Your First Steps to Become a Successful Teacher-Counsellor
9th December 2022
A career in school counselling gives you the opportunities to not only move beyond teaching but also lets you explore the sphere of counselling your students and helping them in their everyday lives.
Whether you are a teacher by profession, seeking a career change, or following a dream or passion, this blog will provide you with all of the necessary information you need to pursue a career as a teacher counsellor, no matter where you live.
Steps to Become a Successful Counsellor:
- Pursue a professional course
- Complete practicum and/or internship hour
- Advance your practice alongside teaching
Earn a Professional Certificate in Counselling Aimed at Teachers
Today’s teachers are required to do much more than just teaching; counselling happens to be a part of that extended responsibility. To build a successful career in counselling as a teacher, you will first need to earn a certificate such as a Diploma in Counselling Course for teachers. Taking a professional course determines your career path and helps you to best prepare for a rewarding profession. By enrolling in a diploma program from a certified institution will not only acquaint you with the in-depth knowledge and skills in understanding students better and equip you with the strategies needed to become a competent counsellor but also award you with a certification that will be quite helpful when it comes to employment.
Most diploma in counselling programs for teachers deal with various counselling approaches, psychology, classroom management, role of teacher as a counsellor, etc. which are considered relevant in today’s time. The training develops your skills required to become successful in this profession.
Consider Practicum and/or Internship
After completing your diploma in counselling, consider interning in schools and colleges so that you get a practical idea as well as experience of working as a counsellor. The advantage of doing an internship or volunteering is that here you will meet different learners and face situations where you can implement varied approaches learnt on the course. The experience you gather in your training/internship will keep you well ahead of your peers and help you in finding the dream job that you would be looking for in the future.
Advance your practice alongside teaching
Don’t stop learning. You can be a successful counsellor when you manage to stay ahead of others in your profession and continue to expand your knowledge as your career progresses and you can do so alongside teaching. The field of counselling is an ever-growing one, with research and new findings. With new learning, you may know of novel and more interesting ways to apply student counselling techniques in your classroom. Hence, as a teacher-counsellor, you can make a difference in the lives of the learners as well as stay relevant in the job market. Additional professional certification like a PG Diploma in Counselling for Teachers can be an excellent add-on to your existing qualifications.
These advanced programs on Counselling for teachers from well-known institutes provide detailed knowledge on educational counselling, crisis management, stress management, etc. to help you have clear concept on the topics and prepare you for a rewarding career.
Written By : Anindita Das