How much training do our school counselors have? | School Counseling | Forum

I often wondered how much training and how often they are trained do our school counselor's have?  There is so much bullying these days in school, you would hope that the counselors are trained to do what they need to.  My daughter has a friend that is bi-racial and she gets picked on a lot in school.  It is terrible, especially since it is 2011.  She tells me that she tries to talk to the guidance counselor and that they really don't help her.

I think this is a big problem.

wow, this honestly surprises me, when i went to school which was only 4 years ago there was litterally no bullying of bi-racial students, there was some towards openly gay, but those who did bully them were looked down upon and critisized greatly. my heart goes out to your children, i cant believe this really. i thought the younger generation was getting better, but school counselors in my opinion are no real help, there hands are tied form any real intervention by the school board, and you have to understand in public schools where violence and drug abuse is so common, bullying doesnt rank as high as an an issue as it should. i was bullied a few times, but being a boy, i had to defend myself, i dont wish that any of your children have to do that. i hate violence. but in my experiance, it is neccesary.

Oh I see it all the time in the schools near me.  It is very sad!  I try to help my daughter's friend and I tell her how special she is.  I don't think her mom is that great though.  She is no longer with the girls dad and I think she gets upset that her daughter is having problems.  Hello— she did not choose her parents!

Do they actually still have counselors in schools?  With all the budget cuts, it's hard to imagine.  When I was in school, we had a slew of counselors that split up the student body.  Frankly, I would bet they have too many students assigned to them today to even know what's going on.  However, for the poster, if the counselor isn't doing anything, the parent needs to contact the principal and tell them the counselor's reaction.

I am pretty sure they have certified counselors in each school but I have not had the opportunity to meet the one in my kids' school. I would imagine they have to have specialized training not only in counseling but with regards to children.

Post edited 12:04 pm – May 23, 2011 by ShiningLight

You can get a clearer idea from the list of competencies here:

schoolcounselor.org/files/ratios 202008-2009.pdf

I think that you would need a bachelor's degree in either education or sociology to become a school counselor. Of course these courses would be a great way to start a Master's of Education in Counseling, which is required in most states.