How school counsellors can keep learning

Counsellors should never stop learning and growing. There’s always something new to learn, regardless of your level of experience. The only way to stay relevant is to constantly update your knowledge and skills.

I have been a university counsellor for more than 20 years, and I’m constantly learning on a daily basis. There has never been one moment in my career when I have felt that I knew it all – and this makes the job all the more exciting.

Here are some techniques and tips to ensure that you stay ahead of emerging trends in the sector.

Professional development

Attending professional development workshops is an excellent way to keep your skills and knowledge up to date in an ever-changing field like counselling.

As a counsellor, you can attend workshops on topics such as student mental health, career counselling and higher education trends, in order to get insights into emerging trends. These workshops often offer practical strategies, resources and tools that you can use in your practice. Your engagement in this broad array of topics is important if you are to support the whole child or learner.

Attending university-specific workshops and information sessions is also invaluable. Even though you might have heard from a university many times in the past, there is always new information to be learned.

Counsellor fly-ins

Counsellor fly-ins – where a university admissions team flies a group of counsellors to its campus – are perhaps the most valuable tool for counsellors. Take advantage of any opportunity to join a counsellor fly-in to a university. These events really build relationships between universities and the high school you come from.

That said, I have found in the past that more learning happens on the bus ride between events than at the actual events themselves. This is not to undermine the actual events, because they are incredibly valuable – but speaking with counsellors from different backgrounds and experiences is so enriching.

Social media

Another way to stay up to date on emerging trends in the counselling sector is by following industry experts on social media. Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram can be of great help for a new counsellor.

As an IB diploma counsellor, I find that our local IB school’s Facebook group is quite handy. Professional organisations such as NACAC also have social media presences.

Additionally, I would advise a new counsellor to sign up for various listservs or newsletters from professional bodies. Each morning, my inbox is full of at least 10 curated updates from a variety of perspectives, all related to what is happening in universities and the admission process. These listservs cover news and information both nationally and internationally.

Professional journals

Reading professional publications and journals is a great way to stay informed about emerging trends within counselling. Such publications offer the latest research, tips, ideas, resources and practical strategies, which you can use in your practice to stay ahead of emerging trends in the sector.

You can subscribe to online journals and publications that cover counselling, career counselling, student affairs and higher education. I subscribe to the print and digital versions of the Chronicle of Higher Education. I also subscribe to the Canadian publication University Affairs and to NACAC’s The Journal of College Admission. Each is a tremendous resource when it comes to staying informed.

Networking

Networking with other counsellors can also help you stay up to date on emerging trends in student behaviour, careers and universities. Attend conferences, join professional associations and attend events to meet counsellors from different fields. Joining a professional association, such as the Ontario School Counsellors Association, offers access to resources that can help you stay informed about emerging trends in counselling. Additionally, you can join peer groups, which offer informal networking opportunities where you can learn, share ideas and get support from likeminded professionals.

University rankings

When speaking to parents and students, most counsellors will encounter university rankings. Rankings are low-hanging fruit for parents and students to start with – but they are no substitute for your own research.

It is important that parents and students understand the methodology behind these rankings. A useful technique is to employ artificial intelligence to generate lists based on the tables presented by the THE World University Rankings. This can help avoid being attracted only to the universities ranked one to 10.

Data

A data-driven approach is an excellent way to stay ahead of emerging trends, because it offers insights into the factors that are driving change and can help you make informed decisions.

Look at the success of students over a period of time in certain courses at your school. Are there particular courses students are taking that are not serving them well? Are there some prerequisite courses not being offered at your school that should be implemented to help students expand their preparedness for university programmes?

Looking at the data, the counsellor can start to make inferences and suggestions to support their senior leadership team in future strategic decisions. Come armed with data and communicate regularly.