What does a school counselor do?

The role of the elementary counselor is to guide, advise, recommend, consult, and assist with the near limitless variety of concerns that students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the community at large may have. Specifically, the thrust of the counseling program is defined by three major goals:

• To assist students with personal and academic concerns such as coping with stress, learning to study, and behaving appropriately in class.

• To help students develop educational and career decision-making skills including knowing how to make decisions, developing individual interests and abilities, and learning about job and careers.

• To aid students in developing interpersonal skills such as resolving conflicts.

Who is a school counselor?

A Professional who has earned a Master’s Degree in school counseling.
An Educator who holds state certification in school counseling to include counseling theories and practices, human behavior, career education, individual appraisal, and social/cultural issues. Maintaining certification includes on-going professional development to stay current with education reform and challenges facing today’s students. Professional association membership enhances the school counselor’s knowledge and effectiveness.

A Specialist who has expertise in age-specific developmental stages of student growth, and the needs, tasks, and student interests related to those stages.