Individuals who pursue a career in counseling have many different pathways to choose from. As we explained in-depth in our counseling career guides, individuals can pursue an occupation in career, child/adolescent, college, grief, mental health, military, pastoral, rehabilitation, school, or substance abuse counseling, to name a few.

To help both prospective and current counseling professionals keep abreast with counseling trends, advocacy efforts, and career development,  we’ve compiled a list of the top counseling blogs of 2020. Each blog in our list has a detailed description, that includes the blog’s information and one highlighted article, carefully chosen by the editors of OnlineCounselingPrograms.com.

Explore more on entering the field of professional counseling by earning your master’s degree in counseling online from an accredited program, or check out our guide on how to become a counselor.

The blogs were selected based on the strength and creativity of the content, resources, level of activity and engagement, social media presence, and a few x-factors, which we excitingly point out in the descriptions. If you have any questions, or if you would like your blog to be considered in our list of top counseling blogs, please email us.

The official blog of the American Counseling Association (ACA) covers a wide variety of mental health topics relevant to both counseling professionals and the diverse populations they serve. Backed by the long-standing authority of this professional organization, the blog’s content pieces offer solid advice on multiple topics in counseling, such as parenting and family life, aging, depression, and other emotional and relational issues.

Our Interview with Admitted (NACAC)’s Mary Stegmeir

Admitted is hosted by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) to explore the detailed strategies, challenges, data, and successes that college counselors handle on a day-to-day basis. Through its detailed writing, the blog achieves its goal of equipping counselors to support students throughout the end-to-end college application process.

This authoritative magazine – published since 1958 – is a staple publication of the American Counseling Association. As an established reference point within the world of professional counseling, it explores counseling techniques and strategies, federal and state regulation, counselor wellness, and developments in the field. According to their website, the blog has won 39 awards for writing, design and website content in national publication competitions since 2005.

Originally founded by philosopher and psychotherapist Dr. Greg Mulhauser, Counselling Resource continues to live up to its name as a valuable collection of resources for both counselors and the general public. The large collection of posts explores psychology, philosophy, and mental health topics, alongside other useful tools like psychological quizzes, counselor directories, and a mental health glossary. Counselling Resource is based in the UK, but maintains universal appeal by featuring content from a range of international authors.

Our Interview with Counselor Up’s Rebecca Atkins, M.Ed., NBCT

On Counselor Up, Rebecca Atkins, who has been an active counselor with over a decade’s worth of experience, equips and encourages fellow school counselors to address student issues and advance their professional development. Colorful, original posts offer free advice, fresh counseling tips, and organizational tools to boost counselors’ effectiveness and productivity.

Our Interview with Counselor Magazine’s Leah Honarbakhsh

This extensive blog sheds light on multiple kinds of addictions and mental health issues so that counseling professionals and the general public can better understand, support, and treat those suffering such deep-rooted challenges. In detailed, conversational posts, various authors explore and explain the nuances and distinctions between multiple kinds of addiction, including alcohol, drugs, sex, and wealth.

Our Interview with Counselors’ Corner’s Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D.

Dr. Patrick O’Connor, author of College Counseling for School Counselors, shares insights on his blog on just about everything in the world of college counseling, and he does so with distinct clarity and wit that makes for pleasant, informative reading. Regular posts and a large archive supply ample advice for college counselors, parents, and high school students on all aspects of the application cycle.

Marissa Rex’s blog is a well-known wealth of information on elementary school counseling. She regularly reviews children’s books, TV shows, and other media, provides free counseling lesson plans, and also hosts comprehensive lists of counseling resources from around the web. Her posts are packed with compelling images, video, and helpful information so that each post provides an engaging, multi-faceted reading experience.

Our Interview with Exploring School Counseling Jeannie Maddox

Ideas, resources, and encouragement make up the three focus areas of Jeannie Maddox’s information-packed blog. All three focus areas emerge in her writing, from her genuine desire to “pay it forward” after years of trial and error of dealing with the everyday experiences of working with students, teachers, and families as a school counselor. Her extensive counseling resource list is a particularly bookmarkable feature that combines useful web links with free, original lesson plans.

For High School Counselors’ Cindy Morton

For high school counselors by high school counselors, this blog, written by Cindy Morton, accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: provide insight on all things related to high school counseling. Cindy takes readers through her experiences and thoughts in the field, especially in regard to how popular media, social interactions, and mental health conditions can affect students’ well-being. This multi-faceted blog focuses on equipping high school counselors to teach social-emotional skills, conflict resolution, and peer helping skills, among many other topics of interest.

Our Interview with James Fisher

Mr. James Fisher speaks directly to and about high school students through his personal, encouraging posts. In doing so, he takes readers inside his daily counseling experiences and personal encounters with students and their various challenges. New readers of James’ blog will likely find his stream of consciousness-like writing simultaneously fascinating and informative.

New Directions Counseling Services maintains this informative blog on healthy relationship-building, nutrition, psychotherapy, and women’s health. Each post includes multiple helpful takeaways for readers to think about and take action on, and each post also intelligently captures the New Directions Counseling Services’ capacity as a cornerstone of treatment in the diverse setting of Pittsburgh.

This Christian counseling blog features personal reflections from mental health professionals on multiple topics such as marriage and divorce, adoption, domestic abuse, grief, depression, and many others. Posts by their licensed counseling staff strike the balance of being both personal and informative, and are accessible for both counseling professionals and the general public.

Franciene Sabens’ school counseling blog focuses on three main areas that are crucial in the field of counseling today: inspiration, collaboration, and professional growth. Her popular, well-written posts cover topics like promoting the growth mindset, adapting to the Common Core, and exploring the flipped classroom. The blog also finds creative ways to incorporate resources on professional development and opportunities for readers to get more involved in their communities.

Symmetry Counseling, a Chicago-based counseling service, maintains this educational blog on holistic mental health for individuals, couples, and families. Topic focus areas for their detailed posts include drug addiction, marriage, trauma, and self-care. New readers will likely find their more recent posts on codependency and overcoming trauma as helpful resources for long-term growth.

Our Interview with The Corner on Character’s Barbara Gruener

Author and school counselor Barbara Gruener invites readers into her personal and professional concentration on character development in children. She combines her many years of experience with a conversational tone to create accessible content for teachers, counselors, and parents. With genuine, heartfelt passion and unassuming authority, Barbara has racked up a dedicated following over the years of sharing her insights in this character-building corner of the internet.

The Counseling Geek is a sleek, tech-savvy resource for school counselors of all kinds. Jeff Ream, the blog’s prolific editor and a community leader, takes the unique approach of exploring how to leverage technology in school counseling for the mutual benefit of students and counselors. His writing not only includes reviews of websites, apps, and other tech paraphernalia, but how to actually use them to their greatest potential.

The Helpful Counselor provides useful ideas, tools, and innovative strategies drawn from its author, Heather, who references her daily lived experiences as a school counselor in her expansive writing. Incorporating original teaching materials with popular children’s media, she addresses topics like anger management for kids, bullying prevention, emotional intelligence, and career development for counselors.

School counselor Carol Miller has built her extensive blog into a go-to resource for all areas of middle school counseling. The long list of topics includes posts on counseling supplies, shared lesson plans, and student behavioral issues, gathered from more than twenty years of counseling experience. The regularity of these posts have established this blog as a reliable staple for middle school counselors.

Our Interview with The School Counselor Kind’s Kayla Marston

Kayla Marston shares her insights and reflections on her role as an elementary school counselor, the challenges she faces in that role, and the tools and techniques she employs to overcome those hurdles and support students’ continual development. Posts range from mindfulness and personal stories to commentary on popular media and its impact on students’ mental health.

Our Interview with The Stylish School Counselor’s Melanie Acker

Set against a bold black and white background, this aptly-named blog was designed to be a hub of ideas, products, resources, and networking opportunities for elementary and middle school counselors. The blog, which is spoken through the highly personal, energetic voice of its editor, Melanie Acker, discusses the power of failure all while sharing counseling freebies – and of course, tried and true fashion tips.

Our Interview with Urban Balance’s Joyce Marter, LCPC

This enlightening blog by psychotherapy service provider Urban Balance seeks to minimize stigma on mental health, addiction, and relationship issues. Posts describe their services while promoting personal growth and a healthy work/life balance.

Last updated: April 2020