School Counseling in South Carolina

As a school counselor in South Carolina, you have an important mission – to help facilitate students’ academic, social, and emotional growth in your charge. You might work in an elementary, middle, or high school, or you might work in all three. You might work with individual students, groups, or entire classes, and on occasion, you will interact with the entire student body at the same time.

It sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Along with teaching, being a school counselor is one of the most rewarding careers in education. The knowledge and skills you gain in your school counseling program allow you to shape the experience of all sorts of students such that they are better prepared to learn, grow, and develop into contributing members of society.

But before you can do all that, you must first meet South Carolina’s licensure requirements. These requirements are discussed in detail below.

Becoming a School Counselor in South Carolina

What are the Requirements to Become a School Counselor in South Carolina?

Education Requirements

The education requirements for a school counselor license in South Carolina depend on the type of license you pursue:

  • Initial Certificate – Complete an approved master’s program in school counseling or hold a bachelor’s and master’s degree in any subject and complete an advanced school counseling program approved by the South Carolina State Board of Education. This certificate is good for three years and is typically issued to new educators or those who have not recently worked in education.
  • Limited Professional Certificate – Complete the educational requirements for an Initial Certificate and be employed for three or more years during the previous seven years in an eligible educational institution in South Carolina. You must have a valid South Carolina teaching certificate during the seven-year period and be employed in an educational position that aligns with school counseling. You must also be employed in a non-regulated educational entity within South Carolina and complete annual performance reviews.
  • Professional Certificate – Complete the educational requirements for an Initial Certificate and earn 120 renewal credits during that period.

Work Experience Requirements

As of 2023, South Carolina has no experience requirements for school counselors.

Examination Requirements

Prospective school counselors in South Carolina must pass two exams offered by the Educational Testing Service or ETS. These include the Praxis II: School Guidance and Counseling Exam and the Praxis II: Principles of Learning and Teaching Exam.

Background Check Requirements

To become a school counselor in South Carolina, you must submit to a criminal records check at the state level by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. You must also submit to a national criminal records check, including a fingerprint search carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

What are the School Counselor License Renewal Requirements in South Carolina?

An Initial Certificate, which is good for three years, may be extended annually, provided that your employer requests the extension. Otherwise, you must reapply for a new Initial Certificate if you do not meet the requirements to apply for a Professional Certificate.

A Provisional Initial Certificate, which is valid for one year, can be renewed annually for a maximum of two consecutive school years, assuming you have been continually employed and are making progress toward a Professional Certificate.

As mentioned earlier, a Professional Certificate, which is valid for a period of five years, can be renewed by completing 120 renewal credits during the five-year licensure period. Renewal credits can be college coursework, certificate renewal courses approved by the South Carolina Department of Education, or continuing education units approved by the South Carolina Department of Education.

Additional renewal credit opportunities are available to school counselors that work in a public school or another participating renewal entity. Some of these credit opportunities include the following:

  • Professional training
  • Conferences, workshops, and other professional development activities
  • Instructional opportunities
  • Being published in professional publications
  • Instructional coaching, mentorship, or supervision

What are the Reciprocity Requirements for School Counselors in South Carolina?

According to the South Carolina Department of Education, reciprocity is available for out-of-state school counselors. To be eligible, you must have a current, standard certificate from your state or territory’s department of education or from the Department of Defense Dependents Schools.

How Long Does It Take to Become a School Counselor in South Carolina?

Becoming a school counselor in South Carolina takes about six to seven years at a minimum. The first four years are needed to complete an undergraduate program, which is typically done in education, psychology, or a related field. Then, you must complete an approved graduate school counselor preparation program, which usually takes two to three years to complete.

However, this timeline assumes that you go to school full-time throughout your undergraduate and graduate studies. Any time in which you attend school part-time will extend the time needed to complete the necessary training to be eligible for a school counseling certificate.

Furthermore, it’s common for people to work for several years between graduating with an undergraduate degree and beginning a graduate school counseling program. For example, you might get your bachelor’s degree in elementary education, graduate, and teach third grade for five years before starting a school counseling master’s program. Doing so obviously changes how long it will take to complete the school counseling certification requirements.

What is the Scope of Practice for School Counselors in South Carolina?

The South Carolina Department of Education outlines the roles and responsibilities of school counselors in its Comprehensive School Counseling and Career Guidance Model. Revised in 2018, this model addresses the scope of practice for school counselors working with students at all grade levels.

On a macro level, school counselors in South Carolina are required to provide students with social and emotional services, academic advisement, and career counseling as well. These services must be provided to students at a developmentally-appropriate level.

For example, as an elementary school counselor, one of your primary responsibilities is to help facilitate the development of attitudes, skills, and knowledge that enables young children to become confident learners. This might involve assisting classroom teachers in identifying children that need additional academic help, such as a child that struggles to read.

In this case, you might observe students’ reading time in class, paying particular attention to students that are not reading proficiently. Once the struggling readers are identified, you might work with the classroom teacher, special education teachers, parents, and other stakeholders to implement enhanced reading activities that target improved reading comprehension and speed.

As a middle school counselor, you might have an increased focus on assisting children in developing a positive sense of self, given that the middle school years are marked by rapid physical growth, increasing independence, and expanded cognitive abilities. So, you might develop classroom-based activities that focus students’ attention squarely on themselves.

For example, you might ask students to participate in a mirror activity in which they look at themselves and create a list of positive affirmations (e.g., “I am creative” or “I am funny.”). You might also lead students in creating vision boards that explore their areas of interest or skill and how they might use those interests or skills to enhance their growth and development.

If you work with high school students, there might be a shift yet again, perhaps to college and career readiness. On the one hand, you might meet with each incoming freshman student to explore their interests as a means of establishing an appropriate academic plan. For example, you might encourage a student that’s particularly interested and skilled in science to take advanced science courses, join the science club, or participate in local science competitions, all as a means of preparing the student for advanced science studies in college.

No matter what grade levels you work with, the South Carolina Department of Education recommends that at least 80 percent of your time be devoted to direct service delivery to students. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend all that time in classrooms or large group settings – individual or group counseling qualifies as well.

But what it does mean is that you will be a very active member of the school community. You will work with teachers, administrators, and students, as well as parents, guardians, and community members. This is how it should be! School counselors are growth facilitators – to do so, it’s necessary to maximize the amount of time you spend working with children face-to-face.

Related Reading

More Resources (External)