Counsel individuals and provide group educational and vocational guidance services.

Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

1. Counsel students regarding educational issues such as course and program selection, class scheduling, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.

2. Counsel individuals to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.

3. Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.

4. Confer with parents or guardians, teachers, other counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral, academic, and other problems.

5. Provide crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur at schools.

6. Identify cases involving domestic abuse or other family problems affecting students' development.

7. Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine their priorities for their children and their resource needs.

8. Prepare students for later educational experiences by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.

9. Encourage students or parents to seek additional assistance from mental health professionals when necessary.

10. Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.

11. Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.

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.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Education: A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

The college search results are undergraduate programs associated with Educational, Vocational, and School Counselors. Further education may also be required to pursue this career.

The training search results include both short and long-term programs associated with Educational, Vocational, and School Counselors, and may be more appropriate for adult and non-traditional students. Further training may also be required to pursue this career.

In NY the average wage for this occupation was:

$37,020 (per year) for entry level workers, and $70,610 (per year) for experienced workers.

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Based on the total number of annual openings and its growth rate, the employment prospects for this occupation are described as Very Favorable.

During 2006, there were approximately 21,750 Educational, Vocational, and School Counselors employed in NY.

We estimate that in 2016 there will be 23,400  employed in NY. This represents an increase of 170 job(s) each year, and a total of 430 job openings each year.

Caseworkers and Counselors - Visit this link for information on this career in the military.

Counselors - Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.

Child, Family, and School Social Workers - Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and the academic functioning of children. May assist single parents, arrange adoptions, and find foster homes for abandoned or abused children. In schools, they address such problems as teenage pregnancy, misbehavior, and truancy. May also advise teachers on how to deal with problem children.

Health Educators - Promote, maintain, and improve individual and community health by assisting individuals and communities to adopt healthy behaviors. Collect and analyze data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies and environments. May also serve as a resource to assist individuals, other professionals, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs.

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists - Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole. Make recommendations for actions involving formulation of rehabilitation plan and treatment of offender, including conditional release and education and employment stipulations.