Standards

The California Standards for the School Counseling Profession
 

The California Association of School Counselors’ Board of Directors, in partnership with educational leaders and school counseling practitioners around the state, have created standards of practice for school counselors in California. Based on formal research in school counseling, a variety of policy documents, and the wisdom of practitioners in the field, these standards present a common core of knowledge and performance indicators for the practice of school counseling in California. Our hope is that these standards will link school counseling practices more powerfully to the academic, personal/social, and career development of California pupils, will contribute to the maintenance of accountability within the profession, and will help educational policy makers, school administrators, and counselor supervisors better understand the unique contributions of school counselors to the creation and maintenance of healthy, safe, and productive schools. 

The development of The California Standards for the School Counseling Profession represents a concerted effort to articulate the common expectancies that define the practice of the school counseling profession in our state. The intent of the Standards document is to establish the core content of quality school counseling practice. We hope that implementation of these standards will enhance the quality of school counseling throughout California schools. The information contained in the Standards document can be useful for the educational community, the larger public, as well as practicing professionals. It is our hope that The California Standards will guide the work of California school counselors through a shared vision and will help ensure that all California students are well served by the counseling and guidance programs provided by professional school counselors.