What is School Counseling?

School counselors design and deliver school counseling programs that improve student outcomes. They lead, advocate, and collaborate to promote equity and access for all students by connecting their school counseling program to the school’s academic mission and school improvement plan. They uphold the ethical and professional standards of The American School Counselors Association (ASCA), and promote the development of the school counseling program based on the following areas of the ASCA National Model: define, deliver, manage and assess. 

The MVSC School Counselors work equally in the domains of academic support, career/college exploration, and social/emotional development, acknowledging that success or failure in one domain can impact the success or failure within another. The MVSC School Counselors work with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for all students. 

Some things that school counselors do include:

Individual student academic planning and goal setting

School counseling classroom lessons based on student success standards

Short-term counseling to students

Referrals for long-term support

Collaboration with families/teachers/administrators/community for student success

Advocacy for students at individual education plan meetings and other student-focused meetings

Data analysis to identify student issues, needs, and challenges

Act as a systems change agent to improve equity and access, achievement, and opportunities for all students