School Counselors are key to identifying and supporting students’ social/emotional needs.  As advocates for students, school counselors promote a positive school environment that enhances the students' abilities in properly managing the social/emotional demands of their lives and propels students towards positive mindsets and behaviors.  School counselors support social/emotional development through direct (classroom lessons, group/individual counseling) and indirect (collaboration with staff, families or communities) services.  Educational systems as a whole demonstrate an ability to socially and emotionally practice healthy behaviors and behave respectfully when working with others from diverse backgrounds.

School Counselors:

1. Provide direct instruction, team-teach or assist in teaching the school counseling core curriculum, learning activities or units in classrooms aimed at social/emotional development (ASCA, 2012) 

2. Understand the nature and range of human characteristics specific to child and adolescent development 

3. Identify and employ appropriate appraisal methods for individual and group interventions that support K–12 students’ social/emotional development 

4. Know and utilize counseling theories to inform both direct and indirect services providing support to K–12 students’ social/emotional development 

5. Use evaluation in the context of appropriate statistics and research methodology, follow up evaluation and measurement methods to implement appropriate program planning for social/emotional development 

6. Select and implement technology in a comprehensive school counseling program to facilitate K–12 students’ social/emotional development 

Credited from: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/PositionStatements/2017PublicComment/SocialEmotional-DRAFT.pdf