Resume template · Updated October 2026
School counselor resume template
Short answer
Daniel suits a school counselor: headings in soft grey pills give a warmer look than a page of rules, and the summary at the top states license, grade levels and caseload together. The fictional sample is an Illinois high school counselor with about 320 students, covering college and career planning, counseling groups, crisis response and financial aid nights, after two years counseling at a middle school.
Download the school counselor sample
Monique is a fictional high school counselor. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Daniel suits a school counselor resume
Daniel prints a summary first, where a counselor can put license, grade band and caseload in one sentence, then a three-column skills grid that fits short counseling skills (group counseling, risk screening, college advising). The rounded grey heading pills soften the page without colour, which suits a role built on being approachable.
Second choice: Leslie. Leslie prints experience before skills with one blue accent; choose it when your counseling jobs and programs say more than a skill list.
What goes in each section, in Daniel's order
Daniel prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. License state and grade band, years, setting and caseload size. Then the areas you lead: academic planning, college and career readiness, social-emotional support, crisis response.
- Skills. Counseling work first (individual and group counseling, risk screening, restorative circles), then planning work and tools such as Naviance or the student information system. The grid has no group labels, so lead with counseling.
- Work Experience. Caseload and grades, then the parts of the program you run, each with a number: lessons delivered, students in groups, application or financial aid completion. Describe crisis work by process (screening, referral, re-entry plan), never by case.
- Education. Master's in school counseling with school and year; add the internship site and hours in the detail line while you are new. ASCA lists accredited coursework, a K-12 practicum and internship, and a state or national test such as Praxis as the usual licensure steps, varying by state.
- Certifications. State license or endorsement with the year, then crisis, suicide prevention or mental health first aid training under its exact name.
- Programs led. "Programs led" holds school-wide work: career fairs, family nights, and data projects such as a RAMP application. ASCA's RAMP recognizes schools whose counseling programs align with the ASCA National Model, so name your part if your school applied.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Monique Baptiste
High School Counselor, Illinois PEL (School Counselor)
Peoria, IL | monique.baptiste@example.com | (309) 555-0152 | linkedin.com/in/sample-monique-baptiste
Illinois-licensed school counselor with seven years in grades 6 to 12, now serving about 320 students in grades 10 to 12 at a public high school of 1,400. Leads college and career planning for the junior class, runs two counseling groups a semester and sits on the crisis response team.
Experience
School Counselor, Bluff City High School, Peoria, IL (08/2021 to Present)
- Counsel a caseload of about 320 students in grades 10 to 12 on course planning, postsecondary plans and personal concerns.
- Run junior-year college and career planning: 14 classroom lessons a year, a meeting with every junior and two evening sessions for families.
- Started FAFSA completion nights with a local college's financial aid office; completion among seniors on my caseload rose from about 52% to 68% in two years.
- Lead two eight-week counseling groups a semester (stress management, grief), measured with short pre and post surveys.
- Serve on the crisis response team, completing suicide risk screenings under the district protocol and writing re-entry plans with families and staff.
School Counselor, Glen Oak Middle School, Peoria, IL (08/2019 to 06/2021)
- Delivered monthly classroom lessons on study skills and conflict resolution to about 450 students in grades 6 to 8.
- Coordinated 504 plan meetings for 40 students with teachers and families.
- Moved small-group counseling online during remote learning in 2020 and kept weekly check-ins with students at risk of failing.
Programs led
- Member of the team that wrote the school's RAMP application, submitted 10/2025.
- Organised a spring career fair with 35 local employers and trade programs.
Education
Master of Science in Education, School Counseling, Illinois Prairie University (05/2019). Internship: 600 hours at a public high school
BA, Psychology, Sangamon College (05/2016)
Certifications
- Professional Educator License (PEL), School Counselor endorsement, Illinois State Board of Education (2019)
- Youth Mental Health First Aid, National Council for Mental Wellbeing (2025)
Skills
Individual counseling, Group counseling, Suicide risk screening, College and career advising, Four-year academic planning, 504 plan coordination, Naviance, PowerSchool, Google Forms for program data, Family communication, Calm in a crisis
How to make the sample yours
Use your own caseload and grades
Replace 320 students in grades 10 to 12 with your numbers. Caseload is the single figure that tells a principal the scale you have worked at.
Pick one program result per job
Course failures, attendance for a group, FAFSA completion, college applications: choose one measure per job and say where the data came from.
Keep confidentiality visible
Describe crisis work and referrals by what you did and with whom. Nothing on the page should let a student or family recognise themselves.
Match the level of the posting
Elementary counseling leans on classroom lessons and small groups; high school adds course planning and postsecondary work. Move the matching bullets to the top of each job.
Name the framework your school uses
If your program follows the ASCA National Model, MTSS or PBIS, say so inside a bullet that shows what you did within it.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- school counseling
- comprehensive school counseling program
- ASCA National Model
- individual counseling
- group counseling
- college and career readiness
- academic planning
- social-emotional learning
- crisis intervention
- suicide risk screening
- 504 plans
- MTSS
- Naviance
- family outreach
Mistakes to avoid
- Case details, even anonymised, that a student or family could recognise.
- A summary about a passion for helping students with no license, caseload or grade band in it.
- Letting non-counseling duties (test coordination, lunch duty) take more bullets than the counseling itself.
- Leaving the license to the certifications list near the end of the page.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 6 of 6 | 8 of 8 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 6 of 6 | 8 of 8 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 6 of 6 | 8 of 8 |
Frequently asked questions
What license does a school counselor need?
Each state sets its own. ASCA describes the usual pieces as school counseling coursework from an accredited college or university, a practicum and internship in a K-12 school, and a state or national test such as Praxis. Write your license exactly as your state issues it.
How do I write a school counselor resume as a new graduate?
The internship becomes the main entry: school, grade levels, hours, and what you did on your own (individual sessions, a group, classroom lessons). Earlier jobs with young people, such as teaching, youth work or residential care, follow.
Should I put my caseload size on my resume?
Yes. It tells a principal the scale you have worked at and puts every other number on the page in context.
Can a teacher use this template to move into school counseling?
Yes, once you hold or are finishing the counseling degree. Keep the teaching job but lead its bullets with advising, mentoring, 504 or MTSS work, and put the internship and expected license in the summary.
How long should a school counselor resume be?
One page early on; two once you have several schools and programs to describe.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Daniel PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 6 section headings and all 8 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
Sources, checked 29 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- American School Counselor Association: State/Territory Certification and Degree Programs (licensure requires documented school counseling education and coursework from an accredited college or university, a practicum and internship in a K-12 school, and a state or national test (e.g., Praxis); requirements vary by state)
- American School Counselor Association: Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) (RAMP recognizes schools delivering school counseling programs aligned with the ASCA National Model; the designation lasts five years)
- Illinois State Board of Education: Professional Educator License (a PEL is required to serve as a teacher, school support personnel or administrator in Illinois public schools)
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