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Job Objective: The Student Counsellor is responsible for providing holistic support to students through academic counselling and personal counselling services. The role supports student success, retention, wellbeing, and progression by helping students address academic challenges, personal concerns and barriers that may affect their engagement and achievement. The postholder works closely with faculty, student support services and relevant stakeholders to ensure timely intervention, appropriate referral, and effective follow-up in accordance with institutional policies and procedures. The postholder will also serve as a specialist resource for supporting neurodivergent students, including those with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), dyslexia and related learning differences, and will contribute to the development of inclusive support strategies, accommodation recommendations, psychiatric/psychotherapeutic referrals, suicide and self-harm risk assessment and intervention strategies, and student success initiatives.
Responsibilities: • Provide academic counselling and guidance to potential and current students on programme requirements, course selection, academic regulations, progression pathways, and study planning.

• Provide specialised guidance and support to students experiencing executive functioning difficulties, including challenges related to organisation, time management, planning, prioritisation, self-regulation, and academic engagement.
• Support students with diagnosed or suspected neurodevelopmental conditions and learning differences through appropriate interventions, referrals, accommodation planning, and academic success strategies.
• Support students in understanding and complying with institutional academic policies, procedures, and deadlines.
• Provide one-to-one and, where appropriate, group counselling to students experiencing academic, personal, behavioural, emotional or interpersonal challenges affecting their learning and development.
• Respond appropriately to students facing personal difficulties or wellbeing concerns, while maintaining professional boundaries and acting within the scope of the role.
• Assess student needs and determine appropriate support strategies, including one-to-one sessions, awareness seminars and referral to external specialist services where required.
• Apply neurodiversity-affirming approaches where appropriate to support students with complex emotional, behavioural, social, or learning needs.
• Facilitate psychoeducational and skills-based interventions for students experiencing challenges related to ADHD, ASD, academic burnout, executive functioning, social communication, adjustment to higher education, and related concerns.
• Identify both ‘At-Risk’ and ‘Special Needs’ students and implement timely interventions to support retention, attendance, engagement, and academic success.
• Monitor student attendance, academic performance, and engagement indicators, and follow up on concerns in a timely manner.
• Conduct comprehensive assessments of student support needs and contribute to the development of individualised support plans for students requiring academic accommodations or additional interventions.
• Identify indicators of psychological distress, self-harm risk, suicidality, or significant functional impairment, and initiate appropriate intervention, referral, and follow-up procedures.
• Collaborate with academic staff, programme teams, and relevant support units to coordinate student support and resolve student-related concerns.
• Liaise, where appropriate and in line with institutional procedures, with parents, sponsors, and external stakeholders regarding student support matters.
• Plan and deliver workshops, awareness sessions and student engagement activities related to academic success, wellbeing, resilience, and study skills.
• Contribute to student induction, orientation, and transition support activities.
• Provide consultation and guidance to faculty and staff regarding neurodiversity, reasonable accommodations, student wellbeing concerns, and effective strategies for supporting students with additional needs.
• Develop and deliver training, awareness campaigns, and educational resources related to ADHD, ASD, learning differences, mental health, resilience, executive functioning, and inclusive educational practices.
• Maintain accurate, secure, and confidential records of counselling sessions, action plans, referrals, follow-up activities, and student progress.
• Prepare reports, summaries and trend analyses related to student counselling, progression, retention, and recurring student support issues.
• Support quality assurance, audit, accreditation, and reporting requirements related to student support services.
• Escalate complex, high-risk, or safeguarding-related matters to management or designated specialist services in accordance with institutional protocols.
• Maintain confidentiality, professional ethics and compliance with all applicable institutional policies, safeguarding requirements and data protection obligations.
• Undertake risk assessments and safety planning for students presenting with significant wellbeing concerns, and coordinate referrals to appropriate external mental health, medical, disability support, or specialist services where necessary.
• Undertake any other duties reasonably assigned by the Head of Centre in line with the nature of the role.

Requirements & Experiences: • Bachelor’s degree in Psychology / Counselling is required

• Master’s degree in a relevant field is desirable
• Membership of a relevant professional organization is desirable
• Knowledge of student counselling, academic advising and higher education systems is desirable
• More than 4-6 years of experience in academic counselling, student affairs or similar role in a higher education institution
• Experience in dealing with undergraduate students and academic support services is preferred