Job Outlook for School Counselors The average salary for school counselors throughout the U.S. is $56,490 per year, but this pay rate varies considerably from state to state and from city to city. New Jersey is the best paying state and has the best paying city, with counselors statewide earning an average of $72,140 and counselors in Trenton earning an average of $90,090 per year. Why School Counselors Are in High Demand Students attending schools with a low counselor-to-student ratio are also more likely to take ACT or SAT exams. Approximately 70 percent of students at schools with lower ratios are taking either the ACT or the SAT, whereas only 59 percent of students at higher ratio schools are taking the same exams. Counseling Mandates Across the U.S. Five Examples of States that Recognize How Counseling Can Positively Impact Students’ Lives
Effective Characteristics and Traits of Successful School Counselors Listening is the most essential characteristic that a school counselor can have. Counselors must understand that listening involves feeling, seeing, hearing and expressing. It also is important to avoid voicing any assumptions about a student’s feelings or responses. Empathy helps a counselor understand the intensity of a student’s experience; the context of a student’s verbal and non-verbal behavior; and the importance of responding intentionally to a student’s behaviors, experiences or feelings. Building a therapeutic alliance between counselors and students involves coming to a consensus regarding goals, collaborating on counseling-related tasks and emotional bonding. School counselors engage in social justice advocacy and act as social change agents to remove educational inequalities and increase access in order to improve educational outcomes for all students. School counselors know that they must understand their own strengths, weaknesses, perspectives and biases to avoid diminishing their professional effectiveness. Recommended Readings How Counselors Can Achieve Work-life Balance How Professional Counselors Can Help Address The Opioid Crisis Bradley University Online Master’s in Counseling
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