Outline of the state of District of Columbia
District of Columbia
Requires practicum or internship

School Counseling Staff Qualifications

School Counseling Staff Qualifications

state statutes or regulations recommends minimum certification standards that include advanced coursework and graduate degree requirements for counselors and completion of a practicum or internship.

District of Columbia Municipal Regulations 1657 School Counselor

1657.1 For certification as a school counselor, the following shall be required: (a) A master's degree in counseling from an accredited institution; (b) A minimum of two (2) successful academic years of full-time experience in teaching. One year could be satisfied by full-time work experience in a non-school setting; (c ) Completion of graduate level requirements that include the following:

  • (1) Philosophy and principles underlying guidance and other pupil personnel services;
  • (2) The theory and practice of counseling, including work with exceptional and culturally diverse students;
  • (3) Educational and psychological measurement;
  • (4) Career development theory including career planning and decision-making techniques and the use of occupational and educational information;
  • (5) Understanding the individual (i.e., the nature and range of human characteristics);
  • (6) Group counseling and group guidance processes;
  • (7) Research and evaluation;
  • (8) Elementary, middle, and secondary school counseling; and
  • (9) No less than three hundred (300) clock hours of graduate level university supervised field experience in counseling in a school setting, pre-K-12. One hundred (100) of these required hours (twenty (20) hours per year) may be granted prior to classroom teaching experiences. The hours of field experience shall be performed in pre-practicum, practicum, or internship and shall include demonstration of skills/competencies in the following:
    • (A) Individual, group, play, therapy, family therapy, consultation, career development, measurement and evaluation, placement and follow-up, computer literacy, and multicultural education;
    • (B) This field experience requirement may be met by completion of a degree in school counseling from a program approved by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP) or a National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) certificate; or
    • (C) Completion of a degree in school counseling from a program approved by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP) or a National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) certificate.
Policy Type
Regulation
Source
District of Columbia Municipal Regulations