Value of School Counselors

School Counselors People who work as school counselors are both counselors and educators. They have a very important role, and can be central in helping children and young adults with their academic interests and pursuits. They can also help to ensure that these young people are ready for college, even starting at an early age. Many people think that counselors only focus on college issues, but that is actually not the case.

Their job is often more than just academic, as they work with career and social issues, as well as personal concerns, too (Bryan, et al., 2011). They are educators, but they are also counselors, and that means that they can counsel students on a wide variety of topics. Often, these topics are tied together because the student is experiencing something in his or her personal life or social circle that is affecting whether he or she is mentally and emotionally ready to move on with college and/or career pursuits.

By getting to the bottom of the issue, a school counselor can help a student move on academically, but he or she may also be instrumental in helping the student move forward in other ways, as well (Chen-Hayes, Ockerman, & Mason, 2014). In the past, these individuals were called guidance counselors, but that is an outdated term that is no longer used. Each country is different in how it handles this responsibility, as well, and some countries are much more focused on only the academic side of the issue.

Nearly 40 countries have mandatory school counseling, as do the majority of U.S. states (Chen-Hayes, Ockerman, & Mason, 2014). Many of these counselors are specifically accredited to work in schools, making them an important part of the faculty and helping students be successful in what they want to do in life (Chen-Hayes, Ockerman, & Mason, 2014).

Sometimes, school counselors are called upon to address more complex problems that children have, as they are not just asked to handle which college the student may want to attend or what that student wants to do in order to make a living in the future. As such, there are a number of different beliefs and opinions about what makes a school counselor. Elementary, middle, and high schools all have school counselors.

While the role of the school counselor in a high school may be focused on academic and career pursuits that are more immediate, there is no reason why these kinds of pursuits cannot be considered by younger children. Many students in middle and even elementary school have ideas about what they would like to do with their lives.

While these ideas may change over time, the students may still want to talk them over with a counselor and begin to address issues that could affect them as they look for ways to make their career and academic dreams come true. The support that students of any age get from school counselors is critical, because it helps to shape their future and can allow them to work with someone who is committed to their interests and wants to see them succeed (Bryan, et al., 2011).

School counselors can also refer students for further counseling that is more specific and detailed, if the student is really struggling with a particular issue and needs help. When schools do not have official counselors, they sometimes select teachers to fill that role. Unfortunately, that generally leads to only addressing academic development, and ignores many of the other issues that the students may be facing and dealing with during that time in their lives. Because of that, the.