How to Become a School Counselor: Requirements and Qualifications
Blog Updated on November 5, 2025.
The years children and teens spend in school are some of the most formative of their entire lives. During this period, they study different subjects, perhaps finding a passion to pursue for the rest of their lives. They develop friendships and find extracurricular hobbies. They also face challenges, both relationally and academically, that they can learn how to overcome with the support of their educators.
One of the key influences in any student’s life is a school counselor. School counseling is designed to help students develop strategies for success, plan for the future, and learn interpersonal skills to aid them throughout their lives. School counselors are critical to student success, and the right education and training are crucial to the role.
What Does a School Counselor Do?
Before focusing on how to become a school counselor, it is first important to identify precisely what they do. School counselors help their students strengthen their academic and social skills, serving in a supportive role throughout primary and secondary schooling. Many careers help children thrive during their school years, and each serves a specific purpose.
What Does a School Counselor Do?
How School Counselors Compare With Similar Careers
- Guidance counselors are sometimes considered synonymous with school counselors. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) views the term “guidance counselor” as outdated and recommends “school counselor” as an accurate reflection of the job instead. Traditionally, guidance counselors gave vocational guidance to students before graduation. Now, school counselors help students thrive as whole individuals, including supporting their social-emotional, academic, and career development.
- Child and family therapists serve individuals and families as they work through relational issues or mental health diagnoses. School counselors do not diagnose or treat students for specific mental health issues.
- School social workers often work directly with students who have social, emotional, behavioral, or developmental disabilities, helping them thrive in school as individuals. Although the school counselor and social worker roles may often overlap, school counselors are unique in that they support students individually and design and implement programs to support an entire grade or student body.
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- School psychologists are licensed mental health professionals who focus primarily on evaluating and addressing mental health concerns in their student population while liaising with teachers and families. They usually focus on a smaller subset of students and may travel throughout a district to work with students at different schools. School counselors typically work in one school and focus more broadly on helping all students with academic, career, and social-emotional challenges rather than solely mental health diagnoses.
- Mental health counselors are also licensed mental health professionals, but their practice extends to people of all ages outside an educational setting. They advise, support, and treat individuals dealing with mental and behavioral health disorders. They also help devise treatment strategies for individuals experiencing substance abuse issues.
|
Profession |
Median Salary (2024) |
Projected Job Growth (2024-2034) |
|
$65,140 |
4% |
|
|
$66,990 |
4% |
|
|
$63,780 |
13% |
|
|
$61,330 |
6% |
|
|
$86,930 |
1% |
|
|
$59,190 |
17% |
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
School Counseling in Different Contexts
While many duties overlap, there are distinctions in the everyday responsibilities of elementary, middle school, and high school counselors. Consider the responsibilities that ASCA highlights for school counselors in each setting.
|
Role |
Help Students to |
|
Achieve academic success, begin to understand career opportunities, and develop social-emotional skills in response to real-life issues |
|
|
Achieve academic success while navigating adolescence, an increased activity level, quest for a unique identity, and shifting social dynamics |
|
|
Achieve academic success while making concrete and compounded decisions regarding the next steps in life, such as college and career |
What Qualities Should a School Counselor Possess?
School counselors are as diverse as the student populations they serve, but excellent school counselors have several traits in common. Becoming a school counselor can involve cultivating the following skills.
Communication
To make the most of their time with students in both individual and group settings, school counselors must learn how to be effective communicators. They guide their students through confusing academic moments and interpersonal situations, helping them find a way to thrive on their educational journeys.
Empathy
Often, students come to their school counselors with difficult questions or heavy conversation topics. Childhood and adolescence can be difficult, and school counselors should be able to empathize with what students are going through. Children and teens who feel understood are more likely to hear and heed the counselor’s guidance.
Organization
Keeping up with students across grades, interests, and individual challenges requires an organized mind. School counselors should have a detailed system of notes and files to help their students thrive during school and beyond.
Listening
Many students need safe spaces to share how they feel and what they are experiencing in their studies, friendships, and home lives. Effective school counselors know how to advise their students, but they also learn how to support them by simply listening.
Observational
Sometimes, the solution to a student’s problem lies in what remains unsaid. By observing their students’ behavior, school counselors can learn how to best address the issues at hand.
Flexibility
Even the best-laid plans must be put aside occasionally as a school counselor. Education is an ever-changing field, and new schedules and responsibilities often pop up with little or no notice. School counselors should learn how to adapt quickly to an unpredictable environment to mitigate their stress and, in turn, the stress of their students.
Authority
School counselors are often friendly and approachable, which is an appropriate disposition for the role. However, certain situations call for them to move from being a friend to an authority figure, taking charge when drug use, abuse, neglect, harm, or suicidal ideation occurs in a student’s life.
Why School Counselors are Needed More Than Ever
Anxiety, along with other mental health diagnoses and behavioral disorders, is on the rise in children and teens. According to a 2025 CDC report, 9% of males and 12% of females ages 3 to 17 were diagnosed with anxiety between 2022 and 2023. During the same period, 3% of males and 6% of females ages 3 to 17 were diagnosed with depression, and those numbers continue to rise.
Data from the Health Resources and Services Administration notes that the percentage of adolescents ages 12 to 17 with a mental health or behavioral issue rose from 15% to 20.3% from 2016 to 2023. This data reinforces why becoming a school counselor is an in-demand career option for those who have already earned a degree and begun a career in education. As school counselors, these educators are able to make a unique difference in students’ lives.
What Is the Path to Becoming a School Counselor?
If you are considering a career change, you may wonder how long it takes to become a school counselor. The optimal path is to earn a master’s degree in school counseling, pass a certification examination, and gain the necessary experience to lead and guide students in a counseling office instead of a classroom.
School Counselor Requirements
Each state sets its own licensing and credential requirements for school counselors, so standards can vary. However, ASCA notes that aspiring school counselors can expect to see certain general standards across the board, including the following:
- Documented school counseling education and coursework from an accredited college or university at or above the level of a master’s degree in school counseling
- Completion of a practicum and internship in a K-12 school
- Passing a comprehensive state or national test
ASCA also states that most public school systems require school counselors to have taken advanced courses covering:
- Human growth and development
- Theories
- Individual counseling
- Group counseling
- Social and cultural foundations
- Testing/appraisal
- Research and program evaluation
- Professional orientation
- Career development
- Supervised practicum
- Supervised internship
When it comes to finding an accredited program that meets your state’s school counseling requirements, CACREP is a great place to start. CACREP is an independent accrediting agency for counseling programs at the master’s and doctoral levels. Many states require that prospective school counselors graduate from a CACREP-accredited counseling program.
CACREP-accredited school counseling programs require:
- 60 credit hours of education in relevant subject areas
- Two 300-hour internships
- A 100-hour practicum
Differences in state school counselor requirements include internship hours, whether teaching experience is necessary, and the required certification examination.
Education
After earning an undergraduate degree, pursuing a master’s in school counseling is a logical next step in becoming a school counselor. At St. Bonaventure University Online, you can earn your degree through a CACREP-accredited online program without taking the GRE or GMAT. As you complete your graduate coursework, you will learn how to empower students to achieve their goals and overcome obstacles, helping them become successful and well-adjusted elementary, middle, and high school students.
Certification Examination
After graduation, school counselor requirements typically involve passing a professional certification examination to become certified in your state as a school counselor. St. Bonaventure has consistently high examination pass rates and job placements, thanks to a focused curriculum, dedicated support from faculty and advisers, and excellent internship opportunities that provide hands-on experience.
Experience
Before becoming a school counselor, you will gain practical experience by completing a 100-hour practicum and two 300-hour internships. When you earn your degree at St. Bonaventure, you will have a dedicated staff coordinator to help you find local internship sites. St. Bonaventure is located in New York, but we have secured internships for our online students as far away as Hawaii. Our staff is committed to finding a local placement for you.
Find Out How to Become a School Counselor With St. Bonaventure University
Never has there been a better time to start your career as a school counselor. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects this field to increase by 4% between 2024 and 2034. With 13,300 job openings projected annually, earning a Master of Science in Education (MSED) in School Counseling and sitting for your state certification examination can lead to a rewarding career in elementary, middle, or high schools.
At St. Bonaventure, the online MSED in School Counseling will prepare you to counsel and equip students for their educational journeys. Whether you are pursuing your first career or ready to make a change, St. Bonaventure’s online degree program combines quality, flexibility, and affordability. With enrollments beginning in the fall, spring, and summer semesters, you can start your journey to becoming a school counselor when it works for you. Online coursework allows you to learn from anywhere, and internship placement support gives you the assistance you need to earn valuable hands-on experience in a qualified setting.
Are you ready to prepare tomorrow’s students for a balanced, happy, and well-adjusted educational experience? Talk to a St. Bonaventure adviser about the MSED in School Counseling today.
