Social Emotional Learning: Role of the School Counselor in Promoting College and Career Readiness

This manuscript will address the significance for school counselors to integrate social emotional learning into their counseling programs in order to promote and foster a college and career ready atmosphere. Social emotional learning involves people obtaining and implementing knowledge, affect, and skills / abilities in order to manage emotions, achieve strength-based goals, show empathy, create healthy relationships, as well as make healthy choices. The five core competencies that embody social emotional learning include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills. In addition to ensuring that students’ possess hard technical skills in order to be academically proficient and successful, school counselors are also encouraged to integrate social emotional learning components into their comprehensive counseling program to promote college and career readiness. It is imperative that upon graduation, all students are able to communicate, solve problems, resolve conflicts, regulate their emotions, manage time and stress, possess motivation, zest, optimism, as well as leadership skills, as these core skills are paramount in helping them to be college and career ready, as well as productive members of society at large.