School Counseling

Licensure Program Guidelines for School Counseling

These guidelines address the particular knowledge, skills, and dispositions that school counselor graduate students must demonstrate for successful completion of their graduate programs and subsequent endorsement, by their institution of higher education, for Wisconsin’s school counselor license.

A school counselor will:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the psychological, theoretical, and sociological foundations of human development, learning, and behavior.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of skills required to develop, organize, administer, evaluate, and promote a comprehensive developmental school-counseling program based on the Wisconsin Developmental Guidance Model in collaboration with educators, families and community resources.
3. Demonstrate the skills required to work effectively with school teams to promote a safe and healthy school climate, including prevention and intervention strategies such as conflict resolution, peer mediation and crisis management.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the role that diversity, inclusion, gender and equity have on students’ academic achievement, personal/social and career development.
5. Demonstrate individual and group counseling skills, which facilitate students’, personal/social, academic, and career development throughout their Pk-12 school experience.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of "Pk-16" career development theories, practices and programs, including the ability to facilitate student skill development.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of developmental approaches to assist all students and parents at points of educational transition such as, home to elementary school, elementary to middle to high school and high school to postsecondary options.
8. Demonstrate an understanding of relevant state and federal laws, institutional rules, regulations and standards along with the national and ethical standards of the American School Counselor Association.
9. Demonstrate the ability to utilize research, student data and institutional assessments to improve school counseling programs and recommend systematic changes that will improve the learning environment for all students.
10. Demonstrate an understanding of current and emerging technology in education and school counseling to assist students, families, and educators in making informed academic, career, and personal/social choices.
11. Demonstrate an understanding of and how to acquire ongoing professional development and reflection in helping to continually evaluate school-counseling services.
12. Demonstrate acquired skills in understanding the role, function, and responsibilities of a school counselor by acquiring a minimum of 600 hours of supervised practicum as a school counselor in a school setting at the appropriate level(s).

Additionally, school counselor training programs will require that students demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions of the role, function and responsibilities of a school counselor by acquiring a minimum of 600 hours of supervised practicum in a school setting at the appropriate levels, PK-12.

For questions about this information, contact Douglas R. White (608) 266-5198

Last updated on 2/2/2012 3:03:29 PM