Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
Special Requirements
Endorsement requirement for a School Counselor Pre-K - 12th Grade
1. Option I. The candidate must have:
a. An earned master’s degree from an approved counselor education program which shall include at least 100 clock hours of clinical experiences in the preK-6 setting and 100 clock hours of clinical experiences in the grades 7-12 setting; and
b. Two years of successful, full-time teaching experience or two years of successful experience in guidance and counseling. Two years of successful, full-time experience in guidance and counseling under a provisional license may be accepted to meet this requirement.
2. Option II. The candidate must have:
a. An earned master’s degree from an accredited college or university and certification from an approved counselor education program that the candidate has completed sufficient course work and clinical experience to acquire the competencies described herein; and
b. Two years of successful, full-time teaching experience or two years of successful, fulltime experience in guidance and counseling. Two years of successful, full-time experience in guidance and counseling under a provisional license may be accepted to meet this requirement.
The school counselor preK-12 program will ensure that the candidate has demonstrated the following competencies:
1. The ability to support students by cooperatively working with parents/guardians and
teachers.
2. Understanding of the principles and theories of human growth and development
throughout thelifespan and their implications for school guidance and counseling.
3. Understanding of the social and cultural foundations of education and their
implications for school guidance and counseling programs.
4. Understanding of lifespan career development.
5. Understanding of the skills and processes for counseling students to include:
a. Individual and group counseling for academic development;
b. Individual and group counseling for career development; and
c. Individual and group counseling for personal/social development.
6. Understanding of the knowledge, skills, and processes for providing developmental
group guidance, including:
a. Academic development;
b. Career development; and
c. Personal/social development.
7. Understanding of the skills and processes related to the school counseling program at
the elementary, middle, and secondary levels, including:
a. Characteristics of learners at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels;
b. Program planning;
c. Coordination;
d. Consultation; and
e. Staffing patterns.
8. Understanding of the knowledge, skills, and processes of student appraisal and
assessment relative to school guidance and counseling programs, including:
a. Individual assessment; and
b. Group assessment.
9. Understanding of the counseling professional, including:
a. Legal considerations;
b. Ethical considerations; and
c. Professional issues and standards.
10. Understanding of the skills and processes of research and evaluation aimed at improving school guidance and counseling programs.
For More Information, Contact:
Virginia Department Of Education
P. O. Box 2120
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: 800.292.3820
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE
Virginia Counselor's Association
317 Brook Park Place
Forest, VA 24551
Phone: 800.225.8103
http://www.vcacounselors.org
[email protected]
Virginia School Counselor Association
http://www.vsca.org/
[email protected]
American School Counselor Association
1101 King Street, Suite 625,
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703.683.2722
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/
The data sources for the information displayed here include: Virginia Career VIEW Research. (Using onet291)
