School Guidance Counselor Job Description

The Education Required to Work in School Counseling

Guidance counselors help students develop the skills needed to succeed. Counselors help students overcome obstacles that may affect their learning. Public school counselors must have a state-issued license or certification to practice, although requirements vary by state.

A master's degree in school counseling is required for licensure or certification, as well as an internship or a successful completion of an exam. Some states require applicants to have classroom teaching experience or hold a teaching license before being certified. Most states require a criminal background check for people who want to work in the industry.

The American School Counselor Association has information about requirements for each state. The experience required to get a school counselor job varies by state. A more experienced candidate has an advantage over a less experienced candidate when it comes to job postings.

Counselors who have already put in the time in the profession may be able to take less desirable assignments than people who are new to the field. There is more competition for jobs in high-performing schools. Counselors need private space to meet with students and others involved in their development, so they use an office.

High School Guidance Counselors

Guidance Counselors help students with personal and academic situations. They offer counseling to students, conduct group counseling sessions to help students develop their academic skills, and give career advice and guidance to high school students. The Boca Raton school has approximately 375 students taking a dual curriculum in general and Judaic studies.

The Guidance Counselor will talk to students about any behavioral problems or societal issues that may be negatively impacting the child's personal or social life. Guidance Counselors need education. A bachelor's degree in counseling is the most common essential education requirement, though higher degrees may be preferable or required for some Guidance Counselor positions.

A master's degree in social services or psychology can help a candidate become more experienced. Most Guidance Counselor positions require some experience. For applicants with only general social work experience, they need to demonstrate knowledge of academic counseling in order to be relevant.

A minimum of three years of experience is required for mid-level positions that pay near the average salary. Good listening and communication skills are required of guidance counselors, as they pay close attention to students' thoughts, challenges and opinions. They should show their compassion and care to the students to make them feel more comfortable in a counseling environment.

Guidance Counselors should have the ability to identify a problem and come up with a solution that improves the students' personal or academic life. Guidance Counselors work with 6th through 8th graders to give them guidance and advice for their academic and personal lives. They will help students develop study skills and educate them on topics like drug or alcohol abuse.

Communication Skills of a School Counselor

The first thing that comes to mind is that school counselors can listen. To their students, parents, other faculty members. A counselor listens and processes information given to them by others.

Listen first and ask questions later. If you need clarification something, always speak up, but be sure to add details that let the person know you heard what they said. A school counselor can have excellent communication skills.

Being able to communicate ideas, thoughts, and feelings is a trait that can never be overlooked as a school counselor. You will often be bouncing ideas off a student to help them reach a crucial decision, or discussing a student with their parent or a team of faculty members. It is important to convey your assessment of your student in a way that is understandable.

Being able to accept and embrace diversity is a trait that is important to a school counselor. Counselors need to help students learn to accept and embrace their own diversity in school in order to succeed. School counselors need to be friendly and accessible to their students and parents.

Being open and friendly will often mean that students will trust you more than their parents, and getting students to let go of their burdens is one of the most rewarding things a school counselor can do. Students are often set with heavy accomplishment lists and having someone listen to their troubles is a way to make them feel less stressed. A guidance counselor must cross from a friend to a professional when the situation calls for it.

How to become a school counselor

People who want to become a school counselor should have compassion and a desire to help young people. An advanced degree can help school counselors. School counselors help to lighten the burden on teachers so they can focus on teaching.

School counselors help students to achieve academically by identifying hurdles to learning, connecting students with resources and serving as advocates. According to The Education Trust, 8 million children are without access to school counselors. The issue is more prevalent with students of color and students from low-income families who have less access to school counselors.

You only have to look at the recent teacher strikes to understand the value of school counselors. The New York Times reported that the Chicago Teachers Union asked the school district to hire more counselors so that teachers can focus on teaching. The Oakland Unified School District promised to hire more counselors.

Counselors meet with students and their teachers and parents in both public and private schools to discuss goals. They help them learn about barriers to academic achievement. School counselors can help address the challenges of bullied students.

A study published in the journal Professional School Counseling shows that a program to reduce the incidence of bullied students helped. School counselors help students overcome learning hurdles. A study published in Professional School Counseling shows that group school counseling can help middle school English language learners adjust to learning environments and improve their grades.

Communication and Communication Skills for a Counselor

A counselor needs to listen to what is being said, but also how it is said, why it is being said, and what it means in the context of that particular client. Think about delivery, context and content. A counselor needs to be able to listen between the lines for things that aren't being said.

What a client doesn't say in a session can be said in the same way as what is said out loud. A counselor should know how to listen without judgement. Clients will come to you with difficult and complicated issues, and they will need to feel like they have the space to say what they need to, without fear of shame or feeling as though their counselor has jumped to a conclusion.

A counselor needs to be accessible to clients in order to gain their trust, but he or she also needs to be genuine and compassionate in his or her communication, listening, and professional persona. Figuring out when a counselor and client are not a good fit is one of the most important aspects of flexibility. Being able to communicate when things aren't working and then offering to refer the client to another professional who may be able to better aid them is one hallmark of a good counselor.