The School Counselor and Credentialing and Licensure
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(Adopted 1990; revised 1993, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2015, 2021)
ASCA Position
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 ASCA National 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
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 ASCA Professional 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)
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
American School Counselor Association (2022). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. Alexandria, VA: Author.
American School Counselor Association (2019a). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA: Author.
American School Counselor Association (2019b). ASCA professional standards & competencies. Alexandria, VA: Author.
*Note this position statement includes minor updates to reflect the revisions to the 2022 ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors.
American School Counselor Association (2019c). ASCA school 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), https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X18793839
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, https://doi.org/10.1080/2326716X.2018.1564710
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. https://doi.org/10.5330/1096-2409-19.1.46
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
American School Counselor Association (2019a). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA: Author.
American School Counselor Association (2019b). ASCA professional standards & competencies. Alexandria, VA: Author.
*Note this position statement includes minor updates to reflect the revisions to the 2022 ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors.
American School Counselor Association (2019c). ASCA school 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), https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X18793839
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, https://doi.org/10.1080/2326716X.2018.1564710
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. https://doi.org/10.5330/1096-2409-19.1.46
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