What Is A Counselor? Part 1

nA counselor’s duties vary and depend upon their specialty. Often, their specialty is determined by the setting in which they work and the population they serve. Counselors assist people with a variety of problems with:nn• Personal issuesn• Family concernsn• Education n• Mental healthn• And careersnnEducational, vocational and school counselors provide:nn• Individuals and groups with career and educational counselingnSchool counselors:n• Assist students from elementary school to postsecondary educationn• They work with other individuals and organizations to promote the academic, career, personal and social development of children and youthn• Help students evaluate their abilities, interests, talents, and personalities to develop appropriate academic and career goalsn• They use interviews, counseling sessions, interest and aptitude assessment tests as well as other methods to evaluate and advise studentsn• They create career information centers and career education programsn• They often work with students who have academic and social development problemsnnElementary school counselors:nn• Observe children during classroom and play activities and meet with their teachers and parents to evaluate children’s strengths, problems, or special needsn• They work with teachers and administration to be sure the curriculum addresses both the academic and the developmental needs of studentsn• They do less vocational and academic counseling than high school counselorsnnHigh school counselors:nn• Advise students about college majors, admission requirements, entrance exams, financial aid, trade or technical schools and apprenticeship programsn• They help students develop job search skills, resume writing skills and interviewing skillsn• College career planning and placement counselors assist alumni or students with career development and job-hunting skills.nnSchool counselors at all levels:nn• Help students to understand and deal with social, behavioral and personal problemsn• They emphasize preventive and developmental counseling to provide students with life skills to deal with problems to enhance personal, social and academic growthn• Counselors provide alcohol and drug prevention programs and conflict resolution classesn• They try to identify cases of domestic abuse and other family problems that may affect student developmentnnCounselors interact with:nn• Students individuallyn• In small groupsn• Entire classesnnTo help develop and implement strategies to help students succeed, counselors consult and collaborate with:nn• Parentsn• Teachersn• School administratorsn• School psychologistsn• Medical professionalsn• Social workersnnContinued in Part 2nnSource: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Counselors, on the InternetnnnnThis article is FREE to publish with the resource box.nn© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reservednn