How to Become a School Counselor
Know what the job entails., Implement and evaluate a school counseling program with four key components: Foundation (mission, vision, goals, ethics), Delivery (school counseling core curriculum lessons, planning, group and individual counseling)...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know what the job entails.
The role of a school counselor is to help children and adolescents succeed in school by developing their academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social competencies.
They encourage all students to pursue their interests and support their learning, college/career, and personal/social needs and skill development.
Their responsibilities include:
Knowing, affirming, and supporting every student on their caseload including monitoring their academic, career/college readiness, and personal/social competency development through individual planning, school counseling core curriculum lessons, and through advising.
They carefully monitor grades, ensure access to the strongest curriculum possible, work to lessen behavioral incidents, increase attendance, lessen tardies, and ensure appropriate supports for academic success and career and college readiness.
Ensure every student is taking rigorous classes and getting the credits they need to graduate from school.
Talking with every student about possible careers and career paths, the specific skills for college readiness (NOSCA's 8 College and Career Counseling Components:
Aspirations, Academic Planning, Extracurricular Engagement/Enrichment, College/Career Exploration/Selection, College Affordability Planning, Assessments, and Transition from HS to College/Career).
You can download these resources and other for free at the NOSCA website online: http://nosca.collegeboard.org .
Ensuring all students get the prerequisite courses they need to attend some sort of post-secondary education after graduation including 2 and 4 year colleges and career/tech schools. -
Step 2: Implement and evaluate a school counseling program with four key components: Foundation (mission
Advocacy, Leadership, Culturally Competent Counseling & Coordination, Teamwork and Collaboration, Equity Assessment Using Data and Systemic Change with all stakeholders Providing career and college fairs, multicultural awareness assemblies, and health education information sessions.
Helping a child or adolescent work toward his or her dreams can be incredibly rewarding, and many students stay in touch with their school counselors after the students graduate.School counselors get summers and holidays off since they work as part of the school system. , School counselors are passionate about helping every student reach their academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social goals.
They spend their days in the classroom delivering lessons, in advising and planning sessions with all students, and group and individual counseling with some students, and team and collaborate with all adult stakeholders using data to ensure that they can demonstrate how all students have improved based on their interventions.
School counselors need to be: patient, trustworthy, ethical, able to keep confidentiality and know and share the exceptions to it (danger to self or others, court subpoenas, etc.), comfortable with data and using evidence-based practice, and focused on equity to ensure every student receives academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social competencies. -
Step 3: vision
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Step 4: ethics)
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Step 5: Delivery (school counseling core curriculum lessons
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Step 6: planning
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Step 7: group and individual counseling)
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Step 8: Management (administrator agreement
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Step 9: use of data
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Step 10: small group action plans and results reports
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Step 11: school counseling curriculum action plans and results reports
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Step 12: closing achievement/opportunity gap action plans and results reports)
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Step 13: School Counseling Program Advisory Council) Accountability (Program Assessment
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Step 14: School Counselor Evaluation) (ASCA Model; Hatch & Bowers
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Step 15: 2002; ASCA
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Step 16: 2012) Giving students and other stakeholders specific tools to ensure school safety and put an end to bullying
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Step 17: harassment
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Step 18: and other violence issues that detract from successful learning for all students.
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Step 19: Reflect on whether you have the traits of a school counselor.
Detailed Guide
The role of a school counselor is to help children and adolescents succeed in school by developing their academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social competencies.
They encourage all students to pursue their interests and support their learning, college/career, and personal/social needs and skill development.
Their responsibilities include:
Knowing, affirming, and supporting every student on their caseload including monitoring their academic, career/college readiness, and personal/social competency development through individual planning, school counseling core curriculum lessons, and through advising.
They carefully monitor grades, ensure access to the strongest curriculum possible, work to lessen behavioral incidents, increase attendance, lessen tardies, and ensure appropriate supports for academic success and career and college readiness.
Ensure every student is taking rigorous classes and getting the credits they need to graduate from school.
Talking with every student about possible careers and career paths, the specific skills for college readiness (NOSCA's 8 College and Career Counseling Components:
Aspirations, Academic Planning, Extracurricular Engagement/Enrichment, College/Career Exploration/Selection, College Affordability Planning, Assessments, and Transition from HS to College/Career).
You can download these resources and other for free at the NOSCA website online: http://nosca.collegeboard.org .
Ensuring all students get the prerequisite courses they need to attend some sort of post-secondary education after graduation including 2 and 4 year colleges and career/tech schools.
Advocacy, Leadership, Culturally Competent Counseling & Coordination, Teamwork and Collaboration, Equity Assessment Using Data and Systemic Change with all stakeholders Providing career and college fairs, multicultural awareness assemblies, and health education information sessions.
Helping a child or adolescent work toward his or her dreams can be incredibly rewarding, and many students stay in touch with their school counselors after the students graduate.School counselors get summers and holidays off since they work as part of the school system. , School counselors are passionate about helping every student reach their academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social goals.
They spend their days in the classroom delivering lessons, in advising and planning sessions with all students, and group and individual counseling with some students, and team and collaborate with all adult stakeholders using data to ensure that they can demonstrate how all students have improved based on their interventions.
School counselors need to be: patient, trustworthy, ethical, able to keep confidentiality and know and share the exceptions to it (danger to self or others, court subpoenas, etc.), comfortable with data and using evidence-based practice, and focused on equity to ensure every student receives academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social competencies.
About the Author
Marilyn Long
Marilyn Long is an experienced writer with over 23 years of expertise in lifestyle and practical guides. Passionate about sharing practical knowledge, Marilyn creates easy-to-follow guides that help readers achieve their goals.
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