How to Become a Guidance Counselor in Canada

Guidance counselors help students cope with personal, school and career issues.

Guidance counselors provide advice to current and prospective students on issues concerning their education, career and personal development. This occupation requires skills in verbal communication, mentoring, administering and interpreting tests, coordinating information, teaching and supervising. Provinces across Canada have varying regulations about guidance counselors. Some do not have specific requirements for the position.

Things You'll Need

• Teacher certification
• Courses in guidance counseling
• Membership in professional association
• Certification

Instructions

1. Become a qualified teacher. A teacher certification is a basic requirement of most provinces. In Ontario, teachers must complete a minimum three-year post-secondary degree and a one-year teacher education program. British Columbia requires a professional teaching certificate.

2. Take additional qualification courses in guidance counseling. In Ontario, take the Guidance and Career Education program and pass the specified courses. British Columbia and New Brunswick require a master's degree in counseling psychology or a related discipline with a focus on counseling. Manitoba recommends completion of a 30-hour degree program in school counseling.

3. Join the professional association for guidance counselors in your province and acquire certification as required. If you are practicing in Quebec, join the regulatory college. British Columbia requires a certification and a standard of practice. Although not required by the other provinces, some employers look for the CCC (Canadian Certified Counselor) certification based on standards set by the Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association.

Tips & Warnings

• Check the requirements of the province where you want to practice.

• The Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association is currently establishing a national standard that will allow guidance counselors to use the same credentials across Canada.

• Professional associations have criteria for membership and require payment of annual fees.

References

• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada: National Occupation Classification: Educational Counselors
• Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association: The Profession: Regulation across Canada
• Ontario School Counselors' Association: How to become a Guidance Counselor
• Ontario College of Teachers: Become a Teacher

Resources

• University of Toronto: Careers in Counseling