Counselor’s Corner
What does a School Counselor do?
According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools, a school counselor’s role on campus is to counsel students to fully develop each student’s academic, career, personal, and social abilities.
A comprehensive school counseling program addresses student’s needs including school attitudes and behaviors, social skills, self-confidence development, career potential assistance, interpersonal relations and academic achievement. Their primary focus is to “facilitate instruction by removing impediments to student learning” (TEA, 2004, p. 11).
In Texas, school counselors must earn a bachelor’s degree and teach in the classroom for a minimum of two years before earning their master’s degree in school counseling and passing Texas state certification assessments and certification (ASCA, 2012). Stereo-types of school counselors are changing, as they continue to assist with the development of a positive and safe school culture. Make sure to touch base with your campus school counselor today.
American School Counselor Association [ASCA]. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/.
Texas Education Agency [TEA]. (rev. 2004). A model comprehensive, developmental guidance and counseling program for Texas public schools; A guide for program development pre-k-12th grade. Austin, TX: Texas Education Agency.