Gap Year Association Counselors Institute

Eager to expand your advising toolkit?


The Gap Year Association's Counselors Institute is a 3-day online training that covers best practices in gap year advising. The course is designed to equip those who work with high school students with tools to be effective advocates and advisors for the gap year option. Within the 10-hour curriculum (2 hours of self-study and 8 hours of synchronous online learning), participants can expect to gain:

  • A thorough understanding of what constitutes a meaningful gap year: what it is, who it’s for, and why it’s beneficial
  • An understanding of best practices in gap year advising: how to propose it as an option for students, guidelines around gap year planning, researching/vetting different gap year options, and more
  • Insights from professional gap year counselors and program providers


While this course will not immediately qualify a participant as a “gap year consultant,” it will expand the advising toolkits of anyone who works directly with high school students, and will provide a solid foundation for anyone interested in one day becoming a gap year consultant. Those who complete a short exam at the end of the Institute will receive a certificate of completion and digital badge to display as a professional credential.


GYA invites all CounselMore users to register with a $25 discount by entering the promo code COUNSELMORE24. Learn more and register at https://www.gapyearassociation.org/professional-development/gya-institutes/

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