Growth Trends for Related JobsDegrees matter because counselors typically earn more than teachers in elementary and secondary schools. However, in institutions of higher learning, teachers earn more.
As a part of their work, school counselors often incur high levels of stress that may result from multiple job responsibilities, role ambiguity, high caseloads, limited resources for coping and limited clinical supervision (DeMato & Curcio, 2004; Lambie, 2007; McCarthy, Kerne, Calfa, Lambert, & Guzmán, 2010).
Career Options for Individuals with a Master's Degree in School Counseling
- School and Career Counselor.
- School Psychologist.
- Postsecondary Teacher.
- Marriage and Family Therapist.
- Substance Abuse Counselor.
Your school counselor isn't a therapist. (So if you see your counselor, it's not the same as getting therapy.) If you need help in some way that the school counselor can't provide, he or she can give you information about other resources, such as the name of a therapist.
between two and three years
The typical steps to become a school counselor are:
- Earn a bachelor's degree in counseling, psychology, or a related subject.
- Earn a master's degree in school counseling or a closely related subject with adequate coursework in school counseling to fulfill state requirements.
Detailed List Of Counselor Salaries By State
| Rank | State | Average Wage |
|---|
| 1 | Texas | $57,980 |
| 2 | Virginia | $64,250 |
| 3 | Nebraska | $57,780 |
| 4 | Kentucky | $56,680 |
Ample vacation time is one of the main benefits of working as a school guidance counselor. School counselors usually work for nine months out of the year and have the summers off, which can be particularly beneficial for working parents who must arrange for child care during the school year.
Historically, the term “guidance counselor” was used to reference counselors working within the school system. These counselors' main role was to “guide” students to college: writing letters of recommendation and sending out transcripts. School counselors are now a strong, collaborative member of an educational team.
If you want to know how you can be a counselor without a college degree, you may want to look into addiction counseling. Some states allow people with a high school diploma and a combination of field experience or certification to become licensed to work as a counselor with alcohol and drug abuse.
School counselors rate their happiness above average. As it turns out, school counselors rate their career happiness 3.5 out of 5 stars which puts them in the top 33% of careers.
The real reason counselors get paid what they do is quite simply, economics. One reason for the apparently low salaries is that practitioners accept those salaries. However in many regions, there's a big shortage of electricians and the pay is rising considerably.
Steps to Becoming a School Counselor
- Earn a Bachelor's Degree.
- Find a Master's in School Counseling Degree Program.
- Complete Internship or Clinical Experience.
- Pass Your State's School Counselor Exams.
- Apply for School Counselor Certification.
- Start Your Job Search.
School guidance counselors help students develop the academic and social skills needed to succeed, personally and professionally. Counselors in elementary and secondary schools help students overcome obstacles that may inhibit their learning. Students come to school with a wide range of problems and challenges.
Many school psychologists report that their job is challenging but rewarding, and every day is different. The occupation of school psychology has far better career prospects than many other sub-fields of psychology--look it up on the bureau of labor statistics if you don't believe me.
As a result, school counselors are often assigned a number of administrative duties, such as scheduling, monitoring duties, test coordination, substitute teaching, providing classroom coverage, and data entry that remove counselors from providing direct, face-to-face counseling services to students.
What does a guidance counselor do?A high-level look at their daily duties
- Identifying issues affecting school performance, such as absenteeism.
- Addressing social or behavioral problems.
- Helping students develop skills needed for academic success.
- Counseling individuals and small groups.
Help them develop belief in their ability, emphasize the importance of hard work and education and help them to set goals for their future. This is what school counselors get to do for our students and that is why I love my job so very much.
To become a licensed counselor most states require that you earn a Master's or Doctoral degree – or in some States a closely related field – from an accredited university. This will require that you earn your bachelor's in a closely related field and go on to be accepted into a Master's of Counseling program.
Admission to the school counseling programs is highly competitive (acceptance rate is approximately 20% of the total number of applicants).
All school counselors must hold a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. Bachelor's degree learning paths may include psychology, counseling, social work, education psychology, and sociology.
School counselors provide a lot of support to teachers by completing a team that can effectively address the educational goals and needs of students, leading to an increase in student achievements. They can help plan classroom and group activities that meet the students' needs.
A master's program in counseling is challenging, time consuming and most easily conquered with single-mindedness of purpose. However, if you must work while attending school, then by all means work.
