How to Pick a Career or College Counselor

If you do decide to seek out a private counselor, what should you look for? Richard Hoover, executive vice president of the California Assn. for Counseling and Development, advises parents to use school counselors if they are available. But for those seeking private counselors, he offers this advice:

- Look for someone who is licensed. “If a person is working as a career counselor, he must be licensed. . . . However, if a person is working only as a college counselor per se, no license is required.”

- Go to a counselor in a high school or visit a university and ask for names of private counselors in your area. “I would certainly talk with a counselor in a school and seek that person’s assistance in identifying a qualified counselor in the private sector,” Hoover said. If you can’t get a referral from a counselor, talk to a school administrator or a reliable teacher.

- Check the counselor’s qualifications. “I would ask the qualifications of the individual, and at the very least I would want to know that they were licensed in one of the following fields--as a school counselor, career counselor or marriage and family therapist. That says that at least there has been some sort of training and some experience. Be certain of their degrees. They should have a minimum of a master’s in the area of counseling and guidance.”

- Ask for their professional affiliations. “Are they affiliated with the CACD (California Assn. for Counseling and Development) or another state association? Are they members of the American Assn. for Counseling and Development?”

- Check their track record. “Ask for references and follow up on them. Talk to people they have worked with.”

- Look at their employment history. “Not only what they are doing at the moment, but their experience prior to establishing this business.”

- Ask about fees. “I am at a loss as to what is an appropriate fee. I do not know. But once a fee has been quoted, I would check it out with someone else. Compare it with fees at another counselor’s. Or check with someone at school or with someone who has used a similar service.”

- Do not sign a contract. “I would be cautious about signing anything up front or paying a fee up front.”

- Be wary of someone who “guarantees” placement. “The No. 1 thing to look at with a jaundiced eye is any individual in the private sector who guarantees admission to a college or guarantees a financial scholarship.”