Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors

• Counsel individuals to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.
• Provide crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur at schools.
• Confer with parents or guardians, teachers, administrators, and other professionals to discuss children's progress, resolve behavioral, academic, and other problems, and to determine priorities for students and their resource needs.
• Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
• Prepare students for later educational experiences by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
• Identify cases of domestic abuse or other family problems and encourage students or parents to seek additional assistance from mental health professionals.
• Evaluate students' or individuals' abilities, interests, and personality characteristics using tests, records, interviews, or professional sources.
• Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.
• Provide special services such as alcohol and drug prevention programs and classes that teach students to handle conflicts without resorting to violence.
• Instruct individuals in career development techniques such as job search and application strategies, resume writing, and interview skills.
• Conduct follow-up interviews with counselees to determine if their needs have been met.
• Assess needs for assistance such as rehabilitation, financial aid, or additional vocational training, and refer clients to the appropriate services.
• Collaborate with teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of school programs and in the preparation of master schedules for curriculum offerings.
• Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
• Plan and conduct orientation programs and group conferences to promote the adjustment of individuals to new life experiences such as starting college.
• Teach classes and present self-help or information sessions on subjects related to education and career planning.
• Observe students during classroom and play activities to evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
• Attend meetings, educational conferences, and training workshops and serve on committees.
• Plan and promote career and employment-related programs and events, such as career planning presentations, work-experience programs, job fairs, and career workshops.
• Establish and enforce administration policies and rules governing student behavior.
• Address community groups, faculty, and staff members to explain available counseling services.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors.

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors.