School Counseling and Guidance Counseling Education

If you aspire to become a school counselor, helping students through emotional, behavioral, and academic issues, good news: there are excellent degree programs all over the United States that can help you get the training and specialized knowledge you need to thrive. However, with so many programs to choose from, it can be daunting to figure out which option is best for you. Further, advances in school counseling education mean that incoming students need to be especially savvy when choosing between programs.

The school counseling profession is evolving rapidly in response to a variety of social and cultural factors, making for a landscape that should be exciting for newcomers to join – but it’s helpful to go in knowing what you’re looking for.

To become a school counselor, you will need to obtain a master’s degree in school counseling or a related field. In some states, you will need a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) certification as well. This can help you begin to narrow your search for quality master’s programs that can help you launch your careers, but it can be helpful to know more details about the skills your program is intended to build.So what are the newest developments in school counseling education, and what should you expect to get from a guidance counseling degree program? Read on so you can go into the admissions process with the grounding you need to make an informed decision.

Changing Expectations for School Counselors

One of the most noticeable changes in the field of school counseling is the expanding role of counselors within academic communities. These are formally outlined in the American School Counselor Association (ASCA)’s Professional Standard and Competencies guide, which includes a list of behaviors on their rubric for professional evaluation. These responsibilities fall within a few different categories, which are broken down below.

Direct and Indirect Student Services

When prospective school counselors imagine their future careers, they are most likely imagining the direct role they will play in the lives of their students. These key responsibilities include the following:

• Consult to support student achievement and success
• Providing appraisal and advisement in large-group, classroom, small group and individual settings
• Providing short-term counseling in small-group and individual settings
• Referring students in need to appropriate school and community resources
• Collaborating with families, teachers, administrators, other school staff and education stakeholders for student achievement and success

Though these duties are more or less consistent with longtime expectations for school counselors, these roles are more deeply integrated into school communities than they used to be, acting as crucial intermediaries between students, teachers, and parents to facilitate the most productive outcomes possible for students in need.

Leadership

In many cases, school counselors are not only responsible for the day-to-day work of supporting students, but also are personally responsible for developing and designing high-functioning counseling services within their schools.

Those who pursue school counseling degrees are likely to have the opportunity to learn about and even begin to develop leadership skills so that they are qualified for these responsibilities upon graduating. According to the ASCA, these include:

• Creating school counseling program beliefs, vision and mission statements aligned with the school and district
• Applying developmental, learning, counseling and education theories when implementing schoolwide counseling programs
• Designing programs that are responsive to the impact of cultural, social and environmental influences on student success and opportunities
• Implementing a school counseling program intended to effect systemic change within an academic institution, creating an environment that is designed to meet specific community needs

This approach to the work of a school counselor can be especially exciting and engaging for those who are interested in a macro-level approach to counseling roles, thinking through the impact of school counseling on communities as a whole. Though school counselors have long taken on these responsibilities in an informal way, those who pursue guidance counseling degrees now are likely to build these skills with more explicit focus.

Assessment and Administration

In addition to creating counseling programs and providing day-to-day counseling services to students, school counselors are also responsible for keeping these programs running smoothly. Doing so requires no small amount of administrative oversight, which in turn requires practitioners to develop methods of record-keeping and assessment so that they can evaluate the progress of their students and the efficacy of their services. Contemporary school counselors are therefore expected to possess the following skills:

• Develop and implement action plans aligned with annual student outcome goals and student data
• Identify gaps in achievement, attendance, discipline, opportunity and resources
• Assess and report program results to the school community

Your education here will play an invaluable role in your ability to competently survey and measure not only your program’s outcomes, but even the very goals that are set for the student community.

Increasingly, this type of assessment is carried out with the help of technological tools that have only emerged over the past decade or so, dramatically changing this dimension of school counseling practice.

Whether you’re getting your school counselor degree online or on-campus, you’re likely to learn about the most up-to-date methods so that you can run a program that’s in step with contemporary standards.

New Formats, New opportunities

Another hugely impactful development that will affect any incoming school counseling student is the arrival of online degree programs. The arrival of these programs has been nothing short of game-changing for students of all types, many of whom have found the ability to enroll in graduate programs that would previously have been considered too inconvenient to attend.

In the past, there were many mitigating factors preventing those who wanted to attend graduate school from doing so, from the tremendous inconvenience of having to relocate to attend their degree programs to the difficulty (or even impossibility) of maintaining outside employment while pursuing a degree. Fortunately, the opportunity to enroll in school counseling programs online can reduce or even eliminate these obstacles so that you can pursue your long-term professional development without upending your life in the short-term.

If you’ve been contemplating your educational options but haven’t been sure how you could fit a graduate degree program into the rest of your life, these opportunities may make all the difference.

Things to Keep in Mind When Considering Program Opportunities

In this day and age, there are online degree programs that can provide an education as thorough and up-to-date as on-campus alternatives. However, if you’re looking to pursue a school counselor degree online, it’s important to be diligent in your research.

First things first: it’s imperative to confirm that the programs you’re applying to are properly accredited. This will ensure that your program is truly designed to prepare you for licensure as a school counselor, which you will need in order to take on the major responsibilities of a school counselor. Accrediting bodies for school counseling programs (online and in person) include the following:

• American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP)
• American Counseling Association (ACA)
• U.S. Department of Education (DOE)
• Most states’ education departments

As you do your research, make sure every program on your list is accredited, and do not apply to any schools that aren’t, as you will not graduate eligible for qualifying exams.

FAQs

Is it possible to become a school counselor without a master’s degree?

Generally speaking, no. School counselors take on extremely delicate responsibilities, working with students in need, developing intervention plans in the case of crises, and working in partnership with families during critical situations. Because of this, all schools require counselors to hold guidance counseling degrees from accredited institutions.

If I’m enrolled in an online school counseling program, will I be expected to complete my field internship in person?

Yes. Even if you’re getting your school counselor degree online, you’ll need to complete your practicum on-campus at a K-12 school. This is a crucial part of skill building for school counselors, exposing them to the ins and outs of their chosen profession before they get started as licensed practitioners.

How long does it take to obtain a school counselor degree online?

Getting guidance counselor degrees online typically takes 2 years when taken on a full-time schedule. Most programs also offer part-time alternatives that tend to take 3-4 years to complete.

Do all school counselors need to have the competencies listed in the article above?

Generally speaking, yes. Though your duties as a school counselor will vary depending on where you’re working and the specific job title you hold, in most cases, school counselors will be expected to possess the direct services, leadership, and administration skills outlined above. Fortunately, if you’re looking to get your school counselor degree online, you’re likely to enroll in a program that helps you develop these skills.