Essential Books for Counselors

School Counseling

• The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs – American School Counselor Association
• The School Counselor’s Book of Lists by Dorothy J. Blum and Tamara E. Davis
• Brief Counseling That Works: A Solution-Focused Therapy Approach by Gerald B. Sklare
• The Use of Data in School Counseling by Trish Hatch

Career Counseling

• Career Development and Counseling: Putting Theory and Research to Work by Steven D. Brown and Robert W. Lent
• Career Counseling: A Holistic Approach by Vernon G. Zunker
• The Career Counseling Casebook: A Resource for Students, Practitioners, and Counselor Educators – NCDA
• What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles

College Admissions Counseling

• The Fiske Guide to Colleges by Edward B. Fiske
• Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope
• The Truth About College Admission by Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark
• College Match by Steven R. Antonoff
• What Your Agent Will Not Tell You About College Admissions by Joe M. Klunder and Rachel Winston

Mental Health and Wellness

• The Resilient School Counselor by Kirsten Perry
• Mind Over Mood by Dennis Greenberger and Christine A. Padesky
• The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
• Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett

Equity and Inclusion

• Culturally Responsive School Counseling: Practices for Equity and Student Success by Janice Carey
• School Counseling to Close the Achievement Gap by Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy
• The Culturally Inclusive Educator by Dena R. Samuels

Online Platforms and Tools

College and Career Planning

• BigFuture – College Board’s comprehensive college planning tool
• Naviance – College and career readiness platform
• MaiaLearning – College and career planning platform
• Unifrog – Platform for comparing university and apprenticeship options

Career Assessment and Exploration

• O*NET Online – Occupational information network
• My Next Move – Career exploration tool
• YouScience – Aptitude-based career guidance

International Student Advising

• EducationUSA – U.S. Department of State network for international student advising
• NAFSA – Association of International Educators
• International Student – Resources for international students

📚 Professional Development and Frameworks

• ASCA National Model – Framework for comprehensive school counseling programs
• ICF Core Competencies – International Coaching Federation’s competencies for coaching
• NCDA Career Counseling Competencies – National Career Development Association’s competencies for career counselors
• CASEL Framework – Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning’s framework for SEL (National Career Development Center)

Additional Resources

• National Career Development Association (NCDA) Resource Store – Books and materials for career development professionals
• Play Therapy Supply – Resources and tools for school counselors
• Counselor Chelsey’s Blog – Recommendations for professional development books for school counselors National Career Development Association+1National Career Development Association+1Play Therapy Supply