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School Counseling: Licensing Program Guidelines

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 school-counseling program based on either the Wisconsin Comprehensive School Counseling Model (2007) or the American School Counselor Association National Model (3rd ed., 2012) 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 addressing issues including social/emotional competence, conflict resolution, peer mediation, bullying prevention, and crisis management.
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the role that diversity, inclusion, gender and equity have on students’ academic achievement, social/emotional, and career development.
  5. Demonstrate classroom instruction skills and individual/small group counseling skills to facilitate students’ social/emotional, 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 a variety of 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 student data, institutional assessments, and research from the field to improve school counseling programs and improve the learning environment for all students.
  10. Demonstrate an understanding of current/emerging technology in education and school counseling to assist students, families, and educators in making informed academic, career, and social/emotional choices; including use of 1-to-1 programs and social media.
  11. Demonstrate the ability to acquire appropriate, ongoing professional development and engaging in personal/professional reflection to continually evaluate current school-counseling services.
  12. Demonstrate acquired skills in understanding the appropriate roles, functions, 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).
For questions about this information, contact dpisspw@dpi.wi.gov (608) 266-8960