Emotional Guidance Counsellor

Workplace Circumstances

• Environment: Educational (schools / universities etc.)
• Languages: English, Khmer
• Location: Phnom Penh

Duties & Responsibilities

• Direct counselling and individual student support
• Provide evidence-based, age-appropriate individual emotional counselling and therapeutic guidance to students experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, peer conflicts, academic stress, trauma, or behavioral difficulties.
• Conduct structured initial psychological assessments and risk evaluations to determine appropriate level of care and support strategies.
• Maintain an active student caseload, scheduling regular sessions and monitoring therapeutic progress with structured clinical outcomes.
• Facilitate targeted small-group counselling sessions focusing on social skills, emotional regulation, resilience, bereavement, and transition management.
• Provide immediate triage, calm de-escalation, and stabilisation during acute emotional crises or mental health emergencies.
• Whole-school wellbeing and preventative guidance
• Design and deliver proactive mental health awareness programmes and wellbeing workshops for students across all key stages.
• Partner with pastoral leaders to enrich the PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) education curriculum with contemporary emotional intelligence topics.
• Organise whole-school initiatives promoting mental health awareness, anti-bullying, body positivity, mindfulness, and healthy digital habits.
• Provide specialist guidance to teaching staff on recognizing early signs of emotional distress, trauma, or changes in student behaviour.
• Safeguarding, child protection and inter-agency collaboration
• Serve as a key member of the school's Pastoral and Safeguarding Team, contributing professional clinical insight to case discussions.
• Identify, document, and report all safeguarding or child protection concerns immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) in strict accordance with SISPP policy and UK Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) standards.
• Participate in multi-agency case conferences, safeguarding reviews, and risk assessment panels for vulnerable students.
• Maintain rigorous, auditable confidential clinical records separate from general academic files, ensuring compliance with data protection laws and professional ethical standards.
• Parent consultation and community outreach
• Offer confidential consultations and support to parents and carers regarding their children's emotional and psychological development.
• Deliver interactive parent education sessions and coffee mornings covering topics such as adolescent development, managing anxiety, digital wellbeing, and positive parenting.
• Guide families towards accredited external specialists, local clinics, or international healthcare providers when specialised assessment or treatment is necessary.
• Maintain clear, empathetic, and culturally sensitive communication with families from diverse international backgrounds.
• Staff consultation, coaching and professional standards
• Provide professional consultation and supportive debriefing for teachers and staff managing complex student behavioural or emotional challenges.
• Maintain active registration with an accredited professional counselling or psychological body
• Engage in regular clinical supervision with a qualified external supervisor to ensure safe, ethical, and reflective professional practice.
• Keep up to date with international best practice in child and adolescent mental health, trauma-informed care, and school counselling methodologies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Counselling, Psychology, Psychotherapy or Social Work; active professional body membership.
• Postgraduate Degree in Child/Adolescent Counselling or Educational Psychology; Accredited Practitioner status.

Work History

• Post-qualification experience providing counselling to children and adolescents; experience handling complex mental health and trauma cases for 3 years as a minimum

General & Technical Skills

• Counselling experience within a British curriculum or international school environment; experience working in South-East Asia or multilingual contexts.
• Proficient in evidence-based therapeutic modalities (CBT, Person-Centred, Play Therapy, Solution-Focused); skilled in risk assessment and crisis management.
• Experience designing school-wide wellbeing frameworks, PSHE content, or mindfulness programmes.
• Exceptional interpersonal and active listening skills; compassionate, culturally responsive, and highly articulate in spoken and written English.
• Fluency in Khmer or another language relevant to the SISPP school community.
• Deep knowledge of child protection principles, boundaries, confidentiality.
• Advanced Safeguarding Lead training; Safer Recruitment certification.
• Strong case documentation, time management, and ability to use secure confidential logging platforms.
• Experience with school pastoral software (e.g., CPOMS)

Soft Skills

• Enjoys working with children, calm under pressure, highly resilient, approachable, discreet, and deeply committed to student welfare.
• Adaptable, collaborative team player with a sense of humour and constructive outlook.