Role of the School Counselor

School counselors help students in 3 domains:

  • Social-emotional skills

  • Academic planning

  • College/career preparation

Direct Student Services

  • Classroom Instruction: School counselors teach students social-emotional learning skills.

  • Counseling: School counselors may meet individually or in small groups with students to provide counseling on a variety of topics.

  • Crisis Counseling: In the event of a crisis, school counselors may provide counseling to students and, when appropriate, refer the student to an outside counselor.


Indirect Student Services

  • Consultation & Collaboration: School counselors partner with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and others to ensure the best possible decisions are made regarding educational and psychological issues.

  • Referrals: School counselors may determine that a student would benefit from meeting with a mental health professional for long-term counseling needs and provide a referral to parents/guardians for their student to receive this help.

Program Management & School Support


  • School counselors keep track of data to ensure the effectiveness of the counseling program and assist with other responsibilities to support the school.