What does a student support counselor do?
A student support counselor is responsible for identifying the students' strengths and challenges through one-on-one counseling and establishing solutions to help them overcome difficulties and achieve their educational goals and aspirations. Student support counselors assist the faculty in determining appropriate programs and activities to develop the students' capabilities, especially as a way of preparing them with their career objectives. They also coordinate with the students' families for extended guidance and support for their growth and development.
Student support counselor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real student support counselor resumes:
- Maintain confidentiality relating to treatment while keeping organize and up to date IEP's, and medical records file accordingly.
- Attend IEP meetings of students on caseload and present to the IEP team a clinical progress report with counseling goals.
- Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
- Provide behavior modification and social skills training to children and adolescents with ADHD and other behavioral and emotional disorders.
Student support counselor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Student Support Counselors are proficient in Student Support, Mental Health, and Crisis Intervention. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Listening skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Student Support Counselors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Student Support, 18%
Collaborated with academic and student support departments to ensure that students are utilizing available services and programming.
- Mental Health, 11%
Co-facilitated psycho-educational, substance abuse, and therapeutic process groups for mental health consumers.
- Crisis Intervention, 7%
Provided crisis intervention services to high-risk students and coordinated emergency services as needed.
- Professional Development, 6%
Support student engagement through professional development and community relations.
- Behavioral Issues, 5%
Identified and responded to campers' behavioral issues, and report concerns to camp leaders.
- Financial Aid, 4%
Provided academic advisement, financial aid, career counseling and veterans' affairs benefits information to a primarily nontraditional student population.
Common skills that a student support counselor uses to do their job include "student support," "mental health," and "crisis intervention." You can find details on the most important student support counselor responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a student support counselor to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what student support counselors do because "school and career counselors and advisors interpret student records, schoolwide data, and assessments to match interests and abilities with potential careers. ." Additionally, a student support counselor resume shows how student support counselors use analytical skills: "analyze student accounts collections bill student accounts post payments"
Listening skills. Many student support counselor duties rely on listening skills. "school and career counselors and advisors need to give full attention to students and clients in order to understand their problems.," so a student support counselor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways student support counselor responsibilities rely on listening skills: "documented behaviors in progress notes and communicated with mental health providers and medical staff. "
Speaking skills. This is an important skill for student support counselors to perform their duties. For an example of how student support counselor responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "school and career counselors and advisors must communicate effectively with clients and students." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a student support counselor: "presented a series of eight personal and professional development workshops to freshman students. ".
Compassion. student support counselor responsibilities often require "compassion." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "school and career counselors and advisors often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations, so they must be able to empathize with their clients and students." This resume example shows what student support counselors do with compassion on a typical day: "demonstrate high level of commitment to client services, attention to detail, and compassion. "
Interpersonal skills. Another crucial skill for a student support counselor to carry out their responsibilities is "interpersonal skills." A big part of what student support counselors relies on this skill, since "school and career counselors and advisors must be able to work with people of all backgrounds and personalities." How this skill relates to student support counselor duties can be seen in an example from a student support counselor resume snippet: "utilized effective leadership and interpersonal skills while providing guidance. "
The three companies that hire the most student support counselors are:
- Kellogg7 student support counselors jobs
- Seneca Companies7 student support counselors jobs
- Aspiranet4 student support counselors jobs
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Compare different student support counselors
Student support 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, student support counselor responsibilities require skills like "student support," "mental health," "professional development," and "financial aid." Meanwhile a typical counselor internship has skills in areas such as "intake assessments," "substance abuse issues," "mental health issues," and "group therapy sessions." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Counselor interns earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $51,629. On the other hand, student support counselors are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $44,149.The education levels that counselor interns earn slightly differ from student support counselors. In particular, counselor interns are 5.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a student support counselor. Additionally, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Student support counselor vs. Student advisor
A student advisor is responsible for supporting the students' personal growth and development by guiding them on their learning processes and educational goals. Student advisors provide regular counseling for the students to analyze their career aspirations, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and strategize learning plans to address those difficulties. They also coordinate with the students' parents and guardians to report the students' progress and determine appropriate scholastic solutions. A student advisor must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially when handling students' different needs and concerns.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that student support counselor responsibilities requires skills like "student support," "mental health," "behavioral issues," and "group therapy." But a student advisor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "student services," "international student," and "sevis."
Student advisors may earn a higher salary than student support counselors, but student advisors earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $40,721. On the other hand, student support counselors receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $44,149.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Student advisors tend to reach similar levels of education than student support counselors. In fact, they're 3.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for student support counselors in the next 3-5 years?
Juleen Buser Ph.D.
Professor and Director, School Counseling and Coaching Programs, Rider University
Student support counselor vs. Student liaison
Often, counselors are known to be the go-to person in times we are in need of emotional and psychological support. They help people to manage and overcome the issues which affect their mental health and well-being. Counselors face different kind of situations which may involve trauma, addiction, disabilities, abuse, suicide, anger management, career, and even personal relationships. They provide care, counseling, rehabilitation, and support services. Every counseling requires collaborative effort both from the counselor and client to become effective.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, student support counselors are more likely to have skills like "student support," "crisis intervention," "behavioral issues," and "support services." But a student liaison is more likely to have skills like "early intervention," "community outreach," "community events," and "student services."
Student liaisons earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $43,584. Student support counselors earn the highest pay from the education industry, with an average salary of $44,149.student liaisons typically earn similar educational levels compared to student support counselors. Specifically, they're 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Student support counselor vs. Counselor
Types of student support counselor
Updated January 8, 2025
