WHY SCHOOL COUNSELORS?

School Counselor Roles

• The Role of the School Counselor

• Appropriate and Inappropriate Duties 

• The Essential Role of Elementary School Counselors

• The Essential Role of Middle School Counselors

• The Essential Role of High School Counselors

• The Essential Role of School Counselor Educators

• The Essential Role of School Counseling Directors/Coordinators

• Guidance Counselor vs. School Counselor

• Who Are School Counselors Infographic (also available in Spanish)

• History of School Counseling

• School Counselors Matter (EdTrust report)

• Additional Information

Where Did The Guidance Counselor Go?

Article By Caren Potter, School Counselor

While we cannot reach everyone, we can educate about the change in the name..."Back when I was in school we had Vice Principals {now Assistant Principals}, Librarians {now Media Specialists}, and Guidance Counselors {now School Counselors}--why the name change?  Is it just semantics?  Well, as with most things, the role quite simply evolved.  These days the role of assistant principal looks different than vice principal, the role of media specialist covers more than librarian, and the role of school counselor encompasses more than guidance counselor.  Thankfully, much has changed in the counseling profession.  Previously, guidance counselors helped students with course selection to prepare them for a role in the future as a high school graduate entering the work force or a college-bound student.  Often the guidance counselor determined what the student's future should be based upon what little they knew about that student. The counselor, who's primary role was to "guide," was the leader in making important decisions for the student, and not necessarily in the best interest of the student.  School counseling is a profession where its members are specifically trained and supported in the role of school counseling. It is different than the former role of a guidance counselor, and vastly different from the role of a mental health counselor. School counselors support the entire school community--students, teachers, staff, parents/guardians--in areas such as academic success, personal/social development, career awareness and development, referrals to community agencies, behavior planning, goal-setting, and the like. School counselors offer workshops to other professionals, including school counselors and teachers, to expand their services to their schools. School counselors offer parenting programs to assist parents with their children, regardless of their developmental stage. School counselors no longer "guide" those whom they serve to make decisions and choices that support the counselor's ideas, rather counselors interact with others to support them in the direction they intend to go!"

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2022-23 Student-to-School-Counselor Ratios (State Results) - ASCA recommends a 250:1 ratio 

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