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Guidance counselors, otherwise known as school counselors, help guide our nation's youth through the primary and secondary education systems (K-12 grades), as well as continuing education programs in colleges, universities, technical and trade schools. The goal of school counseling is to promote the academic, career and personal/social development of each student. School guidance counselors accomplish this through individual planning and goal-setting, responsive and preventative services, and counseling programs that promote support/advocacy when dealing with student problems at school or home.  Guidance counselors perform the following duties: - Refer students to grants, scholarships and loans for higher education programs
- Locate internships and summer jobs
- Assist students with the college application process
- Help students deal with academic, emotional or behavioral problems
- Teach nonviolent conflict resolution seminars
- Organize peer counseling programs
- Organize job and college information fairs
- Teach alcohol and drug prevention programs
- Mediate conflict between students and teachers
- Design individualized academic schedules and goals for students with academic difficulties
School Counseling Work Environment The work environment of a school guidance counselor primarily exists in a traditional school. Some counselors follow the traditional school schedule, working nine to 10 months during the year with two to three months off during the summers; however, many are being hired on full-year contracts, especially those working in middle and high schools. School Counselor Training and Education If you wish to explore a degree in guidance counseling, sign up as a counselor at a summer camp or volunteer to coach a recreational sports team. This will give you experience in interacting with young adults while in a leadership/mentorship role. To become a school guidance counselor, you must have completed a 4-year undergraduate degree. A Bachelor's Degree in Education or Sociology will best prepare you for a 2- to 3-year master's degree—most commonly the Master of Education in Counseling—that the majority of states and employers require. Master's programs provide students with a combination of learning and fieldwork in local schools. All states require school guidance counselors to have earned their state school counseling certification, while some also require teachers to possess both their counseling and teaching certificates, as well as teaching experience. It is the counselor's responsibility to be conscious of the education, certification and training requirements within the state they plan to work, because guidelines tend to vary from state to state. Contact your local Department of Education to see what is required in your state.  Guidance/Career Counseling Home
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Did You Know?- Being a guidance counselor might sound like an easy job (who wouldn't want summers off?), but during the school year, counselors are responsible for the academic and social success of hundreds of students—479 students on average, according to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). ASCA recommends a much more modest 250-to-1 ratio for counselors, but right now there aren't enough counselors to go around.
- In the 1940s, the US military encouraged school guidance counselors to help select upcoming military personnel in schools by providing military aptitude tests to students.
Salary Data The median salary for school counselors working within school districts nationwide is $46,000, while counselors employed at the college or university level make an average of $42,587 annually, according to a 2009 PayScale.com report. |
