School Counselor Training Course

Lesson 1 • Roles and Responsibilities of School Counselors

Defines direct and indirect services counselors provide across grade levels. Clarifies boundaries between counseling, teaching, and administrative roles.

Lesson 2 • History and Evolution of the Profession

Traces school counseling from vocational guidance origins to comprehensive programs. Provides context for current standards and role expectations.

Lesson 3 • Comprehensive School Counseling Programs

Presents the four-component program framework: curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support. Guides program design thinking.

Lesson 1 • Identity Formation and Diversity

Addresses racial, cultural, gender, and sexual identity development models. Prepares counselors to affirm diverse student identities effectively.

Lesson 2 • Adolescent Risk and Resilience

Identifies risk factors and protective factors shaping adolescent outcomes. Counselors use resilience frameworks to design preventive interventions.

Lesson 3 • Social and Emotional Development

Examines Erikson's psychosocial stages and attachment theory in school contexts. Informs counselor responses to social skill deficits and peer conflict.

Lesson 1 • Solution-Focused and Brief Counseling

Introduces solution-focused brief therapy techniques suited to time-limited school counseling. Emphasizes student strengths and goal construction.

Lesson 2 • Selecting and Integrating Approaches

Guides counselors in matching theoretical approaches to student needs and presenting concerns. Builds an integrative, evidence-informed practice framework.

Lesson 3 • Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques

Presents CBT principles adapted for children and adolescents in school settings. Teaches thought-challenging and behavioral activation strategies.

Lesson 4 • Person-Centered and Humanistic Approaches

Covers Rogers' core conditions and their application in school counseling sessions. Establishes the therapeutic relationship as the foundation of all techniques.

Lesson 1 • Individual Session Structure and Skills

Teaches opening, working, and closing phases of a counseling session. Builds core microskills: attending, reflecting, questioning, and summarizing.

Lesson 2 • Group Leadership and Facilitation

Develops skills for managing group dynamics, conflict, and cohesion across group stages. Counselors practice interventions for common group challenges.

Lesson 3 • Case Conceptualization and Goal Setting

Guides counselors in organizing student information into a coherent case picture. Links conceptualization to measurable, student-centered goals.

Lesson 1 • Postsecondary Planning and Access

Covers college application processes, financial aid concepts, and alternative pathways. Ensures counselors support equitable access for all student populations.

Lesson 2 • Academic Achievement and Learning Support

Identifies factors affecting academic performance and counselor strategies to address them. Connects counseling interventions to improved student learning outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Career Development Theory and Application

Presents major career development theories applicable across K–12 grade levels. Guides counselors in delivering developmentally appropriate career exploration.

Lesson 1 • Recognizing Mental Health Concerns in Students

Covers common childhood and adolescent mental health disorders and their school-based presentations. Counselors learn to distinguish counseling scope from clinical referral needs.

Lesson 2 • Substance Use Awareness and Early Intervention

Covers adolescent substance use patterns, warning signs, and brief intervention strategies. Connects counselor response to school policy and community resources.

Lesson 3 • Crisis Intervention in Schools

Presents school crisis response models and the counselor's role within crisis teams. Builds skills for immediate stabilization and psychological first aid.

Lesson 4 • Suicide Risk Assessment and Prevention

Teaches structured suicide risk assessment and evidence-based prevention frameworks. Prepares counselors to act safely and document appropriately.

Lesson 1 • Multicultural Counseling Competencies

Presents the awareness, knowledge, and skills framework for multicultural counseling. Counselors assess their own cultural competence and identify growth areas.

Lesson 2 • Systemic Racism and Educational Equity

Examines how systemic racism and structural inequities shape student access and achievement. Counselors identify advocacy actions to disrupt inequitable school practices.

Lesson 3 • Culturally Responsive Counseling Practices

Teaches counselors to adapt communication, interventions, and materials for diverse student groups. Emphasizes family and community cultural contexts in counseling.

Lesson 1 • School Counselor as Advocate

Defines advocacy at student, school, and systemic levels and the counselor's responsibility in each. Teaches advocacy communication strategies for diverse audiences.

Lesson 2 • Data-Driven Program Management

Guides counselors in using student outcome data to plan, implement, and evaluate program components. Builds accountability reporting skills for administrators and stakeholders.

Lesson 3 • Family and Community Engagement

Teaches strategies for building partnerships with families and community organizations. Connects external resources to student and school needs effectively.

Lesson 4 • Professional Development and Leadership

Prepares counselors to lead professional learning, mentor peers, and sustain their own growth. Links ongoing development to improved student and program outcomes.