How I became a School Counselor

For my first post, I want to tell you how you can become a school counselor and my journey to finally landing my first position as an elementary school counselor. There seem to be some misconceptions out there about school counseling. First, anyone who has graduated from an accredited school counseling program should have been taught the ASCA model and that school counselors do not go by the term “guidance counselor” anymore. School counselors do help guide students, but a school counselor’s job duties have evolved significantly over time. You want to find a CACREP accredited school counseling program.

Another misconception is that school counselors do not have any mental health education. The program that I attended required us to take a course on the DSM and several of the same courses that the mental health counseling program offered. In my state, with my school counseling degree, I am currently eligible for licensure as an LAPC (licensed associate professional counselor). I have passed the National Counselor Examination, which is a requirement to become licensed. After 2 years of supervision, I could be fully licensed as an LPC. Two years because I have an Educational Specialist in School Counseling. Three years of supervision is required for counselors with a master’s degree.

My path to becoming a school counselor too many years. After high school, I majored in psychology at my local university. After 4 years of college, I applied to a community counseling program to earn my master’s degree. After several courses, I began working my required internship at a mental health hospital working in the adolescent wing. During this time, I had a change of heart and wanted to work in the school setting but I still wanted to have the option of possibly working as a therapist one day. Most of the classes in both community and school counseling concentrations overlapped with each other. My last year of my master’s degree required me to work an unpaid internship at a local elementary school.

After graduation, I did not land a job. The rumor was that almost half of our graduating class did not land a school counseling job due to the economy. I end up being pregnant with my 2nd child so I took the time to concentrate on my pregnancy. After my daughter turned one, I started looking more eagerly for a school counselor position. I applied for several school counseling jobs. Five years after I graduated with my master’s degree in school counseling, I was hired as a full-time counselor substitute. The keyword is substitute…unfortunately this was a temporary position. It took me another year to land a part-time position as a school counselor focusing on being the RTI facilitator. In fact, I applied for 6 years….SIX YEARS…before I landed a part-time job. Unfortunately, after two years at the part-time counselor position, I was cut. They were converting the half time counselor position to a teacher, and I was not certified as a teacher. This came at the worst time because I had recently become a divorced single mom.

I desperately applied to jobs everywhere in my state within 2 hours of my house. I was going to have to sell my house if I didn’t land another position. The powers that be heard me and for the first time since I graduated with my master’s degree in 2009, I landed my first full-time position as an elementary school counselor in 2017. I absolutely love the school I work at and even moved next to the school in 2019. In 2019 I also earned my Educational Specialist degree online.

As you can see, this was a long journey to finally landing a full time job. My only regret through this journey is that when I was in college/undergraduate school, I wish I would have majored in teaching. It would have opened up more job opportunities and a teaching certificate. Also, I am not allowed to be a school counselor in my home state because I was not a teacher first nor do I have a teaching certificate. Some states require school counselors to be teachers first. I will be honest though, I am entering my 6th year as a school counselor, and none of my counselor duties has ever needed me to have a teaching certificate just a counselor/service certificate. I do think the states that are requiring only teachers as school counselors are missing out on several great mental health counselors who want to work in the school setting as school counselors. Wouldn’t it be great to have a counselor with mental health experience working as a counselor in a school serving those children who can identify mental health issues and refer to outside therapists?

If you have any questions about becoming a school counselor, please feel free to comment or message me.