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School Counselor

Signature Courses
Foundations of Education
Learning Theories
Curriculum Design
Creating and Managing Learning Communities

Through Prescott’s Professional School Counseling Preparation Program, students gain a deep understanding of human development, counseling theories, and an understanding of the unique challenges inherent within individual, group, family and systems counseling. Prescott’s school counseling program focuses on enabling educators to work with the “whole child,” guiding them to social-emotional-academic growth and development. The program curriculum and required hands-on experiences in the field, follow the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) program model requirements. Our programmatic model also includes the professional standards of School Counselors as outlined in Section 5G of the CACREP standards. By preparing exceptional school counselors, we promote an understanding of what it takes as a community, and as a diverse democratic nation, to guarantee that every child in our society has equitable access to a quality education and support of the highest caliber. 

As we look to the future, toward making our educational system more inclusive and just, counselors broaden their pedagogy to integrate skills, tools, and materials across disciplines and levels, encouraging social and ecological justice within the field. Prescott’s school counseling program understands that well-prepared schools are not only places of learning but can also inform, create, and sustain community. Throughout our education programs, we work to emphasize the importance of connections and collaboration among family, school, and community for our youth. Successful graduates of Prescott’s School Counseling Program learn the myriad ways connecting with community can work to promote a child’s sense of place, self, and culture.

Upon successful completion of the post-degree study requirements for a Masters of Education degree and in order to qualify for an Institutional Recommendation leading to an Arizona Standard School Counselor, PreK-12 Certificate, students must complete 36 semester credits and all program requirements. 

Prescott College accepts up to 15 graduate semester credits in transfer course work from other regionally-accredited post-secondary institutions as long as College faculty members confirm that the courses and credits to be transferred meet college-established curricular standards and expectations. 

If a student is planning to obtain certification in a state other than Arizona, the student is required and responsible for research into that state’s certification requirements in order to ensure compliance.

 

 

  • The skills and ability to develop lesson plans that have clear objectives, include assessment of how students will master stated objectives, incorporate higher order thinking skills, and are aligned to state and/or national standards

  • Knowledge of and experience with strategies to address the needs of diverse learners (English language learners, special needs and gifted students, students with varying readiness skills and interest levels)

  • Skills for articulating lesson objectives for students and checking for understanding at the completion of the lesson

  • Knowledge of incorporating valid and reliable assessment tools (including the use of rubrics) and evaluation procedures, incorporating formal and informal assessments within the classroom setting, and knowledge of incorporating valid assessment

  • The skills and ability to create a positive and productive environment, incorporating strategies that will ensure classroom effectiveness and that reinforce an atmosphere of respect for differences and commonalities within the classroom community

 

  • Pre-K12 School Counselor

 

Prescott College’s Professional Preparation Programs’ mission is to provide relevant and rigorous curriculum with a focus on diversity, social justice and sustainability. We seek to model the methods and cultural sensitivities that will enable students to meet the challenges presented in a variety of educational settings, producing highly effective professionals who serve their communities in public, charter and private schools. Our professional preparation programs emphasize:

  • Knowledge of core competencies, standards, and emerging curricular, instructional, and assessment theories and methodologies;
  • Inclusive management techniques stressing positive support, conflict resolution and enhancing motivation through learner self-direction;
  • Development of critical and creative thinking skills, productive habits of mind, and interdisciplinary learning;
  • Use of multiple strategies based on diversity in learner styles and cultural backgrounds within education settings and in nature and place-based learning environments; 
  • Student-centered learning; and
  • Attention and sensitivity to social justice and environmental sustainability.

 

  • Academic focus essay
  • Completed Application
  • Official transcripts
School Counselor Faculty
Lynne McMahan

Lynne McMahan

Associate Faculty of MEd

lynne.mcmahan@prescott.edu

Tara Gray

Tara Gray

Associate Faculty of MEd

tara.gray@prescott.edu

All Faculty