Glossary
School Counselor Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential school counselor terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key school counselor vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in school counselor training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- 504 plan
- Accommodations for disabilities.
- ASCA National Model
- A framework for school counseling programs.
- Career assessment
- A tool to explore career interests.
- Caseload
- Students assigned to a counselor.
- Comprehensive counseling program
- A school-wide counseling plan.
- Confidentiality
- Keeping information private, with limits.
- Crisis intervention
- Immediate support during emergencies.
- FAFSA
- The federal financial aid application.
- Four-year plan
- A plan for high school courses.
- Mandated reporter
- Required to report suspected abuse.
- Referral
- Connecting students to outside services.
- Restorative practices
- Repairing harm after conflicts.
- Small group counseling
- Counseling a few students together.
- Skills for emotions and relationships.
- Transcript
- A record of courses and grades.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free School Counselor practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see School Counselor training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.