The professional school counselor is a certified/licensed educator who holds a Master’s Degree in school counseling. School counselors support students in their personal, social, educational, and career development. They are specialists in human behavior and relationships who provide assistance to students through four primary interventions:
COUNSELING: A confidential relationship that the counselor conducts with students individually and in small groups to help them resolve or cope constructively with their problems and developmental concerns.
CLASSROOM SEMINARS: A planned, developmental program of guidance activities designed to foster students’ academic, career, and personal/social development. It is provided for all students through a collaborative effort by counselors and teachers.
CONSULTATION: A collaborative partnership where the counselor works with parents, teachers, administrators, school psychologists, social workers, medical professionals, and community health personnel in order to plan and implement strategies to help students be successful in the education system.
COORDINATION: A leadership process where the counselor helps organize, manage and evaluate the school-counseling program. The counselor assists parents in obtaining needed services for their children through a referral and follow-up process and serves as liaison between the school and community agencies so that they may collaborate to help students.
American School Counselor Association (ASCA)