"Leadership has not traditionally been a concept connected to school counseling or the training and preparation of school counselors." (Mason, 2011).
ASCA describes leadership for school counselors as the ability to guide others (ASCA, 2012). School counselors are charged with many important and constantly juggle all of them, because of this it is so for professional school counselors to possess leadership skills. School counselors can use leadership to influence systemic change and guide both students and faculty. Mason (2011) found that strong leadership practices related positively to implementation on comprehensive counseling programs. Leadership is not an inherent trait and professional school counselors can be taught to be leaders, which means that more school counselors can be provided with the tools to create comprehensive programs. One way for professional school counselors to learn and hone leadership skills is to attend professional development activities such as workshops and conferences. by learning and executing specific leadership skills, professional school counselors can increase positive outcomes for their students and their school (Mason, 2011).
Some specific leadership practices that Mason (2011) found to have the greatest impact on comprehensive program implementation were setting a positive example of expectations and following through on commitments. Other practices that reflected leadership skills were treating others with respect and dignity and developing cooperative relationships with all major stakeholders. As a professional school counselor I hope to show myself to be a leader mainly by treating all people that I encounter with respect and equity. I also plan to lead by example in order to demonstrate the high expectations I have for students and all other major stakeholders. I will be reliable and trustworthy as well. By leading my school in this way I hope to imbue my school's culture with mutually supportive leaders and thus encourage administrators, parents, and faculty to value and understand the importance of a comprehensive school counseling program.
American School Counselor Association (2012). The ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd. ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author. Mason, E. (2011). Leadership practices of school counselors and counseling program implementation. NASSP Bulletin, 0192636510395012.