How to become スクールカウンセラーeducation, training, experience, licenses and the steps to enter

Japan Social Services Confidence ★★★★★

Average annual pay
¥5.83M
≈ $37,094
Top pay (est.)
¥10.11M
Top 10% ¥8.68M
Pay in 5 years
¥6.69Mest.
2031
Pay in 10 years
¥7.67Mest.
¥6.60M–¥8.91M
Outlook score
61/100
★★★☆☆ Average
AI replacement risk
35%
Low
Labor demand
Average
Openings-to-applicants 0.77x

How to become スクールカウンセラー

The typical path in Japan is shown by the education, training and experience of current workers above and in the Japanese guidance below. A detailed English guide for this occupation is being prepared.

Guidance from job tag (Japanese)
スクールカウンセラーに就くためには、公認心理師、臨床心理士の資格が必要とされることが一般的である。臨床心理士の資格を取得するには大学を卒業後に指定大学院を修了するか、または臨床心理士養成に関する専門職大学院を修了し資格試験に合格しなければならない(*1)。
 公認心理師は国家資格で、大学、大学院でそれぞれ必要な科目を履修するか、大学で必要な科目を履修後、一定期間実務経験を積むなどした後、資格試験に合格し登録簿へ登録することで名乗ることができる(*2)。
 資格取得後、各自治体の教育委員会か又は私立学校の公募に応募して採用されれば、スクールカウンセラーとして活動することができる。臨床心理学の専門知識とそれに基づく分析力、見立て力や心を開かせる質問力、傾聴力が求められる。外部の協力機関への迅速・正確な対応力、チームコーディネートにも優れた技術がなければならない。さらに報告書の作成やスクールカウンセラー通信、児童・生徒への手紙などを書く文章力、また、守秘義務に対する理解が求められる。

*1 公益財団法人日本臨床心理士協会から
臨床心理士になるには
*2 一般財団法人日本心理研修センターから
公認心理師試験について

Skills, education and requirements for スクールカウンセラー

Key skills

Active Listening
6.5
Social Perceptiveness
6.1
Service Orientation
5.5
Speaking
5.4
Writing
5.1
Reading Comprehension
4.9
Monitoring
4.9
Coordination
4.8

Skill levels from the MHLW job tag worker survey.

Key knowledge areas

Therapy and Counseling
4.0
Psychology
4.0
Education and Training
3.2
Sociology and Anthropology
3.1
Medicine and Dentistry
2.7
English Language
2.6
Administrative
2.4
Communications and Media
2.3

What the work involves

Assisting and Caring for OthersEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsGetting InformationMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeIdentifying Objects, Actions, and EventsMaking Decisions and Solving Problems

Important abilities

Oral ExpressionOral ComprehensionProblem SensitivityWritten ExpressionWritten ComprehensionDeductive Reasoning

Licenses and certifications (Japan)

Related qualifications listed on job tag (names in Japanese). Some are mandatory, others recommended.

Education of workers

Training before entry

Related work experience

Difficulty of entry: ★★★★★ Hard to enter (from education, training, experience, licenses)

Career path and how to earn more as スクールカウンセラー

Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by experience is shown in the Pay section.

Pay and employment figures are national statistics. Projected pay, outlook scores and AI replacement risk are estimates from the Shigoto Zukan model, not guarantees. To request a correction, use the contact form. How to read the data
Sources: Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025), Population Census and Hello Work employment statistics as published on the MHLW job tag site (retrieved Nov 1, 2026); Occupational Information Database (JILPT). Pay ranges, projections and scores are Shigoto Zukan estimates.