Counseling and Mentoring

Best practices in counseling

Highly effective professional school counseling programs and services look very different today than they did ten years ago. Counseling programs that use national best practices in school counseling as the foundation result in increased student achievement. These national best practices include: working with students in the academic, college and career, and personal-social domains through an intentionally-created, data-driven, systemic program of services. This significant paradigm shift as to the work that professional school counselors do at each academic level requires stakeholder buy-in and support, targeted professional development participation and time to be fully implemented.

Mentoring overview

Highly effective mentoring programs provide structures to develop and maintain relationships between a less experienced individual (mentee or protégé) and a more experienced individual (mentor). This two-way, mutually beneficial relationship generally includes psychosocial mentoring, role modeling, and coaching. Mentoring follows a somewhat structured process, including: structures, protocols, and goals regarding skill development.

Where can I learn more?

American School Counselor Association (ASCA)

National Office for School Counseling Advocacy (NOSCA)

National Mentoring Resource Center