The Role of a School Counselor

As the school counselor, Ms. Jen provides the students of Highland with high level classroom instruction, counseling, appraisal and advisement. She works to implement a counseling program that improves student outcomes in the form of academic, career, and social emotional achievements. Ms. Jen is also the 504 Coordinator for Highland.

Some of the duties of a school counselor are as follows:

• 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 (IEP) meetings and other student-focused meetings (504)

• data analysis to identify student issues, needs and challenges

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

(American School Counseling Association, 2019)