Master of Science in Counseling - School Counseling Option California State University, Long Beach, USA

The School Counseling and Pupil Personnel Services Credential program prepares school counselors to act as social justice advocates and agents of change in urban schools and diverse multicultural settings. We endorse the use of data-informed decision-making and evidence-based practices to effect systemic change in schools and the community. 

As leaders of educational reform and the profession, our school counselors are trained to advocate for equity, achievement, and opportunity for all students. The American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) National Model, which promotes a balanced, holistic approach that considers the academic, career, and social/emotional development of K-12 students, serves as a base for our program.

Learning Outcomes

Our programs learning outcomes are aligned with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Pupil Personnel Services School Counseling Program Standards and Performance Expectations. These Standards focus on the following areas:

Outcome 1:

Plan, implement, and evaluate an urban school counseling program aligned with the ASCA National Model.

Outcome 2:

Collaborate and consult with stakeholders such as parents and guardians, teachers, administrators and community leaders to create learning environments that promote educational equity and success for every student.

Outcome 3:

Apply knowledge and skills of direct services at multiple tiers of support including individual and group counseling, academic advising, and instruction and classroom management, to meet the needs of a diverse urban student population.

Outcome 4:

Demonstrate an awareness of how cultural values and biases impact the counselor-student relationship, and develop culturally responsive interventions that consider school, institutional, community, and environmental factors that enhance and impede student success.

Outcome 5:

Understand and use research methods, program evaluation, and accountability strategies to demonstrate the effectiveness of the school counseling program, and to advocate for all students in order to close achievement, opportunity and attainment gaps.

Outcome 6:

Identify and apply professional and personal qualities and skills of effective servant leaders through self-assessment related to school counseling skills and performance.