Individual Planning: Students receive guidance toward academic and career success in many ways. Counselors meet with students individually in addition to planning classroom lessons, small group activities and schoolwide presentations. Students can work with their counselor to set short- and long-term goals for self, education and career.

Responsive Services: This component of the counselor’s responsibilities includes working with students whose personal circumstances, concerns or problems may be interfering with their healthy academic, career and personal/social development. School counselors do not provide therapy, but they do offer individual and group counseling related to decision-making or short-term personal/social concerns so that students can resolve concerns affecting their educational or personal environments.

System Support: A comprehensive guidance program requires a system support component to ensure school-wide understanding and effectiveness of the guidance program. This component includes program management, professional development, staff and community relations, consultation, committee participation, community outreach and participation in the evaluation process.