School Counselor Degrees A Degree and Career as a School Counselor

School Counselors Bring Relief And Motivation To Students

There were 260,000 School Counselors in 2006 and according to the US Department of Education, there are over 76 million students enrolled in school starting from kindergarten through graduate school.

That's an average of 292 students to one School Counselor. School Counselors have a huge responsibility, not just in the number of students that they work with, but in the quality of care that they administer. The assistance that School Counselors offer students can ultimately determine the successful outcome of a child's education and future life.

School Counselor Duties

The main duties of a School Counselor are to help students to assess and evaluate their interests, talents and abilities for the purpose of promoting their academic, personal and social development.

School Counselors have been referred to as Child Advocates, because they work hard to help students reach their personal, academic and career goals. Working mostly in elementary schools, secondary schools, colleges and universities, they provide children and adolescents with educational and career counseling.

With the use of interviews, close observation or counseling sessions, they will evaluate student's strengths and weaknesses, and then advise them accordingly. They may also use specially designed tests or other methods to identify developmental problems, special needs or any possible learning disorders and then work closely with teachers and parents to devise a plan of action for getting the child the best possible assistance.

High School Counselors

Naturally, school counselors that work in high schools will give out more vocational and academic counseling than those that work in elementary or grade schools. They will offer advice on career choices and the academic paths they will need to follow to achieve these goals.

School Counselors will be valuable sources of information when it comes to college admission requirements, financial aid, entrance exams. Taking it a step further, the School Counselor will help students to learn the skills needed for job searching such as preparing a resume and mastering the art of a successful interview.

Grade School Counselors

Grade School Counselors will focus mainly on motivating students to apply themselves and helping with any areas of special need. They have a very active part in creating a curriculum that meets the needs of developing students. School Counselors at both the elementary level and the high school level will work to help students identify and deal with personal problems including any social and behavioral issues.

This may include counseling on drug and alcohol prevention as well as learning to resolve conflicts at school and at home. It is a very important part of their job to be alert to possible cases of domestic abuse or any other serious family issue that threatens the child's development.

A Career as a Counselor

There is a great deal of interaction and collaboration involved in the job of a School Counselor both with students and their parents, teachers and at times medical professionals and social workers.

The career goal of a School Counselor is to develop and implement a strategy that will help each and every student that they come into contact with to succeed in life despite whatever obstacles they personally face. If that sounds like a tough job, it certainly is. But it is a job with great rewards and satisfaction.

You should possess a strong desire to help people if you want to be a School Counselor and you should also have the type of personality that others naturally respect. Likewise, your manner should inspire trust and confidence. A School Counselor should be a good listener, be strong enough emotionally to handle a wide variety of problems that can be very stressful at times and be committed to following a strict code of ethical behavior.

Average Counselor Salary

The average income for a School Counselor in elementary school or secondary school is a little over $53,000 and job prospects will continue to be good as many counselors are leaving the profession to retire.

However, most school counselors entering the field prefer working in the suburbs to rural and urban areas and so openings in these areas may be scant. Pay is less in rural areas and crime is higher in urban areas and so it has been hard to fill openings in these areas in the past.

Master's Degree in Counseling

Generally, a Master's Degree in Counseling or Psychology will be required to land a job as a School Counselor. With the convenience and ease of scheduling that online courses offer through accredited schools and colleges, obtaining a Master's Degree is now within reach for many who otherwise would not be able to do so.

State licensing will also be required to become a School Counselor and some counselors will choose to be certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. This organization offers a general practice credential of National Certified Counselor. To be certified, a counselor must pass the board's exam and have in addition to their Master's Degree, at least 2 years of supervised field experience in a counseling setting.

They must also provide two professional endorsements and complete 100 credit hours of continuing education every 5 years.

Core Curriculum

The Core Curriculum that most schools provide to become a School Counselor will begin with a class entitled something like, Survey of Research in Human Development and Behavior.

This course will focus on theories of human development and behavior throughout life. Another required core course will be related to Survey of Research Methodology. In this course, students will study major research methods and quantitative and qualitative approaches to questions.

In addition, a class concerning Assessment, Tests, and Measures will be included whereby students will examine the process of assessment, along with the use of testing and measuring in counseling techniques.

Professional and Scientific Ethics for Counselors/Therapists will aid students to examine how professional counselors have evolved over time as they analyze how ethics will affect areas of therapy, law and guidelines.

Group Counseling and Psychotherapy will be covered with students examining clinical theories, research and group counseling procedures. Life Planning and Career Development will help students to study theories and research that relates to patients that are coping with life's changes.

And finally, Ethnic and Cultural Awareness is a course designed to enable the student to recognize the concepts and understand the theories that are connected to the issues surrounding race, culture, and ethnicity in individual and group settings.

If becoming a School Counselor interests you or if you desire more information on becoming a School Counselor, follow the links below.

Resources:

Bureau of Labor Statistics on Counseling