ASCA: The Role Of The School Counselor

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The ASCA is a nationally recognized professional organization that school counselors must be a member of in order to receive multiple benefits and recognition as qualified professionals for the field. According to ASCA (n.d.), the role of the school counselor is to address students’ academic, career, and social/emotional needs. The school counselor is expected to design, implement, evaluate and enhance a school counseling program in order to ensure success for the students. These counselors are employed in a variety of settings, including schools, supervisory roles, and in counselor education roles (ASCA, n.d.). According to Lapan, Gysbers, & Kayson (2007), and Stone & Dahir (2006), school counselors function to maximize students’ success, …show more content…

School counselors tend to work both public and private schools, and the job outlook is positive, with a growth expectancy of 8 percent in the next ten years (BLS, 2015). Becoming a school counselor involves earning a master’s degree in school counseling in an accredited program and have a state-issued credential (BLS.gov, 2015). According to BLS, the average annual salary a school counselor earned as of 2014 was $54,560, or $26.23 per hour. The number of jobs around the nation as of 2014 was 273,400, but it must be pointed out that jobs have likely increased by a small percent in the 3 years after 2014. In fact, the amount of jobs expected by 2024 is forecasted to be around 300,000 (BLS, 2015). School counselors work full time during the day, or generally from 8-4, so those who work in school counseling would have evenings free from work. Similar careers include teaching, school psychologists, mental health counseling, and social workers (BLS, 2015). The BLS recommends that people seeking to be a school counselor should be invested in helping others succeed, and enjoy working as both a part of a team and individually. Therefore, the research shows that I would be a great fit for the position, as my personality and interests are strongly correlated with the desired personality and interests that BLS describes is needed to be a