The school counselor education program at Suffolk University is designed to prepare school counselors who can contribute meaningfully to the personal, academic, and career lives of the students they serve.  This is accomplished by engendering core counseling skills, developing theoretical and practical knowledge that informs practice, and providing ample opportunities for supervised school counseling practice.

The concentration in School Counseling prepares students for licensure as counselors in public and private secondary schools (Grades 5 -12).  While the focus of our coursework is on meeting licensure requirements in the state of Massachusetts, licensure in other states is possible either through reciprocity or through direct application to the state’s department of education.  Students seeking to attend Suffolk to obtain licensure in another state are strongly encouraged to contact Dr. Poynton.

We have applied to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to offer students an opportunity to pursue licensure as a School Adjustment Counselor (grades K-12) as a specialization within our Mental Health Counseling CAGS program.  This will allow interested students to pursue a three year course of study leading to licensure as both a School Guidance (grades 5-12) and School Adjustment (grades K-12) counselor in the state of Massachusetts.  This will also enable School Counseling students to meet the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requirements for professional licensure.  We applied in the Spring of 2007, and as of the Summer of 2008, are still waiting to hear a decision about our application.

We also offer a CAGS program in School Counseling to help practitioners meet the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education professional license requirements.  Visit the Massachusetts DESE website to see the regulations for School Guidance and Adjustment Counselor licensure.

Please use the links on the right to learn more about the School Counseling Program at Suffolk University, and visit our blog!