School counseling has evolved from primarily being a vocational guidance service for high school students to being a multifaceted service. School counselors have been providing services to an increasing number of special education students especially since the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. School counselors need to be knowledgeable about this law; federal and state diagnostic and placement criteria; individualized educational programs; and mainstreaming concepts. When counseling special needs students in the area of postsecondary educational opportunities, school counselors' responsibilities may extend to include teaching disabled students to become self advocates, completing financial aid forms, and providing information on institutions of higher learning with adequate support services. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs established criteria for counselor education programs to use as guidelines to ensure school counselors-in-training attain a high level of academic competence and a mastery of counseling skills. Researchers and theorists have made these recommendations for the enhancement of counselor education programs: incorporating learning experiences and activities regarding exceptional students into existing coursework, requiring a course which gives an overview of handicapping conditions, inviting guest lecturers, and/or a seminar course for students from the related disciplines of school counseling, rehabilitation counseling, special education, and vocational counseling. (ABL)