r/schoolcounseling

Every whiny email, every entitled parent complaint, every request to switch teacher bc the one they have doesn’t fit their “learning style”, every request to drop the AP class they begged for, it all makes me wonder if I hate this job. Or do I hate students now? I used to not. I used to love working with young people. Do I just hate their parents? They’ve indulged their child’s every whim and never told them no once a day in their lives. They’ve created these monsters.

Do I hate being a high school counselor or do I just hate this time of year?

Anyone relate to feeling this way as school starts back up?

Hey everyone! I'm 28 years old living in Orange County, CA and I recently got let go from my job as a Client Solutions Manager at a corporate staffing firm.

My background is in Communications and International Relations (UC Davis) and over the past 8 years I've worked across real estate project management, sales, and talent acquisition. Earlier in my life I also worked as a tutor and camp counselor for kids, which sparked my passion for working with young people and is a big part of why I'm now seriously considering a career pivot into school counseling. Looking for something more meaningful, stable, rewarding and better work life balance.

I'm planning to pursue a Masters in School Counseling with a PPS credential — and ideally a program that also includes LPCC eligibility for clinical licensure flexibility down the road. I'm still deciding between a pure school counseling program vs MSW (leaning towards more school counseling), so any insight on that would also be really helpful.

Programs I'm considering for Fall 2027:

• Cal State LA (SBFC program — PPS + LMFT + LPCC)

• Cal State Long Beach

• Chapman University

• LMU

• USC Rossier (reach)

A few things I'd love insight on:

1. Is the school counseling job market in Orange County and LA County actually as strong as I'm reading?

2. Does anyone have experience with any of these programs specifically?

3. For those who made a career change into school counseling — what do you wish you knew before starting?

4. Any advice on making my application stand out? My experience with kids has been more informal — tutoring and camp counseling rather than formal education roles.

5. School doesn't start until Fall of 2027. What jobs should I apply to in the meantime and where do I even begin to look?

6. School counseling vs MSW — for anyone who has been through both paths, which do you wish you had chosen and why?

Any insights from current school counselors, social workers, or anyone who made a similar pivot would mean a lot. Thanks in advance!

I’m curious, does grad school actually prepare you for the real counseling job, because my undergrad program to become a teacher did not prepare me at all, and I ended up never using previous lessons or portfolios 😂.

Someone posted something in my local subreddit earlier today about a coach that was posting photos on social media that included pictures of him shirtless posing with shirtless students age 11-13 and in some of the photo's they were hugging. Is this normal?

Hey y’all! Happy start of school year for most folks!

This year I’m trying to track my time more thoroughly so I have data about how much time I spend on what. I’m using a Google sheet to track how much time a day I spend on these categories: Direct Student Services, Indirect SS, Planning/Data, and Non-Counseling Duties.

Two questions for the group:

1. Any input on other categories I should add or tips you learned from tracking your time?

2. How would you classify time when you’re informally talking with students like during lunch, period changes and arrival? I probably spend at least an hour everyday just being present in the common areas so I’m available to students and building rapport but I’m not sure if that’s necessarily direct time?

I am a middle school counselor (grades 5-8) and I’m thinking about doing “minute meetings” with at least my incoming 5th grade students to start building a rapport and get a better understanding of their current needs.

Has anyone else ever held minute meetings before? If so, what was the structure like? Did you find it was helpful in guiding your future work? In theory, it sounds like a great way to make contact with every student, however, I am wondering about the logistics of it. Thank you!

Me: 7/10 bad

Had a really awful couple of weeks and feel like everyone is mad at me on top of everything else!

Hi everyone, I’m looking into School Counsellor positions at international schools in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and South Korea, and I’d really appreciate some insight from people currently working in these regions. Background is a Master’s degree in Counselling, BACP registered, with 2 year expereince in the UK at State Schools. I’m trying to get a realistic idea of salary and overall packages rather than relying on figures from recruitment websites. For anyone working as a School Counsellor (or familiar with counsellor packages), would be very grateful if you could share?

I’m also curious about how counsellor packages compare with international school teacher packages. Are counsellors generally on the same salary scale, or are they hired on a different professional/support staff scale? Also, does a Master’s in Counselling + BACP registration make a noticeable difference when negotiating salary? No need to name your school if you’d rather keep it anonymous — even approximate figures would be really helpful.

Thanks!

I have a BA in psychology and an MA in forensic psychology, but want to go back to school to become a counselor. I specifically want to become a school counselor, but I also think it would be beneficial to get into a program that can also lead to LPC licensure. I have found a masters of school counseling at UTSA and a masters of clinical mental health counseling at UTSA but don’t know which to do. Because the school counseling masters doesn’t lead to LPC licensure, but the CMHC doesn’t lead to school counseling certification. I have to work full time so the night classes at UTSA are beneficial and I think it would be best in securing an internship, but I’m also willing to do online school. Please help! So confused! 🥲

It feels like school counseling Master’s programs and ASCA prepare us for a job that doesn’t actually exist.

We are taught what is and isn’t an appropriate duty for a school counselor, trained in the ASCA National Model, and told what our role is supposed to look like. Then we get hired and discover that our bosses, the principals and districts, often want us to do mostly, if not entirely, the things we were told were not our job: 504 chairperson, MTSS chairperson, testing coordinator/proctor, attendance monitoring, responding to calls for an administrator for discipline issues, bullying investigations, lunch supervision, etc.

It seems like the overwhelming majority of the people who end up supervising us are not on the same page as ASCA or the university programs. So many administrators seem to base their understanding of the school counselor role entirely on their previous experiences with whoever held the position before. “Well, our previous counselor used to do that” seems to be the standard.

I feel like the entire job has become pushing back and advocating for one's own role in a way that teachers and people in other positions don’t seem to have to do. And many counselors end up feeling like they're doing a bad job either way. If they do what administration asks, they're not following the ASCA National Model or being a “true” school counselor. If they follow what ASCA says they should be doing, they can be seen as difficult or unwilling to do what my administrator wants. They can’t really win because it is impossible to do both, and it leaves them feeling like they can’t even tell if they're competent at their job or not.

I think this is especially bad at the elementary level because the job can look completely different from school to school, even within the same district, depending on what the principal expects from you. I’m sure it varies from state to state, but it seems like these issues are pretty common nationwide.

I think it leaves many counselors feeling like they can’t even explain their own job to people. Half the time, they feel like a junk drawer of miscellaneous responsibilities or the assistant to the assistant principal.

I honestly think university programs and ASCA need to be more transparent and realistic with people about what this field is actually like really early on when people interview for/enter the programs so they don't spend years preparing for a job thinking they will mostly be doing what they learned in school and then finding almost the complete opposite once they do internship/are hired. If the goal is to change the role of school counselors into what the ASCA vision says it should be, I think university programs should work more closely with the programs that prepare principals, etc.

Hi there, I am a full-time counselor but I am split between two elementary schools in my district, so 3 days at one school, 2 days at the other. I’m also the main or only counselor at each site, so it feels as though Im working 2 full-time counseling jobs that are actually two part-time jobs. It feels very difficult to do anything preventative (class circles, yoga and mindfulness etc) as everything feels so reactive when you are under resourced yet still expected to work a full load, respond when problems and crisis arise etc.

For those that are in a similar situation (not able to be full-time at one dedicated school site),what does your role look like and what services are you prioritizing? And what makes you feel successful in your role, because I am struggling…I bounce back and forth between each school pretty much every other day and never feel quite grounded or organized. Our counseling was cut significantly in our district in recent years, yet no responsibilities have been cut…in fact, it feels as though they keep piling up.

I just started as an associate clinician this school year and will be providing individual based counseling for kids. Sessions are typically 30 minutes a week and working on social-emotional goals in their IEPs. My site suggested doing push-in services if it aligns with their goals. I was wondering if anyone has experience doing this with elementary, middle, or high schoolers? I’m open to the idea but it honestly makes me feel awkward even thinking about it. I do well with 1 on 1 but don’t have experience pushing into classrooms, lunch, etc

Please help me with any advice or tips !!

Monday and most of next week will be haaard! I kind of didn’t cover off on a behaviour plan well enough and kiddo had a bit outburst and it was a big deal. Feeling awful.

How do you gave these things? I dread the conversation with principal

I searched in this subreddit and there hasn't been an update in years. I'm a social worker who is employed as a high school school counselor. I came from a supervisor position at a healthcare MCO making 95k, took a paycut starting at 75k. Entering 4th year at 82k in NM. 191 day contract. Decent insurance. I wish I made more but I guess we all do... what's your current salary these days?

Im thinking of studying psychology to become a school counseler. Where r u guys from and how much do you get paid? And also, was it hard to get to where ur at?

What’s everyone’s salary? I don’t think I’m fairly paid.
I am a high school counselor at a private school in Michigan, contracted / working for 11 months (August 1-July 1) with only July off.

Bachelors in Education, Masters in School Counseling
Starting year 6.

My salary is $50,330. Literally not a livable wage with cost of living, gas, etc. & I’m a single woman without kids & I rent. HOW do people do it with kids & a mortgage?

Not to mention my bachelors & degrees costed $150,000 total & repayment starts shortly.

Hi everyone! I’m graduating in the spring with a bachelors in psychology, and i’ve been seriously considering working as a school counselor, but i wanna know what i’m getting myself into.

So first, Is this job worth it? I’ve heard a lot of negative things such as admin problems, low pay, and hiring difficulties, and it’s making me reconsider a bit.

Second, should I get my masters in School Counseling, Counseling (LPC), or Social Work, as I want to be able to pivot my career as needed but still be prepared enough.

Feel free to leave ANY advice you wish you would’ve known before starting grad school, as I’m feeling pretty lost, and thank you guys!

Hi everyone! I recently graduated from a Master’s in School Counseling program in Seattle. The job market feels pretty competitive right now, and I’m starting to think about alternative career options in case I’m not able to find a school counseling position. What kinds of jobs can someone pursue with a school counseling degree besides school counseling?

I’m also a little confused about salary expectations. Some of my cohorts have already been hired as school counselors and are being placed on MA+45 or MA+90 salary lanes, which is around $80k–$90k annually in some districts. However, someone from a local immigrant information and service center recommended that I look at jobs paying around $33/hour, which would be closer to $60k annually. What a realistic salary range for someone with my degree and experience?

My program also makes me eligible to apply for a mental health counseling associate credential in Washington. One of my cohort is entering the mental health field as a therapist, so I m wondering if that could also be a realistic option for me. But most of my practicum and internship experience was in high school settings, and I don’t have much paid mental health experience outside of school counseling. While I processing my Master degree, I did before and after school caring part-time, which I felt so stupid that I should working on counseling field to gain more experience. But the past is the past, I can't change it :(

Has anyone with a school counseling degree transitioned into mental health counseling, youth case management, nonprofit work, college advising, or other related roles? I would really appreciate any advice!

Hi! I just made the switch from elementary to high school and I’m trying to fill my office. Any ideas or recommendations for things I might need or decor?? Especially for the walls!! Thanks🤍