NOSCA: National Office for
School Counselor Advocacy

My preference for professional identity is the term “school counselor” when I talk about professionals who hold the job in public school settings that have been certified by their state to perform in this capacity. However, I still see “guidance counselor” and “professional school counselor” also being used across the country, with most counselors showing a preference for the first two. I still see signs in schools that say “Guidance Office”, counseling departments calling themselves the “Guidance Department,” and central office leaders of school counselors identified with the title “Supervisor of Guidance.”

Often I receive email entreating me, as the head of NOSCA, to get my College Board coworkers to acknowledge counselors as “school counselors” in the many publications, programs and communications we create. These comments come to my desk sometimes as a gentle plea and at other times as an angry protest when the professional counselor feels disrespected because of the use of the word “guidance.”

In many cases the desire for the name to be changed to “school counselor” is a professional preference, one supported by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). In other cases it is a designated change made by state legislators (for example, the Tennessee Annotated Code, 1999).

I understand the rationale for the change — to move from the concept that “guidance” does not denote the full range of professional capacity possessed by a trained certified or credentialed individual who has, at a minimum, a master’s degree. I’m onboard for the change, but not fanatical about it.

I like being called a school counselor because I am a counselor trained to work in a school. I want this unique identity so that people understand that I am trained to work in an educational setting with K-12 students, and thus different from other types of counselors who serve in different venues for different purposes.

The name preference most likely means something to the individual using it. What I do know is that a name does not change the substance — and substance trumps external cover for me. And, I think what matters most is what school counselors do to successfully help all students make the journey through their K-12 experience as emotionally healthy and with the brightest future options possible, including the attainment of a college degree.

What’s in a name?