What does a guidance counselor do?
The primary role of a Guidance Counselor is to help students develop skills for success, both in academics and social development. They also develop and implement educational and counseling plans with modern methods of teaching and mentoring.
Guidance counselor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real guidance counselor resumes:
- Utilize Salesforce to manage advertising programs for business owners.
- Administer TACHS, PSAT, and other statewide examinations.
- Provide individual counseling to students upon their request, SST referrals, or that of a teacher.
- Utilize RTI for curriculum design and to identify students in need of extra academic & behavioral support.
- Contribute to IEP manifestation meetings with students-parents-teachers.
- Complete student educational assessments for upcoming IEP meetings.
- Administer PSAT examinations and provides classroom guidance sessions on relevant topics
- Prepare objectives for courses of study and assist in procuring forthcoming curriculum.
- Provide scheduling, evaluate standardized tests, help students determine courses of study with possible vocations
- Utilize RTI process to identify students with behavioral concerns and develop interventions to support students.
- Focuse practice on the representation of dentists and health care professionals in malpractice litigation and general business matters.
- Provide leadership to provide psychological, physical and cognitive rehabilitative services to individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental illnesses.
Guidance counselor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Guidance Counselors are proficient in Crisis Intervention, Community Resources, and Mental Health. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Interpersonal skills, and Listening skills.
We break down the percentage of Guidance Counselors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Crisis Intervention, 10%
Provided individual counseling, facilitated social skills groups, and provided crisis intervention for clients with behavioral disorders.
- Community Resources, 5%
Maximized community resources to bring education and connection to children and families from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Mental Health, 5%
Guided curriculum that emphasized academic achievement, affirmative life skills, and positive mental health.
- Professional Development, 4%
Participated in district's professional development and special education programs, facilitating meetings, distributing information, and offering training.
- Financial Aid, 4%
Provided information and assistance on financial aid and scholarships including assisting students with the application process.
- Conflict Resolution, 4%
Facilitated daily Guidance within K-8 classrooms to increase self-recognition, conflict resolution and cooperation to approximately 20 students.
"crisis intervention," "community resources," and "mental health" are among the most common skills that guidance counselors use at work. You can find even more guidance counselor responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a guidance counselor to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "school and career counselors and advisors interpret student records, schoolwide data, and assessments to match interests and abilities with potential careers. ." Guidance counselors often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "served on leadership committee, avid site team, master scheduling committee, data committee, pbis committee and social committee"
Interpersonal skills. Many guidance counselor duties rely on interpersonal skills. "school and career counselors and advisors must be able to work with people of all backgrounds and personalities," so a guidance counselor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways guidance counselor responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "presented guidance curriculum in classrooms regarding interpersonal relationships, career and future planning, and academic skills. "
Listening skills. guidance counselors are also known for listening skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to guidance counselor responsibilities, because "school and career counselors and advisors need to give full attention to students and clients in order to understand their problems." A guidance counselor resume example shows how listening skills is used in the workplace: "communicated with school administration, parents and referral entities. "
Speaking skills. guidance counselor responsibilities often require "speaking skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "school and career counselors and advisors must communicate effectively with clients and students." This resume example shows what guidance counselors do with speaking skills on a typical day: "presented in-service training to staff on topics including but not limited to isat administration, pbis, champs, and sel. "
The three companies that hire the most guidance counselors are:
- Fifth Third Bank4 guidance counselors jobs
- State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia4 guidance counselors jobs
- Orange County High School4 guidance counselors jobs
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Compare different guidance counselors
Guidance counselor vs. Clinician
A clinician specializes in providing diagnosis, treatment, and direct care to patients with different illnesses. A clinician's duties mainly revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis, providing medical care through various therapies, and improving one's overall health condition. Furthermore, a clinician must obtain and analyze a patient's complete medical history, provide diagnostic tests, always monitor the effects of treatment on a patient, provide prognosis and consider the overall impact on a patient's health and well-being.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, guidance counselor responsibilities require skills like "professional development," "financial aid," "conflict resolution," and "child abuse." Meanwhile a typical clinician has skills in areas such as "social work," "patients," "patient care," and "individual therapy." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Clinicians tend to reach similar levels of education than guidance counselors. In fact, clinicians are 2.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Guidance counselor vs. School social worker
A school social worker specializes in counseling students, families, and faculty members. They are responsible for coordinating with the school to develop programs that prioritize the students' emotional and psychological well-being, respond to any issues and concerns, build rapport to identify their needs, and communicate with support services to provide necessary assistance to any students or families. There are also instances when a school social worker must assist teachers in handling students with behavioral issues, investigating the underlying reasons. Moreover, it is crucial to identify any signs of neglect or abuse, conducting interventive measures right away.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that guidance counselor responsibilities requires skills like "financial aid," "career development," "career planning," and "test results." But a school social worker might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "social work," "social emotional," "group therapy," and "classroom observations."
School social workers earn a higher average salary than guidance counselors. But school social workers earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $53,660. Additionally, guidance counselors earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $50,444 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. School social workers tend to reach higher levels of education than guidance counselors. In fact, they're 13.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for guidance counselors in the next 3-5 years?
Lesley Casarez Ph.D.
Director, Quality Enhancement Plan Program Coordinator, M.S. Professional School Counseling Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, Angelo State University
Guidance counselor vs. Career services advisor
The job of a career services advisor is to work with groups and individuals in determining skills and strengthen recruitment potential. Career services advisors maintain web and print resources for employers and students. They administer the career evaluations of individuals, and teach them about resume writing and interviewing for jobs. They make a resolution for issues associated with employment. Their job involves developing and managing parent volunteer groups implementing an assessment process for feedback from students and speakers.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from guidance counselor resumes include skills like "crisis intervention," "community resources," "mental health," and "financial aid," whereas a career services advisor is more likely to list skills in "career services," "alumni," "customer service," and "data entry. "
Career services advisors make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $47,666. On the other hand, guidance counselors are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $50,444.When it comes to education, career services advisors tend to earn lower degree levels compared to guidance counselors. In fact, they're 25.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Guidance counselor vs. Counselor internship
When it comes to Counselor Internship, among the primary responsibilities is to assist in dealing with various activities such as preparing and verifying necessary documentation, observing consultations and outreach programs, guide clients and help develop multiple helpful strategies, and provide assessments. Furthermore, one can conduct counseling and consultation only under supervision. It is also essential to track the information gathered and coordinate with assigned personnel to adhere to the company's regulations and policies.
Types of guidance counselor
Updated January 8, 2025
