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The School Counselor and Credentialing and Licensure

(Adopted 1990; revised 1993, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2015, 2021)

Ï㽶ÊÓƵPosition

Effective school counselor credentialing or licensing laws include a definition of the profession, minimum qualifications for entry into the profession and requirements for continuing professional development. All state education certification or licensure agencies are encouraged to adopt the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies for school counselor credentialing or licensing.

The Rationale

Legislation and/or regulation for school counselor credentialing or licensure ensure students and stakeholders are served by highly qualified and trained professionals. Such legislation should include:
  • a description of the role of the school counselor as defined in the Ï㽶ÊÓƵNational  Model (ASCA, 2019b)
  • standards for entry into the profession that require, at minimum, a master’s degree in school counseling or the substantial equivalent 
  • requirements for continuing education to further develop skills as a school counselor
Similarly, effective legislation for school counselor certification or licensure reflects the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards &Competencies (ASCA, 2019b), includes a description of roles for school counselors as defined in the Ï㽶ÊÓƵNational Model (2019a) and establishes state standards for school counselor preparation programs aligned with the ASCA School Counselor Preparation Program Standards (ASCA, 2019c).

The School Counselor's Role

School counselors must be professionally credentialed or licensed in the state in which they practice. School counselors work with state school counseling associations, school counseling preparation program and legislative bodies to advocate for alignment of credentialing or licensing requirements (Carey, et al., 2019) with the Ï㽶ÊÓƵProfessional Standards & Competencies for School Counselors. All school counselors are expected to:
  • be culturally competent (Ratts & Greenleaf, 2017)
  • have skills in evidence-based educational and school counseling practices (ASCA, 2019b; Zyromski, et al., 2018)
  • focus on the mindsets and behaviors for student success, including K–12 college- and career- readiness standards for every student, with specific attention to academic, career and social/emotional needs (ASCA, 2019a)
  • possess leadership and advocacy skills (Havlik, et al., 2019)
  • engage in professional development to maintain credentials and licensure to stay current with best practices in school counseling (ASCA, 2022; ASCA, 2019a) 
  • have consultation skills and the ability to work collaboratively with educational professionals and stakeholders in the school and community (Bryan, et al., 2017)
  • be able to develop, implement and assess school counseling programs (Young & Kaffenberger, 2015)
School counselors collaborate with district and state education personnel and local or state school counselor associations to provide ongoing professional development specifically for school counselors, aligned with the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies (2019b).

Summary

Effective state school counselor credentialing/licensing laws and regulations align with the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies (2019b) to ensure highly qualified and trained school counselors.

References

Ï㽶ÊÓƵ (2022). Ï㽶ÊÓƵethical standards for school counselors. Alexandria, VA: Author.
 
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ (2019a). Ï㽶ÊÓƵnational model: A framework for school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA: Author.
 
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ (2019b). Ï㽶ÊÓƵprofessional standards & competencies. Alexandria, VA: Author.

​*Note this position statement includes minor updates to reflect the revisions to the 2022 Ï㽶ÊÓƵEthical Standards for School Counselors.
 
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ (2019c). Ï㽶ÊÓƵschool counselor preparation standards. Alexandria, VA: Author.
 
Baker, S. B., Robichaud, T. A., Dietrich, V. C., Wells, S. C., & Schreck, R. E. (2009). School counselor consultation: A pathway to advocacy, collaboration, and leadership. Professional School Counseling, 12(3), 200-206.
 
Bryan, J.A., Young, A., Griffin, D., & Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2017). Leadership Practices Linked to Involvement in School-Family-Community Partnerships: A National Study. Professional School Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X18761897
 
Carey, J. C., & Martin, I. (2015). A review of the major school counseling policy studies in the United States: 2000-2014. Amherst, MA: The Ronald H. Fredrickson Center for School Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation.
 
Carey, J.C., Martin, I., Harrington, K., and Trevisan, M.S. (2019). Competence in program evaluation and research assessed by state school counselor licensure examinations, Professional School Counseling, 22(1), 
 
Havlik, S.A., Malott, K., Yee, T., DeRosato, M. & Crawford, E., (2019) School counselor training in professional advocacy: The role of the counselor educator, Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, 6(1), 71-85, 
 
Ratts, M.J., & Greenleaf, A.T. (2017). Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies: A leadership framework for professional school counselors. Professional School Counseling. http://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X18773582
 
Young, A., & Kaffenberger, C. (2015). School counseling professional development: Assessing the use of data to inform school counseling services. Professional School Counseling. 
 
Zyromski, B., Dimmitt, C., Mariani, M., & Griffith, C. (2018). Evidence-based school counseling: Models for integrated practice and school counselor education. Professional School Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X1800184