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School Counseling Qualifications

Qualifications of a Professional School Counselor

• A master's degree
• Virginia state certification as a school counselor.
• Specific coursework in the following areas:
  • child growth and development
  • individual counseling skills
  • group counseling and guidance skills
  • communication skills
  • elements of career development
  • educational and psychological measurement
  • theory and practice of counseling including exceptional and culturally diverse children
  • philosophy and principles of counseling
  • research and evaluation
• A supervised school counseling internship

Requirements for School Counseling Observation/Practicum/Internship

• Fall applications are due by February 28th           
• Spring applications are due by October 31st
  

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has an automated process for receiving and processing practicum and internship applications.  A request by the university designee must be submitted to Susan Brann (susan.brann@fcps.edu), recruitment specialist in Department of Human Resources.  On receipt of the request the recruitment specialist will forward the appropriate links to the university designee.  Each applicant will be required to complete an online application which will include uploaded attachments (see below).  It is recommended that applications be sent a month before the deadline, if possible.  After the application packet is processed, it will be forwarded to the elementary and secondary counseling specialists for final approval and placement.  All applicants for a counseling observation, practicum, and internship must be currently enrolled in an accredited Master’s or Doctoral level School Counseling Program.  

Note:  All universities planning to place a student counselor in a Fairfax County public school must have a signed memorandum of understanding with FCPS that meets the requirements and responsibilities outlined in this document.

The attachments from the university must include the following:

• A letter from the university requesting permission for the student counselor to complete an observation, practicum, or internship in Fairfax County Public Schools.
• A letter from the applicant requesting permission and providing information that supports the request.
• A transcript of completed Master’s level school counseling course work.
• A syllabus for the observation, practicum, or internship with requirements for the class.
• The university must use the FCPS on-line application form.  Please provide information about any Fairfax County Public Schools’ attended by the applicant, any children or relatives that attend FCPS, and any special requests or needs related to the observation, practicum, or internship.  This information can be included in the letter requesting the practicum or internship.
• A current resume.
• A copy of current TB evaluation results within a year of placement.
• A contracted school employee will not be approved for a counseling practicum or internship if it is performed during contracted hours.  In order to process a school employee’s request for a practicum or internship placement, the employee must choose one of the following options and submit the appropriate documentation:
• Non-designated leave of absence (must obtain approval from Benefits Office).
• Reduction in contract, if possible.
• Resignation.

School employees may not complete observation, internship or practicum hours in the school where they are currently employed.

The student counselor applicant must provide name and contact information of the university supervisor who will meet with the on-site supervisor and will be available for at least three scheduled contacts with the on-site supervisor throughout the practicum and internship.   

The intern applicant should not contact the school counselor until approval has been granted for the practicum or internship.  Approval information will include the name of the on-site counselor supervisor and contact information.

Questions about all K-12 school counseling observation, practicum and/or internship placements should be directed to the FCPS School Counseling Services coordinator.

Responsibilities of the University Supervisor

The student counselor will have two supervisors: on-site supervisor and university supervisor. The student counselor is responsible for coordinating conferences between the two supervisors.

The university supervisor will serve as the university liaison for the on-site supervisor. The university supervisor will also serve as the university's agent if placement must be terminated.

The university supervisor will contact the on-site supervisor a minimum of three times. 

• Meet with the on-site supervisor and student counselor during the first week of or prior to the beginning of the semester. The purpose of that meeting is to set the direction, tone, and pace of the clinical field experience.     
  • Agree upon specific times (days and hours) the student counselor will work on site;
  • Agree upon specific roles and/or  responsibilities for on-site supervisor and for student counselor;
  • Agree upon specific site experiences;
  • Provide a copy of the university supervision guidelines.
  • At this meeting, the student counselor, on-site supervisor, and the university supervisor will sign a Practicum/Internship contract. The student counselor will provide the university with the original contract and make two copies of the contract -- one for the site supervisor and one for the student counselor.
• Meet with the on-site supervisor and student counselor half way through the practicum/internship experience. The second scheduled contact will occur via a site visit to observe the student in practice.
• The final conference will be toward the end of the site experience, either via phone conference or site visit. The third scheduled contact is to discuss the student counselor's final evaluation by the on-site supervisor.

The university supervisor will be available for questions and/or additional site visits as necessary. The university supervisor will provide general oversight to facilitate a successful experience for all.

The university supervisor will contact Ellissia Price, elementary counseling specialist at ellissia.price@fcps.edu or Valerie Hardy, secondary counseling specialist at vkhardy@fcps.edu , with any questions or concerns about the student counselor or the site placement.

How Do I Apply for a School Counseling Position in FCPS?

Follow the procedures for applying for instructional vacancies on the Human Resources page and email School Counseling Services at hiringcounselor@fcps.edu to schedule a content interview.