How to Become a Guidance Counselor in New York City

Meeting the requirements to become a guidance counselor in New York City is strenuous.

Guidance counselors in New York City are an important part of the total education of New York City's students and provide both academic and emotional support to students throughout their most formative years.To become a guidance counselor in New York City pubic schools, there are several educational and security qualifications one must meet.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

1. Graduate from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree. Degree programs do not matter as much as academic performance, because, in addition to a four-year degree, at least 30 hours of graduate study in the field of school counseling is required.

2. Complete a New York State Department of Education school counseling program. New York State offers several paths for eligibility to become a guidance counselor. After completing a bachelors degree, individuals are eligible if they complete a New York State Board of Education counseling program. If an individual is already certified through the National Board for Profession Teaching Standards, one simply needs to take workshops on child abuse identification and school violence and prevention to become eligible to be a guidance counselor in New York City.

3. Engage in an internship or supervised practice within a New York City school. Supervised practice is required for college graduates, although one full year of paid activity as a guidance counselor can be substituted as experience to fulfill this requirement.

4. Prepare for and take the New York State Board of Education examination. This examination gives all teachers their teaching certificate; guidance counselors must have a teaching certificate to be eligible for hiring. The certification examinations test individual's experience and qualifications in teaching and handling children.

5. Apply for a counseling license from the New York State Department of Education. A background check is necessary to obtain the license, complete with fingerprint clearance.

References

• New York City Department of Education: Guidance and Counseling
• American School Counselor Association: State Certification Requirements: New York
• New York State Teacher Certification Examinations