To become a school counselor in the state of Illinois, you'll need to complete the following steps:2
1. First, earn an M.S. in Counseling, like the one offered by National Louis University.
2. While completing your master's in school counseling degree, you'll also be required to complete 100 clock hours of interaction with school-aged individuals or groups in a supervised practicum setting.
3. In addition, you also need to complete at least 600 clock hours in an internship setting to fulfill the experience requirements needed to become a school counselor. If you have been a professional teacher for at least two years, you may be able to apply some of that experience toward your internship requirement.
4. After that, you will need to pass the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) exam for school counseling, along with any other required examinations. You can find additional information about examination dates and locations here.
5. Finally, you can review all of the requirements to be certified as a school counselor in Illinois on the ISBE School Service Personnel Certificates website.
If you are already a certified school counselor in another state, keep in mind that Illinois recognizes school counselor certifications from other states. However, before earning your counseling certification in Illinois, you will need to meet the following requirements:3
- You must currently possess a valid school counseling certification
- You must have completed at least two years of full-time work experience OR have a teaching certification OR have completed a master's degree program with a practicum and internship experience similar to what is offered in Illinois
- You must pass the ISBE examination for school counselors