So, You Want To Be a Counselor
If you want to be a counselor, you are probably interested in helping people succeed. The American Counseling Association defines counseling as "a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, and education, and career goals." Attaining a graduate degree in counseling will prepare you to assist a wide range of people using selected professional techniques and theories of counseling.
In order to begin study toward becoming a counselor, you must possess a bachelor’s degree. This is because you must eventually earn a master’s degree in counseling to be a practicing counselor. While it is not necessary to have majored in psychology as an undergraduate, it greatly helps your chances for admittance into a master’s in counseling program if you have at least taken coursework in introductory psychology or general psychology. Classes in statistics and research methods, and prior volunteer experience in a setting where counseling takes place, such as at a hospital, community agency, or school, can also help you on your way to becoming a counselor.
Qualities Needed to Be a Counselor
To be a counselor, there is more than a solid education required. A counselor must also meet these requirements:
- Have the ability to work well with a diverse range of age groups, cultures, and personality types.
- Be able and willing to handle physical and emotional stress that may result from the job.
- Hold a sincere desire to help others.
- Uphold standard ethical and legal standards pertaining to the mental health profession.
Types of Counselors
There are many specialties in counseling, as well as a diverse range of people and work settings, that you can work in. Types of counselors include the following:
- Employment counselors, also known as career or vocational counselors
- Marriage and family therapists
- Mental health counselor
- Rehabilitation counselor
- School counselors
- Substance abuse counselor, also known as behavioral health or addiction counselors
Where Counselors Work
Your work environment as a counselor will vary depending on your specialty. For example, school counselors often work in the classrooms of elementary and secondary schools. Mental health counselors may work in community health clinics or in group practice. Some counselors often travel within the community to see their clients. Here are other settings where counselors work:
- Community agencies
- Community colleges
- Day programs
- High schools
- Hospitals
- Managed care facilities
- Private group practice
- State government office
- Universities
Established counselors, who possess several years of professional experience, may opt to have their own individual private practice and thus have more freedom to set their schedules and number of clients.
Career Outlook and Salary for Counselors
Job prospects for counselors in all specialties is expected to increase by 18 percent in the next 10 years, which is considered faster than average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This job growth is forseen in part because there will be more openings than graduates in counseling programs. One stipulation to keep in mind, however, is that job growth will vary by counseling specialty. In particular, the job growth rate of substance abuse counselors, and mental health counselors are both expected to be “much faster than average,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at 21 percent and 24 percent respectively. The demand, however, for marriage and family therapists, school counselors, and vocational counselors, also remains strong.
The salary for a counselor depends on their specialty and work setting. Typcially, experienced counselors in private individual or group practices tend to earn the highest salaries. The 2008 median annual salary for a counselor ranged from about $30,000 to $50,000.