Various kinds of school counselors are providing more services than ever to a growing number of students of all ages. For example, a recent report in the Beloit (Wisconsin) Daily News describes a program where several area school districts are using a $75,000 grant to provide mental health services to students in grades 5 through 12. Under the program, a licensed counselor rotates through local schools to ensure everyone from the elementary to high school level has access to the services. "We certainly are seeing a number of students up there for services, sometimes briefly and sometimes longer," Bruce Parks of the nonprofit Mildred Berry Center told the newspaper. Along with improving the lives of students, the report noted that the service program has helped the district build a 94 percent attendance rate by offering a vital service to students, many of whom have no primary care physicians. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has generally envisioned strong demand in the coming years for counselors of all kinds, including mental health and school counselors. Demand for mental health counselors will grow by a particularly strong 30 percent, with an average 21 percent jump in demand for counselors of all types.  |