FAST FACTS: What is a school counselor associate?

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School counselor associates, who do not need a license to be hired by the Department of Education, may help expand student access to mental health services

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines only has around 4,000 licensed guidance counselors, based on 2022 data.

The severe shortage of guidance counselors is a critical problem amid the high prevalence of bullying in schools and concerns about students’ mental health.

Recently, the June 22 Tacloban City school shooting further underscored the importance of counselors in helping the traumatized recover, and in possibly preventing incidents of violence in the first place.

There is already a law mandating the creation of school counselor associates to help ease the burden — Republic Act (RA) No. 12080 or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed in December 2024.

Here are some fast facts about school counselor associates:

What are the qualifications?

Those qualified to become school counselor associates are graduates of a bachelor’s degree in guidance and counseling or psychology or graduates of any bachelor’s degree with at least 18 units of courses in guidance and counseling, psychology, or behavioral science. 

They must have 200 hours of supervised practicum or internship experience in guidance and counseling, preferably in a school or community setting.

One does not need a license to be hired by the Department of Education (DepEd) as a school counselor associate.

Under the law, School Counselor Associates I to V have Salary Grades 11 to 15.

What is their work?

School counselor associates cannot conduct counseling, which only licensed guidance counselors can do.

They can assist with training and advocacy, learner profiling and documentation, initial assessment, and referrals. They can also hold orientations for learners, parents, and teachers, including awareness-raising programs to prevent and address bullying.

If trained, they can provide psychological first aid. If they are psychometricians, they can administer mental health screening tools and refer students to a licensed counselor.

Basically, school counselor associates render services under the supervision of school counselors. If the school has only a school counselor associate, students needing counseling must be referred to the schools division counselor.

When does hiring start?

Education Secretary Sonny Angara has said that the DepEd would compress the hiring process into 36 days. The process will begin once the Department of Budget and Management issues a notice formally approving the creation of the position.

The DepEd aims to start deploying school counselor associates to public schools nationwide by September — just the first batch which would be hired since the signing of the law.

It was only last July 1 when the education department announced that the Civil Service Commission had already approved the qualification standards for the position.

How many openings are available?

Under the 2026 budget, the DepEd can hire 10,000 school counselor associates.

Education Undersecretary Wilfredo Cabral also told senators during a Senate hearing on Thursday, July 9, that the DepEd will be restructuring 4,400 unfilled guidance counselor positions to create additional slots for school counselor associates.

But there are more than 45,000 public schools in the country. Cabral said they will prioritize the deployment of school counselor associates to big schools, campuses with high bullying incidence, and those that have logged incidents of violence or threats to safety.

Guidance counselor shortage still unresolved

The Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association (PGCA) welcomed the creation of the school counselor associate position, saying it is an “important investment” in expanding the school mental health system.

But the PGCA pointed out that the country still does not have enough guidance counselors.

“The creation of school counselor associates should therefore be accompanied by equally vigorous efforts to recruit, retain, and develop registered guidance counselors,” read a part of the group’s July 4 statement. 

“Without sufficient licensed school counselors and schools division counselors, the system may become more effective in identifying learners needing professional help than in actually delivering the counseling services they require.”

The PGCA also called for a review of compensation, career progression, and retention policies for registered guidance counselors to encourage more professionals to enter and remain in the public school system. – Rappler.com