What does a school counselor do?

Being a school counselor is like being a stock investor. They both need: 👉A deep understanding of trends happening in the world. 👉Understanding of technical principles. 👉Ability to use intuition and sound judgment to make decisions. 👉Having a strategy and plan on what to do next. 👉Patience and adaptability in high stress situations. 👉Analytical and problem solving skills. 👉Excellent verbal communication skills. School Counselors are no different. School counselors constantly seek out ways to alleviate their bottomless pit of questions and frustrations so that they can help support their students. With the right x-factor and problem solving skills, you will always find a way to improve someone’s day! 🙂 DM me to connect :)

Being a school counselor is like being a trusted guide on a journey. Just like a GPS helps you navigate, we help students navigate their emotions, relationships, and challenges faced during their educational journey. Like the extraordinary multi-taskers that we are, school counselors provide a beacon of support and guidance to students, teachers, and parents. From helping students manage stress, developing social skills, or making important decisions, our role is to be present, offering a listening ear and practical advice, and most importantly, connecting students with resources, opportunities, and strategies to help them thrive.

As a school counselor I can tell you that we do a lot. We are there for the students that need someone to talk to, some to listen, someone to understand what they are going through. I have worked all over the world and just having someone there for you is worth more than you can imagine. Students today have it a lot worse than when we went to school. Pressure is not just from family or friends at school but social media too. In a world where is everything is at your finger tips is good and bad at the same time. It might seem like we are just hanging around and that is because you never needed help or chose not to ask for it. But being there is half the battle won for some kids.

Students cognitive, social and emotional development depends on school counsellors. They work with teachers and parents to identify and solve student needs, including academic aspirations, career paths and personal issues. Effective communication, empathy, problem-solving and educational system knowledge are essential for school counsellors. They must be skilled at creating a welcoming school climate, implementing guidance programmes, and helping children throughout adolescence. Data analysis and evaluation skills let them track student development and adapt treatments. Successful school counsellors use interpersonal, analytical and educational skills to help pupils holistically.

Exemplary counseling skills are vital for school counselors to build trust-based relationships, have meaningful dialogues and positively impact young minds. These include qualities like empathy, compassion and active listening without judgement especially when dealing with sensitive student issues. Counselors need competence to assess situations holistically asking right questions and guide students to appropriate resources. Strong collaboration skills enable working alongside families, teachers, social workers to drive best outcomes. Organizational abilities in data analysis, presenting student trends and strategizing systemic improvements is equally critical.

School counselors play a crucial role in fostering students' emotional and academic development. Their effectiveness hinges on maintaining an open mind during counseling sessions, devoid of preconceptions or biases. Additionally, they must embrace a growth mindset, encouraging resilience and personal growth among students. Equally vital is their role in psychoeducating parents, teachers, and peers, promoting understanding and support within the school community. School counselors serve as advocates for students' holistic well-being, guiding them towards success both inside and outside the classroom.

Two essential skills a school counselors should possess are: 1) Empathy: This allows counselors to understand and share the feelings of students, which is crucial for building rapport and providing effective support. 2) Communication: Effective communication is vital for school counselors to share information, understand students’ needs, and collaborate with parents and teachers

School counseling requires empathy, compassion, cultural competency, organization and collaboration. Counselors build trust and rapport through active listening and accessibility. They calmly guide students through challenges with understanding. Counselors demonstrate emotional intelligence in difficult conversations about trauma, discrimination or loss. With coordination expertise, they bring school staff, families and community providers together to deliver robust support. Counselors employ data analysis to identify student needs, while leveraging tools like MBTI assessments for self-discovery. Clear communication - through classroom lessons, presentations, newsletters and websites - conveys their role.

At minimum, a Masters in Education with a School Counseling emphasis is needed. Often schools try to interchange the School Social Worker with the School Counselor, and although some skill sets are the same, the lens in which you do the work is different. Just because a person is good with kids does not mean that they are a school counselor. Understanding the multifaceted dimensions of doing this job well does take continued study and professional development.

School counselor qualifications include minimum master's degrees in school counseling or education, meeting state certification and license guidelines. Graduate training covers child development theories, ethics, counseling approaches, education systems and policies and cultural issues. Many states require school counseling exam passage and professional endorsements. Some public schools want teaching certificates or prior teaching experience too. Ongoing professional development on topics like suicide prevention, motivational interviewing, threat assessment response and education technology is also essential. Outside graduate coursework, counselors build abilities like public speaking, program development and group facilitation.

School counselors require minimum master’s degree in school counseling meeting state license and certification requirements with mandatory clinical internship hours. Many have prior teaching experience bringing deeper insight on curriculum and classroom dynamics. They must complete security background checks. Subject matter expertise in child psychology, adolescent development, mental health interventions, academic policies, career pathways and counseling best practices is imperative through continuous professional development. Counselors may specialize in areas like students with special needs, college applications or standardized test preparation through ongoing certifications.

As I indicated in #2, a school counsellor doesn't need to be a teacher. A Social work or psychology background would be my ideal candidate. Teachers and their unions tend to be to political and union oriented. Kids need some independence from the Education system before they enter the "real world".

Beyond the educational requirements (Master's degree in a psychology-related field and additional certifications depending on the state), school counselors should possess a certain level of empathy and understanding for the students they serve. School counselors are a bridge and an anchor to assist students in navigating their academic journey. School counselors should possess a passion to want to see students excel and thrive.

🫂A school counselor is a bridge between the administration of the school and the students. Administration includes head of the school or principal, bursar and HR department. The counselor would provide feedback to and fro from students.

When I reflect on the essence of school counseling, it’s the untold stories of resilience that resonate deeply. It’s about the quiet strength of students who face life’s storms yet stand tall. It’s about the power of a community that rallies to uplift each other. These are the narratives that don’t always make it into the job description, but they’re the heartbeat of what we do. It’s about nurturing not just academic growth, but the growth of the spirit.

Today's school counselors are instrumental in fostering positive learning environments for all students to thrive. Counseling approaches have expanded from solely scheduled appointments to integrated, preventative support aligned to school missions. Increased recognition of student mental health impacts drives greater demand for counselor resources and collaborative solutions. With compassion and cultural understanding at their core, counselors can transform school experiences by guiding students to maximize potentials through self-awareness, skill building, career alignment and resource connections.

School counselors serve in elementary, middle to high schools each requiring specialized knowledge and skills to handle age-specific needs from anxiety, relationships and peer pressure to jobs and colleges. Today, counselors are expanding purview to issues like digital citizenship and social media pressures. They combat growing mental health crises balancing truancy requirements with trauma-informed, culturally competent support. Self-care is vital managing compassion fatigue. Counselors must show genuine care while impartially advising on best decisions, not outcomes students necessarily want. Demand for counselors will grow as schools adopt more holistic education further elevating their vital societal role.

At my school, the counselors in our department have different duties that help to run the school efficiently. Much of that takes some of the worry off a teacher's plate. *We have a counselor who runs the Care Team, a donation-driven resource for families needing supplies and food. *We have an NCAA counselor who makes sure student-athletes are eligible for D1, D2, athletics *I teach Peer Leadership, am a Foreign Exchange Student Coordinator, and sponsor our Pet Therapy Club. Our team of counselors is dedicated to providing comprehensive support. We conduct 9th-grade Teen Lures Lessons, 4-year plans, Career assessments & Inventories, Junior Conferences for post-grad plans, and Senior Meetings, ensuring that every student's needs are met.