They help students understand and deal with their social, behavioral and personal problems. Elementary school counselors do more social and personal counseling and less vocational and academic counseling. They observe younger children in classroom and play activities and confer with their teachers and parents to evaluate their strengths, problems and special needs. Generally, counselors have a master's degree in counseling or counseling psychology. All states require school counselors to hold state counseling certification.
Some states require public school counselors to have both counseling and teaching certificates.
Depending on the state, a master's degree in counseling and 2-5 years teaching experience may be required for counseling certification. With further education, such as working toward their doctoral degree, school counselors may become counselor educators, school administrator or counseling psychologists. Overall employment of counselors is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2000. Many positions will result from replacement needs. In Missouri, the employment outlook for counselors is stable for all counties.