The School Counselor and Supervision

(Adopted 2021, revised 2026)

ASCA Position

School counselors engage in quality supervision during their training and professional practice to enhance the implementation of the school counseling program. Supervision by individuals who have a background in school counseling and supervision training enhances school counselors’ professional growth and leadership development in their roles as practitioners and potential supervisors. 

The Rationale

School counselors, including those in training, engage in supervision as part of their ethical and professional responsibility to support the delivery of school counseling programs that promote academic, career and social/emotional development for each and every student (ASCA, 2025a, 2025b). Supervision is distinct from administrative evaluation and is grounded in professional standards that prioritize student welfare, ethical practice and continuous improvement. 

School counselors pursue consultation and supervision in their school counselor training program and throughout their professional career to strengthen their school counseling skills and remain culturally supportive and ethically compliant (ASCA, 2019, 2020, 2022). Supervision provides opportunities for school counseling students, novice school counselors and experienced school counselors to develop and refine the skills required to address the needs of each and everystudent (Bultsma, 2021). Supervision is also helpful in adapting to changing cultural, developmental and environmental demands. 

School counseling ethical and professional standards highlight the need for school counselors to seek supervision and training as supervisors (ASCA, 2019, 2020). Effective supervision draws on supervision models specific to school counseling, ethics, social justice, professional development, leadership, advocacy and other professional roles (ASCA, 2019, 2020, 2023; Hilts & Levy, 2025). Trained school counselor supervisors provide necessary professional development that supports school counselors and school counseling students to be well-prepared, skilled and competent practitioners (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019; Brown & Carrola, 2022). 

The School Counselor's Role

Effective school counselor supervision is an intensive, interpersonally focused, individual or small-group intervention delivered by a more senior member of the profession to a junior member to facilitate continued professional growth (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019).
 
School counselors who serve in a supervisory role:
  • Establish expectations and structures that support supervisees’ active engagement and meaningful participation in the supervision process, recognizing supervision as a collaborative and developmental professional practice (Miserentino & Hannon, 2022).  
  • Maintain appropriate credentialing and demonstrate expertise in school counseling (ASCA, 2019, 2022)
  • Provide supervision grounded in school-counseling-specific knowledge, including the appropriate role and scope of school counseling practice (Bledsoe et al., 2021)
  • Promote the implementation of school counseling programs aligned with the ASCA National Model® (ASCA, 2022, 2024)
  • Model ethical decision-making and ensure adherence to the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors (ASCA, 2022)
  • Serve as professional gatekeepers who monitor school counselor candidates’ development and address any concerns that could affect their professional practice (ASCA, 2024) 
  • Engage in ongoing professional development (ASCA, 2025a; Mecadon-Mann & Tuttle, 2023; Um & Bardhoshi, 2024) 
  • Remain current on school counseling research, trends and best practices (Taylor et al., 2023)
School counselors who serve as site supervisors or mentors uphold standards of integrity, leadership and professionalism while supporting supervisees. In alignment with ethical standards, supervisors collaborate with school counselor preparation programs to promote supervision practices that are developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive and consistent with professional expectations (ASCA, 2019, 2022).
 
School counselor supervisors must have the following qualifications:
  • School counseling licensure or certification with an understanding of school counseling programs and school counselors’ ethical practices
  • A minimum of two years of professional experience within school counseling
  • Relevant training in school counselor supervision 
(ASCA, 2022; Neyland-Brown, et al., 2019)
 

Summary

School counselor supervision supports the ongoing personal and professional development of practicing school counselors and school counseling students in the knowledge and skills required to deliver effective school counseling programs. Supervision focuses on the development of school counseling skills and the integration of school counselor standards and competencies in practice. School counselor supervisors have the appropriate background, experience and training needed to prepare school counselors to meet the needs and challenges of students, families, schools, colleagues and communities. 

References

American School Counselor Association. (2019). ASCA Standards for School Counselor Preparation Programs
 
American School Counselor Association. (2020). Making Supervision Work
 
American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors
 
American School Counselor Association. (2023). The School Counselor and School Counseling Programs
 
American School Counselor Association. (2024a). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselor Education Faculty
 
American School Counselor Association. (2024b). ASCA National Model: What the research says
 
American School Counselor Association. (2025a). ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs(5th ed.)
 
American School Counselor Association. (2025b). ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies
 
Bernard, J. M. & Goodyear, R. K. (2019). Fundamentals of clinical supervision (6th ed.). Pearson.
 
Bledsoe, K. G., Burnham, J. J., Cook, R. M., Clark, M. & Webb, A. L. (2021). A phenomenological study of early career school counselor clinical supervision experiences. Professional School Counseling.https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X21997143
 
Brown, C. H. & Carrola, P. (2022). A creative supervision approach for school counselors supervising interns. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 17(1), 67–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2020.1842276
 
Bultsma, S. A. (2021). Supervision experiences of new professional school counselors. Michigan Journal of Counseling, 39(1), 4–18. https://doi.org/10.22237/mijoc/1325376060
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2024). CACREP standards.https://www.cacrep.org/for-programs/2024-cacrep-standards/
 
Hilts, D. & Levy, I. (2025). The educator – school counselor school counseling supervision model. Journal of Counseling & Development, 103(4), 389–402. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.70002
 
Mecadon-Mann, M. & Tuttle, M. (2023). School counselor professional identity in relation to post-master’s supervision. Professional School Counseling, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X231163028
 
Miserentino, J. & Hannon, M. D. (2022). Supervision in schools: A developmental approach. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 16(1). https://repository.wcsu.edu/jcps/vol16/iss1/2/
 
Neyland-Brown, L., Laux, J. M., Reynolds, J. L., Kozlowski, K. & Piazza, N. J. (2019). An exploration of supervision training opportunities for school counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 17(1), 1–2. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1203244.pdf
 
Taylor, J. V., Zabek, F., Koide, J., Phelps, A. D., Zeanah, K. L. & Lyons, M. D. (2023). Utilizing a telementoring model to promote the evidence-based school counseling model. Professional School Counseling, 27(1a).https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X231186742
 
Um, B. & Bardhoshi, G. (2024). Organizational resources, burnout and work engagement of school counselors: The mediating effect of professional identity. Journal of Counseling & Development, 103, 60–70. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12493