
OTHER JOB TITLES
- Guidance counselor
- Adjustment counselor
- Crisis resource teacher
- Career guidance counselor
- Guidance director
- Learning specialist
- Middle school/Junior high school counselor
- Elementary school counselor
- Intervention specialist
- Child development specialist
GOALS AND DUTIES
School counselors help students understand themselves, clarify the opportunities available to them, and reach their goals. School counselors have at least seven
general duties:
1. Counseling students or others
2. Consulting with parents, teachers, administrators, and other student personnel workers such as school psychologists and social workers
3. Appraising the abilities and aptitudes of students through tests and other procedures
4. Informing students and others concerning the school's programs, other educational programs, employment opportunities, and the availability of social services
5. Referring students or other counselees to more specialized avenues of counseling or treatment
6. Administering the guidance program
7. Conducting research or continuing their own education.
The following services are offered by a typical guidance department: orientation of new students; assignment of students to classes; provision of information and counseling for students individually and in groups concerning study skills, educational plans, career plans, employment opportunities, financial aid, behavioral difficulties, social development, and personal problems; consultation with administrators, teachers, and parents concerning the educational, vocational, social, and personal development of individual students and the student body as a whole; training of administrators, teachers, and parents to work with students more effectively; scheduling, administering, and explaining the results of aptitude, ability, and interest tests for individuals and groups; keeping records of students' academic work, extracurricular activities, goals, accomplishments, attendance, and reasons for leaving school; and placement of students in employment in or outside the school.
The kind of work counselors do in the schools also depends in part on the grade of the students served: secondary, elementary, or middle and junior high school students.
SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS
Secondary school counselors generally deal with four types of subjects or concerns:
- Educational
- Vocational
- Social
- Personal
Duties of Secondary School Counselors:
- Organize and implement through interested teachers, guidance, and curriculum interventions that focus upon important developmental concerns of adolescents (identity, career choice and planning, social relationships, etc.)
- Organize and make available comprehensive information systems (print, computer-based, audiovisual) necessary for educational-vocational planning and decision-making.
- Assist students with assessment of personal characteristics (e.g., competencies, interests, aptitudes, needs, career maturity) for personal use in such areas as course selection, post-high school planning, and career choices.
- Provide remedial interventions or alternative programs for those students showing in-school adjustment problems, vocational immaturity, or general negative attitudes toward personal growth.
Not all counselors find their jobs multifaceted. Surveys have found that many secondary school counselors spend 1/3 to 2/3 of their time on relatively routine paperwork or registration activities.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS
Elementary school counselors report doing more counseling and consulting with teachers, administrators, and parents than secondary school counselors. As much as 80% of the elementary school counselor's time may be spent in these activities, with about half that time spent with students and much of the rest with teachers. Social and personal concerns take relatively more time for elementary school counselors.
Duties of Elementary School Counselors:
- Provide in-service training to teachers to assist them with planning and implementing guidance interventions for young children (pre-school to third grade) in order to maximize developmental benefits (self-esteem, personal relationship, positive school attitudes, and so forth) in the hope of preventing serious problems or minimizing the size of such problems if and when they do occur.
- Provide consultations for teachers who need help understanding and incorporating developmental concepts in teacher content as well as support for building a healthy classroom environment.
- Accommodate parents who need assistance with understanding normal child growth and development and their role in encouraging their child to learn, as well as improving family communication skills.
- Cooperate with other school staff in the early identification, remediation, or referral of children with developmental deficiencies or handicaps.
- As children reach the upper elementary grades, effort is directed through the curriculum toward increasing student awareness of the relationship between school and work, especially the impact of educational choices on one's lifestyle and career development.
MIDDLE AND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS
Students in middle and junior high school are in transition from childhood to adolescence. The duties of counselors who work in these schools, therefore, might be expected to resemble a cross between the duties of elementary school and secondary school counselors.
Junior high school counselors in one study reported spending 85% of their time counseling. Counselors in another study reported spending 50 – 60% of their time counseling students in regard to improving interpersonal relationships, values clarification, crises such as death and divorce, and the physical, emotional, and other changes of puberty. Counselors in this study also reported spending 10 – 25% of their time coordinating services to the student, 10 – 20% as consultants working with teachers or other adults who deal with the students, and 2 – 33% as curriculum specialists conducting in-service training, group guidance for students on subjects such as human sexuality or career education, and parent education programs.
Duties of Middle/Junior High School Counselors:
- Smooth the transition of the student from lower school to middle/junior high school.
- Identify, encourage, and support teachers (through in-service training, consultation, and co- teaching) who are interested in incorporating developmental units in their curriculums.
- Organize and implement a career guidance program that includes an assessment of each student's career maturity and career-planning status; provide easy access to relevant career information; and assistance with processing data for personal use in schoolwork-related decision making.
EMPLOYMENT AND OUTLOOK
The job outlook for school and career counselors is good. It is projected to grow 13% from 2006 to 2026 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, US). As long as enrollments continue to increase, the demand for counselors will consequently increase as well. A certain number of counselors also leave every year, providing room for new counselors.
Compensation for school counselors differ greatly by the educational level of the students served.
SALARY, BENEFITS, WORKING CONDITIONS
Compensation for school counselors differ greatly by the educational level of the students served. The median wage for school counselors was $55,410 in 2017—with the lowest ten percent earning less than $32,660 and the highest ten percent earning $91,960 or more (Bureau of Labor Statistics, US).
Counselors earn somewhat more than classroom teachers because they must have more education and experience to qualify for entry-level positions. They enjoy the usual fringe benefits of teachers, such as health insurance and pension plans.
Generally, the work year for school counselors either matches the school year or runs a month longer, starting two weeks before the beginning of the first term and finishing two weeks after the end of the last term. Although work hours conform to the school day, more or less, counselors often conduct special programs or hold office hours in the evening for students or parents who want to drop by.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND CAREER LADDER
The requirements for certification as a school counselor are established independently by each state, however most states require a master’s degree in school counseling or a related field in addition to an internship to be obtained. Public school counselors are required to have a state-issued credential (certification, license, or endorsement), which entails a master’s degree, completed internship under a licensed professional school counselor, and the passing of a test. Some states even require 1-2 years of teaching experience or a teaching license as well.
A NOTE ON INDEPENDENT EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANTS
Some counselors have established private practices that focus on educational placements for high school or college students or students in need of special education. Private practice for this type of counseling is fairly uncommon, but is a growing specialty. People in private practice usually work alone but may have two or three associates, each of whom has a specialty.
Often a private educational counselor acts as a consultant to a mental health counselor or psychiatrist who is seeking an educational program for a client. The educational counselor meets with the client and parents, collects information on the client's educational history, aptitudes, financial resources, and educational goals, and makes an optimum placement.
Independent educational counselors are not burdened by the administrative duties of school counselors, but do have to hire office personnel and collect fees. Typically, independent counselors have 10 – 15 years of experience before entering private practice. Their earnings are comparable to those of school counselors.
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