Professional Development Paths
To respond to a changing school landscape, MCAN is adjusting our professional development offerings to provide training on more topics and in new formats to fit the needs of Michigan’s school counselors. Building on the success of our established Foundations of Equity in College Advising course, we are excited to offer two new courses facilitated by Dr. Laura Owen from the Center for Equity and Postsecondary Attainment at San Diego State University. Equity Focused Career Development and Postsecondary Transitions and Contemporary and Social Issues in School Counseling are designed for those who are able to commit to a semester-long, graduate-level course and want to take a deep dive into equity-based counseling work.
MCAN will also continue offering College and Career Advising Mini-courses, which launched in Fall 2022, facilitated by Michigan school counselors. In this format, registrants can choose the type of professional development that works best for them and their schedules. These mini-courses are a great option for school counselors who are looking for deeper engagement than a one-hour webinar provides and are able to make a five-week commitment.
School counselors will need to decide between enrolling in the career development course, contemporary issues course, or the mini-courses.Seats in all courses will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis with priority seating given to school counselors. Please refer to the video below for more information on the courses and registration.
These professional development opportunities are offered in addition to the standalone webinars MCAN will continue to offer throughout the year.
Registration and Course Cost
These courses are open to all school counselors, college and career advisers, and educators. However, a limited number of seats are available, and priority consideration will be granted to school counselors. Remaining seats will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrants who secure a seat will be awarded a $250 scholarship to access the course at no cost.
Equity Focused Career Development and Postsecondary Transitions
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this virtual course, participants will acquire the skills and knowledge needed to address equity and access issues in career development and help students prepare for postsecondary education and careers. The spring 2023 Equity Focused Career Development and Postsecondary Transitions course will run Jan. 18–May 5. This course comprises five modules each with specific deliverables. Registrants should anticipate spending a total of 30 hours on this course over the span of the semester, which is reflected in the awarding of SCECHs. We anticipate 20 SCECHs in career exploration and 10 SCECHs in college preparation and selection will be awarded to participants who complete the full course (reduced SCECHs for partial completion will not be awarded). Learn more →
Contemporary and Social Issues in School Counseling
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This virtual course will review current events, ideas, opinions, and topics relevant to the school counseling profession today. Participants will acquire inquiry skills to examine issues across policy, research, and practice that impact their work with students, families, staff, and community partners. The spring 2023 Contemporary and Social Issues in School Counseling course will run Jan. 18–May 5. This course comprises five modules each with specific deliverables. Registrants should anticipate spending a total of 30 hours on this course over the span of the semester, which is reflected in the awarding of SCECHs. We anticipate 15 SCECHs in college preparation and selection and 15 SCECHs in career exploration will be awarded to participants who complete the full course (reduced SCECHs for partial completion will not be awarded). Learn more →
College and Career Advising Mini-courses
COURSE DESCRIPTION
College and Career Advising mini-courses are a new training format MCAN began offering in fall 2022. From FAFSA IV: Comparing Offers and Making Appeals to College and Career Advising in the Middle Grades, each course allows participants to join a group of peers for online discussions, see best practices in action, gain knowledge, and access and create resources to incorporate immediately. Each mini-course will run for 5 weeks with four 1-hour virtual meetings. Registrants should anticipate spending a total of 20 hours on each mini-course over the five-week span which is reflected in the awarding of SCECHs. For the winter/spring 2023 mini-courses, we anticipate 20 SCECHs will be awarded to participants who complete a full course (reduced SCECHs for partial completion will not be awarded). Learn more →