National School Counselor Week 2016
#NSCW16
What is National School Counselor Week?
National School Counselor Week (NSCW) is THIS week, February 1 - 5! NSCW is celebrated in the first week in February as a way to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. schools.
What's the difference between a “School Counselor” and “Guidance Counselor”?
A few decades ago, counselors were introduced into schools to assist students with occupational and vocational choices and college preparatory support. Their training was similar to that of teachers and included a few extra classes that would allow them to be called guidance counselors.
Today, the profession has been transformed. School counselors are now trained much differently than guidance counselors in the past. Also, we have national, state and local professional organizations that support us professionally and legislatively; standards we're required to follow; and a requirement of (a minimum) a master's degree in counseling.
There are many responsibilities that make up the job description of a school counselor. They mainly focus on the prevention, and encourage successful academic, career, and personal/social development to ensure every student succeeds. Counselors accomplish this through the comprehensive school counseling programs they develop, design, implement and evaluate. This leads to another main difference between school counselors and guidance counselors. Although guidance is a service provided to students by school counselors, they also provide an entire school counseling program for their students. For these reasons, most school counselors prefer to be referred to as school counselors rather than guidance counselors!
Source: South Carolina Counselor Cafe
What is a School Counselor?
The transformation of the school counseling profession allows school counselors to deliver both direct and indirect services to all students. School counselors, as leaders, advocates, collaborators and systemic change experts, work with school community stakeholders to develop and deliver programs designed to respond to student needs. Delivery of these services aim to close information, opportunity, attainment and opportunity gaps through research-based methods and strategies proven to work effectively. Through research based methods, as well as the use of data to evaluate the impacts and outcomes of their programs, school counselors assist students with their academic, career and personal/social development and needs.
What does a School Counselor do?
Some of the School Counselor's roles include providing.....
- Academic skills support
- Career planning
- Education in understanding self and others, coping strategies, peer relationships and effective social skills, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, conflict resolution and study skills to students
- Career awareness
- Individual student planning to help students with goal setting, academic and career plans and transitions
- Individual and small-group counseling
- Individual/family/school crisis intervention
- Classroom guidance lessons
- Peer facilitation
- Consultation/collaboration to and with stakeholders
- Referrals
- Professional development for educators
...... Just name a few! Click here to learn more about our roles and responsibilities.