How School Counselors Can Help Your Student

January 30, 2025 by Valerie Kirk

4 min to read

A father is helping his daughter come up with a goal for the new year

To help students succeed in school and prepare them for life after graduation, K-12 schools typically focus on programs that support both academic and social and emotional learning.

Formerly known as school guidance counselors, school counselors are trained professionals who help students with everything from registering for tests like the SAT and ACT to managing stress.

There is a growing body of research that shows that students who have access to school counselors and attend schools with comprehensive, data-driven school counseling programs achieve greater academic success and have fewer behavior issues in school than students without access to school counselors.

The good news for your student is that most schools have school counselors--including online public schools like Connections Academy, who have virtual school counselors available to help!

Guidance Counselors vs. School Counselors

Help your student set goals this Prior to the mid-1990s, schools had school guidance counselors that typically focused on helping students with academic and career guidance.

When schools began focusing on a student’s social and emotional needs and supporting their overall well-being, the role of the guidance counselor changed to build programs that proactively helped students deal with issues like bullying, conflict resolution, and stress management in addition to their work helping them prepare for life after graduation.

Because their role evolved to cover many different things, the title of school guidance counselor or online guidance counselor changed to school counselor to more accurately reflect the work they were doing. new year and turn them into actions with these best practices:

The 7 Benefits of Online School Counselors

Here are seven things online school counselors do to support online school students and their families:

1. Build Personal Graduation Plans.

Every state has courses that students are required to take in order to graduate and earn their high school diploma. School counselors work with students throughout high school to build a course schedule that ensures they take all of their required courses or are registered for any relevant course recovery programs or summer school courses.

School counselors can also help students select electives and apply for internships that align with their goals after graduation. They also help students register for any required state testing, Advanced Placement® tests, and any aptitude tests like the SAT for entrance into college, trade school, or the military.

2. Help Prepare for Life After High School.

Many students don’t know what they want to do after high school, which is okay! School counselors can help students find their path by offering resources such as self-assessments that help match a student’s interests to potential careers, guidance lessons, and college visits.

They can also guide students to Connections Academy’s college and career readiness opportunities, which help students explore career paths through elective courses and internships.

3. Teach Healthy Habits.

School counselors have access to a wealth of information to help students build heathy habits that support their overall well-being, including study habits, time management and organization skills, exercise opportunities, and sleep schedules. Counselors often recognize when a student needs this kind of support and will proactively reach out to them to talk through any issues that may be holding them back academically or emotionally.

4. Support Social and Emotional Needs.

Online school counselors can offer resources for students who need social and emotional support. Counselors are trained professionals who often have a master’s degree in school counseling. They can help students manage stress and navigate other tough situations in their personal lives.

For students who need additional long-term counseling or therapeutic support, school counselors can provide resources and referrals to mental health professionals. 

5. Teach Positive Relationship Skills.

Making connections and learning how to build positive relationships are vital skills students will need throughout their lives. School counselors offer programs that showcase what healthy relationships look like and how to spot and avoid unhealthy relationships.

School counselors can educate and offer support for students regarding bullying, harassment, and other types of negative relationships that can impact a student’s mental health and success in school.

Counselors are trained to mediate conflicts to help students work through issues in a healthy way. They can also help students meet other students to help them build relationships.

6. Help Overcome Academic Struggles.

When students start to fall behind in their studies or struggle academically, school counselors are there to support them. While they can’t help with the course content, they can offer tips and resources to help students develop effective study skills or advocate for appropriate accommodations if needed. Counselors can also talk to the student to uncover any underlying issues that may be impacting their studies.

7. Build a Positive School Community.

School counselors often play a vital role in building positive school communities where students feel safe, accepted, and heard. They foster open communication and collaboration with teachers, students, and families to support students throughout school. They get to the heart of any issue quickly to resolve problems and keep students focused on achieving success.

Contact Your School Counselor

Students and families are encouraged to take advantage of everything their school counselor offers! They are there to partner with students on their journey throughout school.

Every Connections Academy school has online school counseling services to support students. Their work covers a range of activities. Online students and their families are encouraged to connect with their school counselor and share information about their goals and learning needs. This can help the counselor create an individual learning plan. Counselors that are connected with students can also identify changes in behaviors that may signal a problem.

Students and families don’t have to wait until there is an issue or need to connect with their school counselor. Contacting them proactively at the start of the school year will help counselors get to know students. Working together, they can build plans to meet individual students’ goals and needs.