School counselors work as part of a school's educational leadership team.
Their main role is to help students. Because today's students face a wide
range of issues, counselors can be pulled in many different directions.
School counselors consult with teachers, families and the community, in
addition to their work with students. They help students create a vision for
their futures.
They also help students to deal with many challenges, including behavioral
issues, grief, abuse and family challenges such as separation and divorce.
"Counselors do work in personal counseling, academic counseling, career
counseling and social development. We are important and need adequate time
to do our job," says Sylvia Slater. She is a school counselor.
As other services that used to provide counseling to young people face
cutbacks, schools have had to fill in. This means that school counselors
must make room in their schedules for more students who require social and
emotional counseling. This had led to some changes in the career.
"Change has been the most graphic in high schools. Originally this position
was meant for career development, career education and the academic success
needed by students to meet their future career goals," says June Sanderson.
She is a counseling specialist.
The increase in students with personal issues is a trend that Eric Sparks
has noticed across the U.S. Sparks is president of the American School Counselor
Association (ASCA).
In 2003, the ASCA released a national model for school counseling programs.
It aims to give every student equal access to a comprehensive counseling program
across the country. It clearly outlines what should and should not be a part
of a school counselor's job.
"Schools are really focused on academic achievement -- as they should be.
But school counselors are the people in the school building who focus on the
social aspect of development in school," says Sparks.
"We always have to link social and emotional wellness to academic achievement,"
adds Sanderson.
Helping students plan for their future is still a very important duty for
school counselors. Although some schools have a mandatory class for career
development, it is not nationwide. School counselors are able to cater to
individual student needs.
"School counselors can offer more knowledge about options and opportunities
and aptitudes and interests to make sure that students find a pathway that
fits their package," says Sanderson. "Certainly in a high school, a large
percentage of students are coming in to look at options around course selection,
scholarship opportunities and bursaries."
School counselors find jobs in elementary, middle/junior high and high
schools. Other opportunities exist in district supervisory, counselor education
and post-secondary settings.
Because they work while school is in session, school counselors can expect
nine to 10 months in school with two or three months of vacation. They work
similar hours to classroom teachers.
There are few physical requirements to being a school counselor.
"It's not a restrictive environment. People with physical limitations
could still be effective in these roles," says Sanderson.
Because school counselors are not on a "bell" schedule like classroom teachers,
they have a more flexible schedule. Sometimes counselors are asked to take
on responsibilities outside of their job descriptions to help at school. These
duties are not always a good use of the counselor's time.
"Many counselors are asked to be the test coordinator for their school.
This is not appropriate for the school counselor," says Sparks. Instead, counselors
should be analyzing test scores and working with students to design their
academic programs. They can help a student to identify areas of growth or
difficulty and make a plan to address those areas.
In addition to academic and career counseling, school counselors help students
with sensitive issues such as abuse, grief and family problems.
Talking about these issues can be personally taxing, so school counselors
must find time to take care of themselves. It is hard to build this into
the busy days, but it's important for school counselors to take good care
of their personal and emotional wellness.