School Counselors…

  • Help students develop positive attitudes toward themselves, family, peers and community.
  • Assist students learn how school performance relates to future opportunities.
  • Develop and deliver classroom guidance lessons, which teach life skills, such as healthy decision making, resolving conflicts, and respecting others.
  • Work closely with students, parents and teachers to identify and remove barriers to student learning.
  • Support students by teaching skills for achieving success.
  • Help students recognize and make the best use of their abilities.
  • Counsel with students individually and in groups.
  • Provide support during personal crisis.
  • Orient new students.
  • Help create a safe school environment where children can learn.
  • Work with students on attendance issues.
  • Coordinate referrals to outside agencies.
  • Help design interventions to enhance student success.
  • Develop community partnerships to enhance student career awareness.
  • Help teachers create a positive learning environment.
  • Help students learn anger management, conflict resolution and mediation skills.
  • Help parents, teachers, and administrators in learning how to meet the needs of all students.

The Counseling and Career Guidance Program is available to all students, not just those in a crisis situation.

Professional School Counselors are licensed with at least a master’s degree in school counseling. Training includes coursework in human growth and development, career development, information services and a supervised internship.

What is Counseling?

School counseling programs promote school success through a focus on three areas as identified in the Tennessee School Counseling and Career Guidance Framework that has been approved by the State Board of Education:

  • Academic Development
  • Career Development
  • Personal and Social Development

School counselors work with students, school staff, families and members of the community.

Reasons Parents Contact the School Counselor

  • Concerns about student achievement
  • Family health problems
  • School registration and orientation
  • Test interpretation
  • Special needs of their child

Ways A Student May See the Counselor

  • Self-referral
  • Friend(s) referral
  • Parent referral
  • Administrative referral
  • Teacher referral
  • Request of the counselor

Parents may call the school counselor at any time for a phone conference or to set up a school visit.

(This space is provided for your name, credentials, phone number and other information about your counseling program that you wish to provide to the reader.)

Information for this brochure was adapted from Sharing the Vision: The National Standards for School Counseling Programs by the American School Counselor Association

Introducing Your

School Counseling and

Career Guidance Program

Abington School District

SCHOOL NAME AND ADDRESS