Resources for School Counselors

As a K-12 school counselor, you may find yourself wearing many hats and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of what needs to get done or how to stay up to date with the latest counseling practices. Apps and other online resources can help with: keeping organized, providing industry insights, and collaborating with teachers and administrators. But finding the right resources on your own can take time away from your primary mission: serving students.

Below, you'll find the core frameworks from the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), followed by apps, websites, books, blogs and professional development opportunities for school counselors. As you review these resources, pay close attention to those specialized to the grade levels you serve. If you're a teacher thinking about this career, our guide to moving from the classroom into school counseling explains the typical path.

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Where to Start: Core School Counseling Resources

These three ASCA resources set out how a school counseling program is organized, how counselors are expected to practice and what tools the association provides.

  • The ASCA National Model - ASCA's framework for school counseling programs describes the parts of a program tied to a school's academic mission, including data-informed decisions and services delivered to all students. ASCA offers the framework as a free download, and its page outlines the changes in the fifth edition.
  • ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors - ASCA publishes its ethical standards for school counselors online; the current edition was released in 2022.
  • ASCA Resources and Toolkits - ASCA's resource library includes toolkits on topics such as crisis and trauma response, suicide prevention, safe schools, FAFSA completion and supporting LGBTQ students.

Helpful Apps for School Counselors

  • Smiling Mind - Smiling Mind is an Australian not-for-profit that offers a free mental fitness and mindfulness app, along with curriculum-aligned programs and resources for primary and secondary schools.
  • Touch and Learn - Emotions - Young children may have difficulty expressing their emotions to counselors. Touch and Learn - Emotions, a paid iPad and iPhone app, uses more than 100 photos to help children read body language and identify which person is showing a given emotion. Adults can turn individual emotions on or off to introduce them one at a time.
  • Kids Mindfulness Meditations by Wellbeyond - This app offers guided meditations for children on themes such as sleep, kindness, feelings, focus and calm.

Helpful Websites and Online Resources for School Counselors

  • Bullying Resources for Educators and Parents - Bullying affects children of all ages, and as a result, all K-12 counselors should have the best tools to identify and stop it. Resources include anti-bullying activities and academic research.
  • The Comprehensive College Planning Resource - High school counselors and students can use this resource to discover the latest information on standardized tests, financial aid opportunities, and personalized mentorship programs.
  • Federal Student Aid Financial Aid Toolkit - The U.S. Department of Education's toolkit for counselors and mentors explains the FAFSA process and provides presentations, outreach materials and training for helping students apply for federal aid.
  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - Students, families and staff can reach the 988 Lifeline by calling, texting or chatting 988, and the Lifeline says it is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
  • Coping with Incarceration - Sesame Workshop's incarceration resources help families, providers and teachers support young children when a family member is incarcerated, with videos and other materials, including resources in Spanish.
  • The Dougy Center - The Dougy Center, the National Grief Center for Children & Families, provides grief resources for children, teens, young adults and parents, including activities and books. Its page for supporters of grieving children includes a School Personnel Toolkit.
  • PBIS World - PBIS World organizes behavior interventions by tier (Tier 1 through Tier 3) for common student behaviors (e.g., inappropriate language, tardiness). It is an independent site run by a school social worker and PBIS coach and is not affiliated with any agency.
  • Sesame Street and Autism - Sesame Workshop's autism resources include storybooks, videos and printables that counselors can use with children with autism. Julia, the first Sesame Street Muppet with autism, made her television debut in 2017, two years after Sesame Workshop launched its autism initiative in 2015, according to Sesame Workshop.

Helpful Books for School Counselors

  • CBT Toolbox for Children and Adolescents - Published by PESI in 2017, this workbook includes more than 200 worksheets and exercises for children and adolescents, covering trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism and conduct concerns.
  • Evidence-Based School Counseling - Written by Catherine L. Dimmitt, John C. Carey and Trish Hatch and published by Corwin in 2007, this book is aligned with ASCA's National Model and guides counselors through choosing and analyzing data, action research and reporting results.

Helpful Blogs for School Counselors

  • Simply Imperfect Counselor - Simply Imperfect Counselor posts practical advice on classroom counseling lessons, small groups and Tier 2 support, program planning, counselor wellness and advocating for the school counselor role.

Professional Development Resources for School Counselors

  • American School Counselor Association - ASCA offers webinars, which are free to members, along with on-site training, an annual conference and courses through ASCA U.
  • The College Board - The College Board's professional learning for counselors includes the Counselor Summer Institute, free workshops, webinars and training modules for new counselors.
  • International School Counselor Association - ISCA offers professional development for school counselors, including its academy, on-site training, an SEL institute and webinars.
  • National Board for Certified Counselors - NBCC awards the National Certified School Counselor (NCSC) credential, a national certification for counselors who meet its education, examination, supervision, experience and ethics requirements in school counseling. NBCC certification is separate from state school counselor certification, which our school counselor certification guide covers.

Frequently Asked Questions About School Counselor Resources

What are some free resources for school counseling?

Several of the resources above cost nothing to access. ASCA offers the ASCA National Model as a free download, and the U.S. Department of Education's Financial Aid Toolkit provides FAFSA presentations and outreach materials that high school counselors can use with students and families.

What is the 80/20 rule for school counselors?

The 80/20 figure comes from ASCA's position statement on the school counselor and school counseling programs, last revised in 2023. ASCA recommends that school counselors spend 80% or more of their time in direct and indirect services to students, and 20% or less on program planning and school support, such as reviewing data, planning lessons and groups, and reporting results. If you're comparing school support roles, our guide to school psychologists vs. school counselors explains how the two positions differ.

What resources are included in a school counselor toolkit?

There is no single required toolkit, but ASCA's resource library groups its toolkits around common needs: crisis and trauma response, suicide prevention, safe schools, FAFSA completion and supporting LGBTQ students. This page also lists a crisis line, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and topic-specific resources on grief, behavior and bullying.

Information last updated: October 2026