Role and Impact of Professional School Counselors

A professional school counselor holds a vital position in the school community. Due to this fact, counseling must complete a rigorous program that aligns with the Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP), as well as, and obtain state licensures.
In a comprehensive school counseling program, a professional school counseling ensures students’ academic development, career development, and personal/social development. Since a counselor is responsible with each student academic, career, and personal/social development, a school counseling program “needs to be systemic, data driven, equity focused to support the educational success of all students (Erford, 2015, p. 66).” A school counselor must also be a leader

and an advocate in the school, as well as, in the community to collaborate with other stakeholders in guarantee the outcome of success in students. A professional school counselor embraces many responsible and roles within the school community and in the world.
Academic development, career development, and personal/social development are the forefront focus of a professional counselor. “Professional school counselors create, implement, and evaluate school counseling programs focused on K-12 academic development skills, experiences, and rigorous coursework that lead to career and college opportunities, access, and readiness for every student (Erford, 2015, p.

242).” The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) provides a set of standards that outlines goals to master each area of development. The National Standard for academic development “guide school counseling pro- grams to implement strategies and activities to support and maximize each student’s ability to learn (Association, 2004).“ASCA National Standards for career development guide school counseling pro- grams to provide the foundation for the acquisition of skills, attitudes and knowledge that enable students to make a successful transition from school to the world of work, and from job to job across the life span

(Association, 2004).”The ASCA National Standards for personal/social development set forth a foundation for personal and social growth to be successful as student progress through school and into adulthood (Association, 2004). In a comprehensive school counseling program, a professional school counselor must prepare student for their futures. A counselor must create opportunities and lessons where students; “acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions, employ strategies to achieve future career goals with success and satisfaction and understand the relationship between personal qualities, education, training, and the world of word (Erford, 2015, p. 244).” Collaborating with administrators and teachers can help counselors identify areas of weakness in the school population to “tailor programming to target academic needs while simultaneously meeting the personal, social, and career development needs of students (Erford, 2015, p. 46).”
“Transformative school counseling program deliver achievement and opportunity competencies to all student via annual academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social planning for every student, school counselor core curriculum for every student, and group and individual counseling for some students based on the ACA Code of Ethics, the ASCA National Model, and the National Office for School Counselor Advocacy(NOSCA), career and college readiness components (Erford, 2015).” A professional school counselor must use access, attainment, and achievement data to ensure that each component of a comprehensive counseling plan is being met.

A school counselor can create date-driven goals for individual, group, classroom, school, district, family, and community. School counselor can work with teachers and other stakeholders to make measureable goals to solve problems within the school community. School counseling programs need to be data, driven, equitable, and systemic (Erford,

2015).
A school counselor is a leader within the school community. Due to this fact, the counselor holds the responsibility to stand up for injustice in the community. Lee has stated that school counselors have both a moral and ethical responsibility to advocate for students and serve as agents for social and political change (Ratts, DeKruyf, & Chen-Hayes, 2007). The ASCA states that “school counselors are advocates, leaders, collaborators and consultants who create systemic change by providing equitable educational access and success by connecting their school counseling programs to the district’s mission and improvement plans.” Similarly the American Counselor Association, states the following about advocacy: “when appropriate, counselors advocate at individual, group, institutional, and societal levels to address potential barriers and obstacles that inhibit access and/or the growth and development of clients (Association A. C., 2014). A professional school counselor should have a strong focus on social justice, “which internally increase the social and cultural capital for all students and aids in attainment of equitable education outcomes (Erford, 2015, p. 66).