When most of today’s high school counselors were teenagers, they saw guidance counselors when they needed help applying for college, changing their schedule or getting early release to go to work. However, the nature of counseling in high schools changed dramatically in recent decades, as the support students need today becomes more intense and immediate.
For professionals interested in pursuing a career in the evolving field, Arkansas State University (A-State) offers several fully online Master of Science in Education (MSE) in School Counseling programs. Beyond the general track, program concentrations prepare graduates to excel in today’s complex, specialized student counselor roles, addressing the unique needs of special populations and students who experience life-changing trauma. The skills gained through such degree programs are vital to positively impacting the lives and futures of vulnerable youth in modern school systems.
How School Counselor Responsibilities Are Changing
As noted above, guidance counselors in decades past focused mostly on helping students with academics and post-graduation planning, be it researching and applying for college or securing employment. Their responsibilities were relatively narrow in scope.
With the evolution of school counseling over the past 35 years, the role expanded dynamically to meet the needs of today’s students. Modern school counselors take a more holistic approach to supporting student wellbeing, including addressing social, emotional, behavioral and mental health needs.
However, school counselors still play an important role in academic and vocational guidance for students, recognizing that needs in these areas are also complex and evolving. For instance, even the type and amount of help students need to apply for college is different, with college admission processes and applications expanding in scope to assess extracurricular involvement and backgrounds along with traditional grades and test scores.
Further, many of today’s students are the first in their families to pursue higher education. These students will need extra support through the college admissions and financial aid processes as well as coaching on how to succeed in post-secondary education settings.
Social Media and Teen Mental Health
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in seven 10- to 19-year-olds globally experiences at least one mental health disorder. Many factors fuel adolescent mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression and stress brought on by intense academic and social pressure as well as social media involvement. Inadequately addressed adolescent mental health issues can have far-reaching consequences for teens, negatively impacting life-long physical and mental health.
The state of adolescent mental health is an important driver of the changing school counselor role. Counselors strive to address students’ holistic wellbeing at the earliest possible stages. They seek to prevent long-term impacts of trauma and mental health challenges through therapeutic and behavioral intervention, and provide children and adolescents with tools like healthy coping mechanisms, proactive self-care strategies and additional mental health and wellbeing resources.
The State of School Counseling and Professional Development
Effective school counseling is critical to student wellbeing and success on many levels. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) cites numerous studies demonstrating improved test performance and increased graduation rates when schools maintain optimal school counselor to student ratios. Plus, while mental health outcomes are difficult to quantify, research shows that smaller school counselor ratios result in decreased disciplinary infractions, suggesting improved behavioral and social health.
To be effective in their roles, school counselors need resources, support and advanced training. Given the complexity of their job responsibilities, nearly all states and Washington D.C. require school counselors to have a related master’s degree and appropriate licensure, state endorsements or certification, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
While this level of educational attainment is both beneficial and necessary, it can also present challenges, both in the cost of earning an advanced degree and the lack of adequate funding public schools have to pay highly trained school counselor salaries. This exacerbates the shortage of school counselors in today’s schools.
In fact, in order to reap the benefits of effective school counseling, ASCA recommends that every school should have at least one school counselor for every 250 students. Yet, as of the 2023-2024 school year, the average ratio is 376 to one, due in large part to school budget restraints and the limited supply of well-trained and credentialed school counselors. Consequently, overworked counselors must give priority to students with pressing needs like serious problems at home, severe anxiety or suicidal thoughts, leaving little time to help students choose the right college or apply for financial aid.
Help Shift the Tide: How to Become a School Counselor
As noted above, the high cost of earning an advanced degree can limit the supply of school counselors who meet requirements and have the training needed to excel in their profession. For working educators, attaining this level of education is necessary to become a school counselor. Yet, graduate school tuition can be prohibitively expensive, and taking time off from work to attend traditional, on-campus programs is simply not feasible for many teachers.
Helping to address this challenge, options like A-State’s online MSE in School Counseling programs offer a convenient, flexible and affordable path to acquiring the necessary skills, knowledge and credentials. A-State’s fully online, CAEP-accredited school counseling master’s programs are ideal for working teachers who want to obtain career-advancing education. A teacher can continue working while completing the program on their own schedule, enabling them to achieve the goal of becoming a school counselor.
Learn more about Arkansas State University’s online Master of Science in Education in School Counseling programs.