A college counselor is responsible for providing various types of counseling to students on a college campus. The most common forms are group and individual counseling. They will also provide consultation as needed and may be called upon to teach various courses in counseling or student development. College counselors today are also assisting with multicultural programming and education. These people work on the development of skills and traits that they feel could help the student better cope with the problem in question. They will also assist students in decisions related to degree choices and career ooptions.
To become a licensed counselor in New York (the specific term is licensed mental health practitioner), one must possess at least a master’s degree in counseling. In order to get into such a program, one must first obtain a bachelor’s degree that has a strong footing in an area of the behavioral sciences. A candidate for licensure must also complete a 3,000 hour internship after obtaining a master’s degree, and pass the certification exam (New York uses the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam). New York does not require one to be a licensed counselor in order to practice in a school setting (which would include colleges). However, individual counseling centers and individual counselors can choose to seek accreditation from professional organizations.
http://www.nbcc.org/examinations
This website gives information about certification to become a counselor. It gives information on National test dates to be nationally certified, along with test dates for state certification. It also lists the scoring procedures, study guides and sample questions.
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?contentid=242
This is a site that lists each state’s requirements to becoming a Counselor (not just specifically a College Counselor). It lists what educational requirements must be met, what experience is required, examinations you must pass, certifications necessary, and reciprocity. The site goes into specific detail about what is required for all 50 states.
For example: NEW YORK Educational Requirements: Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or from an institution authorized by NY Department of Education; AND For a provisional certificate (five years):
At least 30 semester hours of approved graduate study in the field of school counseling, including supervised practice in school counseling. One year of paid full-time approved experience as a school counselor in PreK-12 setting may be substituted fro the internship/practice. Completion of a Child Abuse Identification and a school violence prevention and intervention Workshop For a permanent certificate:
Meet the educational requirements for a provisional certificate and complete 30 semester hours of additional graduate study in school counseling. Within the total program of preparation, a master’s degree is required.
Experience Requirements: For a provisional certificate (five years): None; For a permanent certificate: Two years in a pupil personnel service position in a public or approved independent elementary and/or secondary school. Examination: No Certification: PreK-12 Reciprocity: Yes This pathway allows an educator who holds a valid certificate in a state that has a reciprocity agreement with New York State to obtain a comparable New York State certificate. The candidate must either (a) have completed an approved preparation program or (b) possess a valid, advanced-level certificate in the other jurisdiction and three years of service. At least two of those three years must have been completed under the reciprocal certificate. Specified non-coursework requirements, such as the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations and fingerprint clearance, must also be satisfied
Background Check: Yes. Fingerprint Clearance.
Schools in NY awarding related graduate degrees:to top
Nyack College Nyack, NY Alliance Graduate School of Counseling
Christian and Missionary Alliance
Counseling http://www.alliancecounseling.com/
SUNY Oswego Oswego, NY Graduate Programs in Counseling Services, and Certificate of Advanced Study Teachers College, Columbia University
Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology
Counseling Psychology New York City http://www.tc.columbia.edu/academic/ccp/CounPsych/
Salary range:to top
A counselor’s salary can range from $21,000-$73,000. The median income is around $39,000. This difference comes from where you are located, the certifications you have, and where you are employed. If you work year round in a private practice, you will generally have a higher salary. This is the where you have to decide whether having summers off (being a School Counselor) is the best option for you, or obtaining a larger salary is. If you want to make more money, it’s important to obtain a Professional Counselor Certification, and this applies especially if you are working in private practice. This certification is available after you have your master’s degree, and then if you have at least 2 years of working experience. To remain certified, you must complete 100 hours of continuing education every 5 years. http://www.ehow.com/how_14364_research-salary-ranges.html
This information is from the Department of Labor –Bureau of Labor Statistics:
“Median annual earnings of educational, vocational, and school counselors in May 2004 were $45,570. The middle 50 percent earned between $34,530 and $58,400. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,260, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $72,390. School counselors can earn additional income working summers in the school system or in other jobs.”
This website also gave a lot of useful information on training and qualifications, the job outlook and employment opportunities, working conditions and listed sources of additional information.
Below is a table from the site that shows the salary ranges for different types of counselors.
Job forecast:to top
“Overall employment of counselors is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2014. In addition, numerous job openings will occur as many counselors retire or leave the profession. While job prospects will vary with location and specialization, opportunities generally should be very good because the number of job openings that arise should exceed the number of graduates of counseling programs. Rehabilitation counselors and substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors, in particular, should experience excellent prospects.” http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos067.htm San Francisco Department of Counseling:
This website shows both the National and California long-range employment outlook:
“Students graduating with a master's degree in counseling are eligible for a variety of career options. The profession of counseling involves counselors assisting clients to learn about themselves and learn to help themselves within their respective environments. The role of the professional counselor calls for skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed to help people make personal life decisions.” http://www.sfsu.edu/~counsel/web/stud_new/career_outlook.html South Carolina State University:
“Overall employment of counselors is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2006. In addition, replacement needs should increase significantly as a large number of counselors reach retirement age. Employment of school and vocational counselors is expected to grow as a result of increasing enrollments, particularly in secondary and post-secondary schools, State legislation requiring counselors in elementary schools, and the expanded responsibilities of counselors. Counselors are becoming more involved in crisis and preventive counseling, helping students deal with issues ranging from drug and alcohol abuse to death and suicide. AISO7 the growing diversity of student populations is presenting challenges to counselors in dealing with multicultural issues. Job growth among counselors, however, may be dampened by budgetary constraints. High student-to-counselor ratios in many schools could increase even more as student enrollments grow. When funding is tight, schools usually prefer to hire new teachers before adding counselors in an effort to keep classroom sizes at acceptable levels.” http://www.scsu.edu/rehib_co/outlook/joboutlook.htm
“Advising at-risk Students in College and University Settings”, Dana L. Heisserer and Paul Parette.
The Article describes at-risk students and provides information on how college counselors and advisors can use three different models to help keep them from dropping out of school. The article gives many tips in approaching at risks students and helping keep them on track. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCR/is_1_36/ai_85007770
“Being a School Counselor Information and Statistics”
The Article is great for anyone interested in any counseling position from elementary school all the way up to the college level. It describes the characteristics needed to be a good counselor and what the job forecast looks like over the next several years. The article provides some of the duties and responsibilities associated with being a counselor in different fields and what the salary range may be for the counselors. http://www.counselorcompanion.com/11-2006/being-a-school-guidance-counselor-information-and-statistics/#more-253
“Someone to Talk to When Times Get Tough” Sandy Archilla
The Article describes the University Counseling Services at California State University. It provides a good description of how a Counseling Service works in a University setting. The counselors usually do one on one assessments and get about 35 to 40 new students a day most of whom are referred to the center by professors. The Counseling Center also has a crisis hotline for when students cannot make it to see a counselor and of when the Counseling Center is closed. http://sundial.csun.edu/media/storage/paper862/news/2006/02/15/News/Someone.To.Talk.To.When.Times.Get.Tough-1613607.shtml?norewrite200612061401&sourcedomain=sundial.csun.edu
Counseling Center Village
This website is a collaboration of numerous different Counseling Centers from around the world. These centers along with numerous professionals post websites and write articles that they feel are beneficial to the counseling community. The website includes links to numerous topics that a Counselor may come across and how to help students who may be having certain problems.
http://ccvillage.buffalo.edu/
All About Counseling
All About Counseling is a website that provides articles, discussions, and numerous ways for counselors to find information relating to their field. The site provides information on issues in counseling and some of the symptoms of many of the things a counselor may come across such as anxiety and depression. http://www.allaboutcounseling.com/
Counseling Network
Counseling Network is a website that tries to act as a community for counseling professionals. The community has over 8,000 members who look to list their university websites and seek advice from other counselors through message board postings and topic discussions. http://www.counselingnetwork.com/
The Student Counseling Virtual Pamphlet
This websites provides numerous links to websites that can help out counselors and students. The site includes numerous articles posted by many different universities on topics such as knowing about alcohol abuse, safe sex, depression, and a number of other categories. It can be a great website for a counselor to learn about how to deal with topics that they may not be too familiar with or even refer a student who may be having a problem with one of the many issues that the site covers. http://www.dr-bob.org/vpc/
Professional organizations:to top
-ACCA: The American College Counseling Association
Their mission statement:
“ACCA is an Association for those persons in higher education to include colleges, universities, community and technical college settings, whose professional identity is counseling and whose purpose is fostering students' development. ACCA strives to support and enhance the practice of college counseling, to promote ethical and responsible professional practice, to promote communication and exchange among college counselors across service areas and institutional settings, to encourage cooperation with other organizations related to higher education and college student development, and to provide leadership and advocacy for the profession of counseling in higher education. ACCA is a division of the American Counseling Association (ACA)”
The ACCA publishes a newsletter 3 times a year with articles that would interest college counselors. The ACCA also gives out grants for people who are interested in conducting research, they hold conferences, and provide a link to the Journal of College Counseling. http://www.collegecounseling.org/
College Counselor’s Network
What they do:
“College Counselors Network is an organization committed to the professional development of college counselors. The Network brings together professionals and industry experts for interactive teleconference seminars covering various themes including: "Book of the Month," "Current Issue," "College of the Month," and "Best Practices." Participants phone into a bridge-line, joining distinguished industry guest speakers and other college counselors for an interactive 60 minute teleconferencing call”
* These telephone conferences are an hour long that consists of a guest speaker and 50 minutes of asking and answering questions. All topics pertain to college counseling related issues. http://www.collegecounselors.net/about.shtml
American School Counseling Association
It is the largest association that represents counselors with 45,000 members and is non-profit. ACA was founded in 1952 and is note for making considerable improvement in accreditation, licensure, and national certification. ACA seems to be a great place for counselors to receive information on new techniques and ways to become better counselors. http://www.schoolcounselor.org/ Association for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues in Counseling – The AGBLIC is dedicated to educating counselors on how to confront issues of students who are gay, lesbian, bisexuals, or transgender. “AGLBIC is an organization that provides several functions, including a place for both professional counselors and those in adjunctive helping professions to find community, common ground, support, and resources for our work with others. Since we come from a wide range of counseling and counseling-related fields, it is important that we find ways to connect with each other around issues that affect the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered communities.”
Link: http://aglbic.org
Journal of College Counseling
This is a publication of the American College Counseling Association. You can find articles in this journal on a variety of topics. There are lists of articles about studies with non-traditional students, counseling students with disabilities, and the effects of binge drinking on college student’s performance. This is a useful tool for counselors to look at, and to see what current research has been done with college students. http://www.collegecounseling.org/resources/index.html
New York State School Counseling Association Journal
This journal is biannual in the winter and summer, which focuses on one major issue in counseling each year. The journal wants to help school counselors communicate with each other and create collaboration between counseling professionals in the state of New York. http://www.nyssca.org/journal.htm
Journal of Counseling Psychology
The journal of Counseling Psychology publishes empirical research in counseling activities such as intervention, training, prevention, and psychological education. The journal also focuses on counseling minorities and some of the professional issues in counseling. http://www.apa.org/journals/cou/
The Journal of College Student Psychotherapy
The Journal focuses on theory, practices, and research that help improve the lives of college students. The journal is written specifically for college and university administrative staff and for counselors and other health professionals. The journal covers such topics as long term and brief interventions, short-term counseling, and ethics and confidentiality. http://www.haworthpressinc.com/store/product.asp?sku=J035
This site was originally developed by: Katie Rathbun,Jason Clark and Matt Cioffi for a course in Psychology in the Schools taught by Dr. Margaret Anderson at SUNY Cortland in Fall 2006.
