Counseling

Counseling Career Overview

Counselors are trained professionals who assist people with personal, family, educational, mental health, and career decisions and problems. As family units become further broken and isolated, and as employees begin to switch jobs more often, counselors will become increasingly important for helping people deal with the issues they face. Counselors perform a wide range of duties including:

• Scheduling client appointments including at-home, residential or even visits in hospitals or treatment facilities.
• Completing risk assessments or mental health evaluations on clients as required.
• Talking and counseling with clients to help them make informed decisions about themselves, their lives and even relationships and future goals.
• Providing consistent care and treatment programs for clients by providing required documentation and case records to other professionals involved with the clients.

Counseling Training & Education

The education and training requirements of counselors depends on their occupational specialty as well as their state requirements. Generally, though, counselors hold bachelor’s degree in psychology or a bachelor’s in education, and/or have taken numerous counseling classes. Graduate students usually specialize in the type of counseling they want to pursue. Completing a master’s degree from accredited school requires a minimum of 600 hours of supervised clinical counseling experience.

Nearly every counseling position requires a degree in counseling, a license, and a master’s degree. While a few states only require some graduate level course work to be a school counselor, most require a master’s degree. All states require school counselors to hold a state school counseling certification. Those who do not possess a bachelor’s degree might qualify for aide positions. However, for non-school counseling, all but two states require a counselor’s license that typically requires two years of 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience beyond a master’s degree, passage of an exam, and meeting annual continuing education requirements. Some counselors choose to become certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors, which is completely voluntary and separate from state certification.

Counseling Career & Salary Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities are expected to be excellent because the number of jobs available is expected to greatly exceed the number of counseling program graduates. Employment is projected to grow much faster than average through 2016.

The growth of the various specialties within counseling is expected to vary somewhat; substance abuse and behavioral disorder counseling jobs are expected to grow 34% whereas vocational and school counselor jobs are expected to grow by 13%.

Salaries and wages for counselors also vary considerably by specialty. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors make an average of $34,000 per year, whereas marriage and family therapists make an average of $43,000. The top ten percent of all counselors make between $55,000 and $70,000 per year. As with most positions, those with higher level degrees in counseling will be paid at a higher rate.

Career Fields/Specializations

Vocational Counselor Career

Vocational counselors help people with career problems. For clients looking to make a career decisions, the vocational counselor evaluates their education, training, interests and personality traits through interviews and aptitude tests, and then helps them decide which path to pursue.

Once the client has decided what they want to do, the < ahref="http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/counseling_degree.html">vocational counselor helps hone their interview and resume writing skills, and assists in locating and applying for jobs. The vocational counselor also helps with on the job problems such as stress. As individuals change jobs and careers at a higher rate, vocational counselors will become even more popular.

Family & Marriage Counselor Career

Family and marriage counselors help couples and families to resolve emotional conflicts before they lead to damaging family or individual crises. As a family and marriage counselors, you will use a variety of therapeutic techniques in order to enhance communication and understanding between family members, as well as modify their perceptions and behaviors.

Common problems addressed byfamily and marriage counselors include arrogance, jealousy, anger and greed. Marriage and family counselors must also take into account different value systems which they might not agree with. Because they usually deal with sensitive and emotionally taut situations, family and marriage counselors must keep strict confidentiality.

Executive Coaching Career

Executive coaches work with high-level executives and managers in one-on-one sessions to enhance their professional performance. One of the most important aspects of the high-level corporate world is presentation, and the executive coach helps ensure that his client presents him or herself in an impressive and confident manner.

During sessions with an executive coach, the client might learn how to avoid unnecessary conflicts, perfect public speaking abilities, and discover methods for increasing morale and productivity among subordinates. Executive coaches often help clients deal with job-related stress, a common problem among high-level executives.

Career Counselor Career

Usually found on college campuses, career counselors assist students in all their career-related activities. For students who don’t know what they want to do, career counselor may give a test to determine student interests and compare these to the interests of various professions.

When a student knows what career they want, the career counselor makes sure they’re taking the right classes and helps them apply for internships and jobs in their desired field. A growing number of career counselors are helping high-schoolers find a good college and assist them in the admission process.

School Counseling Career

When students have behavioral or personal problems, the school counselor is there to help. School counselor provide students with advice on subjects ranging from drug prevention, academic problems, conflicts with classmates and abuse at home. When a problem is identified, they consult parents, teachers, school administrators or other appropriate officials in order to develop a strategy for solving the issue at hand.

The role a school counselor plays changes depending on the ages of the students. Elementary school counselors observe children during classroom and play activities to evaluate potential problems or special needs they might have. A High school counselor help freshmen set academic and career goals, and assist seniors with their college applications and job resumes. Colleges also employ counselors to perform similar duties with their students.