The school counselor is key to identifying students’ social/emotional needs. Educational systems as a whole, including school counselors, should graduate students who are not only proficient in core academic subjects, but demonstrate an ability to socially and emotionally practice healthy behaviors and behave respectfully when working with others from diverse backgrounds.
School counselors play a role in creating an environment that produces engagement vital to students’ social/emotional development. When students enter high school, there is a 40–60 percent chance they will disengage from school. School performance can be negatively affected when students demonstrate high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse, sex, violence, depression and attempted suicide. School counselors address the potential of disengagement by addressing students' social/emotional development.
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/PositionStatements/2017PublicComment/SocialEmotional-DRAFT.pdf