The Professional
School
Counselor

Understanding a counselor’s role and
purpose in the school setting

E D C 6 0 0 –
F o u n d a t i o n s o f
P r o f e s s i o n a l E C

What is a School Counselor?
What Do They Do?

Academic Roles/Responsibilities:

Identify students’ strengths and
areas of improvement.

Collaborate with teachers,
principals, and other school
staff (instructional aids, Special
Education coordinator, etc.) to
provide the necessary and
proper
interventions/accommodations
for student success. 

Aid students by providing
strategies such as test-taking
strategies, organizational and 
time management skills and
tips.

“Every child you pass in the hall has
a story that needs to be heard.
Maybe you are the one meant to
hear it. ”

– Bethany Hill

Social/Emotional :

Provide individual and/or group
counseling to students.

Aid students in developing
strategies that will help them
better manage their emotions in
and out of the school setting.

Provide resources to students for a
variety of topics such as anxiety,
mental health, eating disorders,
etc. 

College & Career Development:
Help students create short
and long term goals

Help students thinks about
and prepare for
postsecondary
options/choices. 

Aid students in developing
skills needed for college and
careers. 

A person who gives intellectual,
moral, and social instructions

Educator:

Changes in teachers, classrooms,
students, and schools all designed
to increase the amount students
learn

Educational Reform:

The conditions and facts that are
connected with and affect a situation, an
event or an action.

Circumstance:

The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance,
worth, or usefulness of something.
A person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment
of what is important in life.

Value:

The value equivalent to that of someone or something
under consideration; the level at which someone or
something deserves to be valued or rated.

Worth:

the way in which two or more people or
groups regard and behave toward each other.

Relationship:

Vocabulary:

Synopsis:
Though this Ted-talk focuses on teachers, the concept about enjoying your job and the
children you work with relates to the title and responsibilities of a counselor.
Counselors work with students both individually and in groups and sometimes the focus
may not be academic but rather social/emotional or personal. In order for counselors to be
effective they must enjoy listening to their students and being able to converse with them.
Rita discusses how every child needs a champion, every child needs someone to be there
cheering them on and believing in them. Sometimes a student has no one supporting them
and that counselor can be the first one believe in them and make a difference for them. 

John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth’s Attachment Theory is important and can be tied into
this Ted Talk. The theory makes a connection between a child’s success and independency
and the amount of supportive or unsupportive relationships they have with adults. If
students have positive, supportive relationships from school staff, they can have more
success and confidence. Sometimes the only positive relationships students have are at
school. 

Informative Video #1:

Every kid needs a Champion

https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?
v=SFnMTHhKdkw

Informative Video #2:

Video: Seeing Silver in the Soup

https://www.you
tube.com/watch?
v=_FERciIfX-4

Synopsis:
In this video, Lynnel Reed discusses how children may feel inferior to others
in academics because they may not get the best grades and how that
affects a child’s mental, emotional and overall view of themselves. However,
each child is different and everyone has different abilities and talents in
different areas/sectors. Reed continues addressing the importance of
helping a child see that they are amazing at different things than others.
Every child can achieve success and if they believe they cannot then we
must help them believe they can.

This Ted talk inspired and really resonated with me because before deciding to become a counselor I
was a teacher. I loved teaching my students and sharing class time with them. I realized that after
COVID-19, my students needed me more on the social-emotional level and I really enjoyed that.
Deciding to leave teaching was hard but I still wanted to be in education and with scholars and this
was how I enjoyed it. I enjoyed having students share what was going on and helping them come up
with solutions. I loved seeing and hearing my students share when they applied coping strategies I
informed them about. I enjoy checking in with students not only academically but personally as well.
This Ted Talk really inspired me because I want to be THAT counselor – the counselor who is always
cheering on and uplifting all students regardless of how they are labeled by teachers and other staff
members (“bad” vs “good” , “loud” vs “calm”, etc.). I want to always be able to put a smile on
students’ faces because it may the only time they smile. I want to motivate, encourage, guide, and
impact my students in a positive way. I want to the person who is there for them because maybe
nobody else is there for them. I want to be the counselor that gives them the tools to be confident,
grow and use their voice.

This Ted talk also inspired me because sometimes teachers do not have the best relationships with
some students and I can be a tool that bridges student-teacher relationships. I can use my
knowledge to help others help our students. Together by being there and supporting our students,
we can ensure they succeed not only in school but in life as well.

How/Why the talks inspires me:

School

Counseling

Framework

Model

“If a child cannot learn the way
we teach, maybe we should
teach the way they learn”

-Ignacio Estrada

“Every child is gifted. They
just unwrap their talents at

different times. ”

-Eleanor Thorne

What are some ways
that parents can
collaborate with
counselors to better
support their scholars? 

What are some ways that
students can receive
motivation, support, and
encouragement both inside
and outside of the classroom? 

What are some ways that
parents can become informed

about useful and important
resources that can benefit

scholars and their families? 

How can you build a
relationship and provide
support to a child who is
untrusting of adults due to
their past experiences?  

Aside from providing
guidance and support in
academics, social/emotional
(personal), and college &
career, are there any other
areas where counselors
should provide support to
students? Why?  

Sources:
Attachment theory – . Psychology. (2016, February 11). Retrieved September 22, 2022, from

Attachment Theory

Comprehensive School Counseling Model. (n.d.). San Marcos ISD. Retrieved from https://www.smcisd.net/domain/2219.

Einstein Quote about Fish. (n.d.). Einstein Genius Quotes. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?
sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesgram.com%2Feinstein-quotes-about-
fish%2F&psig=AOvVaw3U7xVVMusnk0xf1OG5DRkO&ust=1664225729402000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAkQjRxqFwoTCICXvaPqsPoCF
QAAAAAdAAAAABAE.

Goodreads. (n.d.). Counseling Quotes . Goodreads. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/counseling

Milsom, A., Goodnough, G., & Akos, P. (2007). School counselor contributions to the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Preventing School
Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 52(1), 19–24. https://doi.org/10.3200/psfl.52.1.19-24

School Counesling Framework Model. (n.d.). CT.gov home. Retrieved from https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/School-Counseling/Comprehensive-K-12-
School-Counseling-Framework/School-Counseling-Framework-Model.

YouTube. (2013). Every kid needs a champion. YouTube. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw&t=226s.

YouTube. (2015). Upcs Guidance Counselor “Seeing Silver in the Soup”. YouTube. Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=_FERciIfX-4&t=365s.

Additional Resources/Info about
school counselors:

#1) Video that explains the roles and responsiblities of school counselors:

#2) School Counseling introduction PDF article
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18vbAG5KQRoxzDZ
MPTPDlhachelkTnpUw/view?usp=sharing