with multicultural contexts and Indian child-protection frameworks (e.g., POCSO).
• Experience in educational or international/IB environments preferred.
• Strong English proficiency; Hindi or regional language preferred.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR EXPATRIATE APPLICANTS

• Master’s degree or higher in Clinical Psychology or Licensed Clinical Social Work(or equivalent) from an accredited university.
• Legally recognized licensure/registration for independent clinical practice in home country.
• 2–3 years of verifiable post-licensure experience (youth preferred).
• Eligibility for temporary/special registration with the RCI.
• Familiarity with multicultural contexts and Indian child-protection frameworks (e.g., POCSO).

*Note: Expatriates cannot use the title Clinical Psychologist in India without RCI recognition; may serve as School Counsellor/Mental Health Specialist under supervision.

PREFERRED COMPETENCIES

• Additional training in CBT, DBT, play therapy, or trauma-informed care.
• Psycho-educational assessment experience (e.g., WISC-V, BASC, Conners).
• Crisis management and safeguarding expertise.
• Strong interpersonal, cross-cultural, and collaboration skills.
• Familiarity with ManageBac or similar LMS.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Boarding-school environment with regular evening/weekend commitments.
• Flexible scheduling around student needs.

COMMITMENT TO PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

• Engage in continuous professional learning, supervision, and credential maintenance.
• Participate in distance/hybrid counselling development as needed.