Teachers who would like to enhance their impact on the holistic well-being and development of students can pursue a career as a school counselor. Advanced degree options like the online Master of Education (M.Ed.) in School Counseling program from Southeastern Oklahoma State University provide an excellent path toward a rewarding career in this specialized field.
School counselors are essential to student success, offering guidance in a number of areas. While the traditional position has focused on vocational guidance, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) now includes academic, career and social/emotional development in the definition of the professional role.
No longer are school counselors meant to act solely as career advisors. Instead, they take holistic, data-driven approaches to help students achieve success in school and beyond, preparing them to lead fulfilling lives and become responsible members of society. This means school counselors have an ever-widening list of responsibilities. These professionals have a host of evolving aims and approaches to ensure student success both in and outside the classroom.
Roles of a School Counselor
The primary purpose of this position is to provide school counseling services. However, providing such services effectively requires the development and implementation of an organized, data-driven program.
ASCA outlines the school counselor’s role as consisting of four components: Define, manage, deliver and assess. School counselors define and develop the school counseling program based on professional standards, and implement and manage the program using various tools to ensure desired results. They also deliver appropriate services, both directly and indirectly involving students, educators, families and guardians, other service providers and community members. Additionally, school counselors assess the program regularly, monitoring impact on student improvement and identifying areas in need of programmatic improvement.
School counseling programs and professional roles can also vary by region, state and school district. For instance, the Oklahoma State Department of Education focuses on the development of comprehensive school counseling programs for students. School counselors develop, deliver and manage these data-informed programs according to the Oklahoma Comprehensive School Counseling Framework. The Framework further outlines the counselor’s role and the program’s proactive approach, results-driven direction, collaborative model and beneficial outcomes.
Promoting Equity and Access
According to a position statement from ASCA, it is the duty of school counselors to promote equity and access for all students. They must strive to close gaps in achievement, opportunity, attainment and funding in their schools, districts and communities. They use data to help students, particularly those with disabilities, first-generation and low-income students, and students of color.
Furthermore, school counselors often act as advocates for equitable treatment and policies, cultural awareness and knowledge disbursement among school staff and faculty. They are often on the front lines of communicating and promoting intellectual rigor and postsecondary education for students and their families.
Enhancing Student Well-being and Achievement After Graduation
School counselors still assist students with vocational concerns and career readiness. However, the way they approach this part of their work is shifting.
School counselors increasingly promote college enrollment to increase chances of student success. They advise students on issues of financial aid, which can increase the chances of student enrollment in college. The U.S. Department of Education offers extensive resources to help school counselors connect students with the financial aid they need to advance their education beyond high school.
School counselors also provide guidance on college selection, college preparation and maintaining individual well-being throughout the application process. School counselors seek to promote college readiness through guidance on test-taking strategies, goal setting, career planning and emotional support.
Supporting Social-emotional Development
Key to the enhancement of student well-being in school and beyond is the use of tools for social and emotional development. School counselors deal in student behavior and offer guidance on personal problems that might impact education and professional development.
Behavior modification and support can take many forms. For example, a school counselor might help a student disciplined for bullying learn conflict-resolution and communication skills. This approach could offer that student long-term benefits in terms of skill development and social-emotional growth while proactively preventing further bullying incidents and harm to other students.
Collecting, Interpreting and Disbursing Data
Although the ASCA National Model recommends that school counselors spend at least 80% of their time in direct and indirect service to students, today’s professionals are spending more and more time collecting, analyzing and leveraging data. This is an important part of the evolving school counselor role, as data informs decisions, advisement and programming.
Data allows counselors to be intentional, proactive and preventative in guiding students, as opposed to the traditional reactive role. Data also provides the basis for assessment of counseling department programs, activities and outcomes for stakeholders and administrators.
Looking to the Future of School Counseling
It’s evident that the role of school counselor is more important than ever before. Increasing support of school counseling programs and professionals can help ensure counselors are able to meet ASCA requirements while still engaging in the data collection and analysis that informs their practices.
Many schools still do not fully comprehend the role of the school counselor, so ASCA created an accessible set of guidelines on appropriate and inappropriate activities for school counselors. Through advancing one’s education, skills and practice while helping schools and students alike understand how and why school counselors improve student success, aspiring professionals can help define the evolving role of the school counselor.
Learn more about the online M.Ed. in School Counseling program from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.