Professional development is a multifaceted process requiring learning opportunities—skills, knowledge, and other scholarly practices including pre-practicums, practicum, internships and continuing education. Prepracticums are required for all counseling students. They provide small and large group seminars where students work with Walden faculty to learn and practice counseling skills, begin to develop professional identities, network with others, and learn what it means to be a scholar/practitioner who works toward positive social change. An essential component as one transitions into the role of a school counselor is to be knowledgeable about the requirements to obtain a license or certificate to practice as a professional school counselor.
Licensure, certification, and accreditation are interrelated and support the advancement of professional identity, credibility, and professional legitimacy. Licensure regulates the title and practice of professional counseling. Certification serves to validate the qualification of counselors. Accreditation is the formal recognition and endorsement of an academic program that meets profession-wide training standards. Membership and active participation in professional counseling associations support the advancement of the profession by uniting members for a common purpose, advocacy efforts, professional involvement, and networking. This is important information to help you in your job search as well as understanding current labor market information.
For this Assignment, review this week’s resources. You think about professional identity and the requirements for obtaining a school-counseling license in different states. Consider becoming a member of your professional organization or society.
Assignment: (2–3 pages)
- Develop your own school counseling development, training, and licensure plan using the PDP template.
Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation using appropriate APA format and style. You are asked to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the resources for this course.
