Like any solid structure, a school counseling program is built on a strong foundation. Based on the school’s goals for student achievement, what every student should know and should be able to do, the foundation determines how every student will benefit from the school counseling program.

Beliefs and Philosophy: The philosophy is a set of principles guiding the program development, implementation and evaluation. All personnel involved in managing and implementing the program should reach consensus on each belief or guiding principal contained in the philosophy.

Mission: A mission statement describes the program’s purpose and goals. A school counseling program mission statement aligns with and is a subset of the school and district’s mission.