School counselors play important roles in school districts, allowing students to resolve issues they face at home or in the classroom. Given the challenges students may encounter in a remote or hybrid learning environment, their role may even more essential this year. Counselors can play an important role in enhancing equity and access in districts, according to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA).
National School Counseling Week, sponsored by ASCA, focuses on how counselors contribute to and impact U.S. school systems. Below, you can learn more about this day, including ways to celebrate and show appreciation with your students.
National School Counseling Week is typically celebrated each year during the first full week of February.
The ASCA website explains that National School Counseling Week “highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.”
School counselors play a vital role in helping students face various challenges. In Pasadena Now, Alvin Nash, president of United Teachers of Pasadena, said counselors allow K-12 students to better understand their own strengths; work with parents to help them overcome obstacles in raising their children; and encourage educators to have their students set healthy, positive goals.
Counselors are licensed educators who address students’ academic, career, and social/emotional development needs by implementing and executing a counseling program aiming for student success, according to ASCA. They can work in elementary, middle, or high schools or in district supervisory roles.
In particular, school counselors can benefit students of color and low-income students. Research links high student-to-counselor ratios in low-income schools with better outcomes, including improved attendance, fewer disciplinary incidents, and higher graduation rates. Per ASCA:
Students of color and students from low-income families have been overlooked and underserved for far too long. If anything, they deserve more access to school counselors than their peers — not the same, and certainly not less. And yet, the schools serving the most students of color or the most students from low-income families are shortchanged when it comes to school counselors.
According to ASCA, a 250-to-1 student-to-counselor ratio is ideal, though the average in many states is currently significantly higher.
On its website, ASCA offers a wide range of resources to celebrate National School Counseling Week with your students. There, you can find certificates of appreciation that students can give to school counselors, sample morning announcements to acknowledge this week, posters for students, and more. Here are more ways you can show your school counselor appreciation:
School Counselor Affirmations PosterThe School Counselor Affirmations Poster is perfect for the school counselor’s office or classroom! The downloadable poster is 18″x24″, so you’ll have multiple options for print size. Each poster includes a downloadable PDF and JPG.
15-Minute Focus: Behavior Interventions by Amie DeanIn 15-Minute Focus: Behavior Interventions, Amie Dean gives educators, counselors, and parents knowledge, strategies, and resources to teach children and teens how to communicate and make decisions to get their needs met in positive ways through behavior instruction and coaching. Also available on Amazon.
Hello, Anxiety by Jessica SinarskiDestiny Davis carries more than just schoolbooks in her backpack. Her constant companion, Anxiety, makes everyday tasks feel impossibly hard. But when a big class project sends Destiny into a full-blown spiral, her dad steps in with a surprising solution – and a reminder that even the toughest challenges can be faced head on. Also available on Amazon.
30-Minute Groups: Managing Big Emotions by Ginger HealyDesigned to build strong emotional intelligence, this workbook is rooted in research-backed strategies to help children become grounded, more confident, and better equipped to navigate big emotions. Topics include Upstairs and Downstairs Brain, stress busting, braving big emotions, regulation and co-regulation, self-compassion, mending mistakes, and more. Also available on Amazon.
Growing Up Strong by Allison EdwardsIn today’s world, resilience is a critical skill for children to thrive. Growing Up Strong offers a transformative approach to equipping kids with the emotional intelligence they need to become confident, capable adults. Growing Up Strong provides age-appropriate activities and exercises, clear steps for emotion regulation, practical guidance, and real-world examples. Also available on Amazon.
I Got This by Julia CookWith the help of his friends, Charlie sets out on a big adventure. Soon enough, obstacles begin to show up that test his determination. Charlie learns six Bounce Back Superpowers that allow him to overcome challenges and stay on the path. Also available on Amazon.
5 lucky winners will receive a set of our favorite books! Enter to win at ncyi.org/giveaways. Giveaway closes on February 9th at midnight. Winners will be notified by email by February 11th. No purchase necessary.
Written by Jordan Friedman.
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