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Alaska School Counselors
Alaska’s school counselors are the unsung heroes of the K-12 educational system. By taking into account the whole child and variables ranging from family to teachers to the community at large, Alaska’s school counselors create individualized plans for students to help them succeed academically, socially, and emotionally in the school environment and beyond.
And with a salary that’s $7,000 to $10,000 higher than teachers, school counseling offers not just a personally rewarding career path, but a professionally rewarding one, too.
“I dedicated a career as a public school teacher in Alaska. I view education as the cornerstone to any society and to individual futures.”
– Governor Michael Dunleavy, Nov. 8th 2019
- Top Picks
Featured Universities with School Counseling Programs
#1
Walden University
MS in School Counseling - General Program. Click here to contact Walden University and request information about their programs.
#2
Grand Canyon University
M. Ed in School Counseling (leads to initial Licensure) Click here to contact Grand Canyon University and request information about their programs.
#3
New York University (NYU)
NYU Steinhardt's accredited master of arts program in Counseling and Guidance: School and Bilingual School Counseling. Through this online program, you will gain the skills you need to become a professional Pre-K-12 school counselor, working with children and families in your community to foster academic achievement and success. Click here to contact New York University and request information about their programs.
#4
University of Denver
Earn a Master's degree in School Counseling online from the University of Denver. Learn from doctoral-level faculty in live classes and gain experience through mock counseling and in-field training. No GRE required. Click here to contact University of Denver and request information about their programs.
What do Alaska’s school counselors do?
Apply academic achievement strategies
Advancing in academics requires checking many boxes along the way. School counselors ensure that students are prepared to take their next academic step and are on schedule to meet those requirements in a timely fashion.
Understanding what might be hindering a student’s academic progress can also fall under the purview of Alaska’s school counselors. Whether there are issues at home or undiscovered difficulties with learning, school counselors may create individual academic achievement strategies that address these issues.
Alaska’s school counselors also advocate for students during individual education plan meetings and other types of student-focused meetings. They help guide students toward success while also managing specific requirements for advancement under Alaska’s education system.
Manage student emotions and apply interpersonal skills
Personal issues among students can run the entire spectrum of complications and levels of concern. Alaska’s school counselors have the knowledge and skills to connect with and help students manage their personal issues. Counseling expertise may be offered in the form of short-term counseling sessions and may include collaborating with family, teachers, administrators, and even the community.
At times, the personal needs of some students may be beyond the expertise of even the school counselor. In situations like this, school counselors will often refer students to professionals who can offer more specialized support.
Planning for postsecondary options
School counselors are experts at career planning. In secondary settings, school counselors guide students during the career and college planning phase of their education. They help students explore their educational goals, their interests, and their future plans. School counselors often develop relationships with local industry and school admissions professionals to help graduates connect with employers and explore their postsecondary options.
Why become a school counselor in Alaska?
In addition to being a personally rewarding profession, a career in school counseling has a number of benefits:
Alaskan school counselors on average earn $7,000 to $10,000 more than teachers
Great benefits such as health insurance and retirement funding
Career stability
Support for education is something that continues to be a universal desire among Alaskans in spite of Republican efforts to move funding away from the public education system. However, this is something to be aware of as a master plan coming from the Republican National Committee come voting time.
Contact schools offering school counseling or mental health counseling programs and learn how you can begin a career as an Alaska School Counselor.
How Counselors in Alaska Schools Are Prioritizing Mental Health
Alaska’s school counselors aren’t just around to help with college admissions and career decisions; they are deeply entrenched in, and committed to, the mental health of their students. And by all accounts, it’s resulted in positive outcomes across the board.
Take Benny Benson Alternative High School, for example. School counselor Karen Hobart regularly connects with her students on issues that affect their everyday lives and their mental health. Hobart says that her job is to ensure that kids graduate, which often means looking beyond grades or colleges choices. Instead, she regularly connects her students with resources like food and safe transportation, as well as mental health care.
Hobart’s communication with teachers has also resulted in outstanding care for the students at Benny Benson. For example, language arts teacher Katherine Reiman often turns to the school counselors to help her navigate issues that her students bring to her. By creating a space where students feel safe to express their feelings, she is able to get them the help and resources they need. If Reiman is concerned about a student, she talks to the student and then lets the school counselors know about the issue.
Hobart can provide some mental health care to students, but she often sends them to the mental health clinician who is also based in the building. Many students are able to access comprehensive mental health resources without leaving the building, making it a game changer in terms of success, says Hobart.
Contact schools offering school counseling or mental health counseling programs and learn how you can begin a career as an Alaska school counselor.