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See Available Counseling Schools
Job Description Do you
want a job that changes lives? A job that makes a difference
on a daily basis? Are you a good people person? A person
to whom people come for advice? If you answered yes
to these questions, then counseling could be your perfect
career fit. Nearly every one can name that counselor
who helped them through a troubling time or guided them
onto the right path for their future. You too could
fill this meaningful role in people’s lives. As
a counselor, there is a wide and varied selection of
specializations open to you: you may work in such fields
as education, career-guidance, mental health, family
and marriage therapy, or rehabilitation from substance
abuse, disease, grief, or personal injury. Often you
will confer with doctors, teachers, parents, and employers
to develop and execute a plan tailored to each client.
Although specific tasks depend upon your specialty,
all counseling fields are united by a single, overarching
goal: to change an individual’s life for the better.
There is, perhaps, no more worthy a cause, and with
a degree in counseling, you can make the improvement
of lives your full-time profession. So don’t hesitate
to check out the schools listed here. They are the first
step toward a well-respected, well-paying, and above
all, meaningful career.
Work Environment One
of the advantages of going into counseling is the staggering
array of working environments to choose from. The majority
of counselors work in education, but there are vast
differences between the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary
levels. Typically, when dealing with younger age groups,
there is an emphasis on the assessment and treatment
of educational, emotional, and behavioral problems or
concerns. Although this kind of work remains a major
component at any level, adolescents, young adults, and
college students have the added pressure of determining
their academic and vocational futures—another
area in which the counselor plays a vital role. Sex,
drugs, and alcohol also become a factor at this level.
Typically, educational jobs adhere to the 9 or 10 month
schedule on which the school operates.
Rehabilitation Centers represent another common place
of employment. Here, counselors generally work 40 hour
weeks treating individual both individually and in groups
for such problems as drug and alcohol addiction, sexual
abuse, or those persons recovering from traumatic life
experiences like an accident or disease. Other centers
may specialize in promoting and treating Mental Health,
and here counselors address conditions ranging from
mild depression to eating disorders and suicidal tendencies.
Marriage and familial counselors may have private offices
or work in centers. They deal with everything from promoting
communication to dealing with severe family dysfunction.
These work settings are only a small selection of those
available. Increasingly, counselors are finding niches
in highly specific areas like gerontology and racial
or sexual issues in the workplace. As you can see, the
options are nearly limitless!
Education and Training Requirements
The education and certification of counselors is taken
very seriously. The vast majority of states require
school counselors to hold a graduate degree, and all
of them demand that the new counselor to obtain a state-endorsed
counseling certification. Certification, even for those
working outside of schools, typically requires a period
of clinical experience (up to 2 years), a master’s
degree, and passing an examination. There is also a
national certification called NBCC (National Board for
Certified Counselors), which may exempt a candidate
from having to pass a state exam. Masters Programs may
be accredited by CACREP (Accreditation of Counseling
and Related Educational Programs) or CORE (Council on
Rehabilitation Education), and usually require 2 years
academic study along with 600 hours clinical experience.
Salary Range According
to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor
Statistics, in 2002 the middle 50% of counselors earned
from $33,000 to $57,000. The lowest 10% made less than
$25,000; the highest, greater than $70,000. Elementary
and Secondary School Counselors were the highest paid.
Job Outlook The
Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment
of counselors will increase at a rate “faster
than the average for all occupations through 2012.”
They also note that there will be more job openings
than students graduating with Masters Degrees in the
field, which will increase job opportunity and selection.
Online Medical Schools
Capella
University
-- Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology,
Educational Psychology, General Psychology, General
Human Services, Health Care Administration, Industrial/Organizational
Psychology, Family Counseling/Therapy, Mental Health
Counseling, Sport Psychology
Colorado
Technical University
-- Healthcare Management (BS,
MBA)
Walden
University
-- Health Services, Psychology, Nursing,
Public Health, Psychology, Nursing, Mental Health Counseling
Arizona Schools
University
of Phoenix*
(Phoenix, Southern
Arizona - Ft. Huachuca) - Health Administration,
Nursing, Counseling, Family Nurse Practitioner, Counseling:
Family and Child Therapy, Human Services, LPN to BSN,
Nursing Informatics, School Nurse, Counseling: Family
and Child Therapy
Argosy University
(Phoenix) - Psychology, Counseling
California Schools
University
of Phoenix*
(Northern
California - Bay Area, Northern
California Central Valley, Sacramento, San
Diego, Southern
California) - Health Administration, Health Care
Services, Human Services, Nursing, Counseling: Family
and Child Therapy, Family Nurse Practitioner
Argosy University*
(Inland Empire, Orange County, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego) - Psychology, Counseling, Clinical Psychology
California
Lutheran University
(Thousand
Oaks) - Psychology Graduate Programs
Colorado Schools
University
of Phoenix*
(Aurora, Southern
Colorado) - Human Services, Nursing, Counseling,
Licensed Practical Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Florida Schools
Argosy University*
(Sarasota, Tampa) - Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Counseling
Hawaii Schools
University
of Phoenix*
(Wailuku)
- Health Administration, Human Services, Nursing, Health
Care Management, Counseling, MS in Nursing
Argosy University
(Hawaii) - Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Counseling
Illinois Schools
Argosy University
(Chicago, Schaumburg) - Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Counseling
Minnesota Schools
Argosy University
(Twin Cities)
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography (Ultrasound), Histotechnology, Medical Assisting, Radiologic Technology, Veterinary Technology,
Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Technology, Radiation Therapy, Health Services Management, Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy
New Mexico Schools
University
of Phoenix
(Albuquerque)
- Human Services, Nursing, Counseling - Marriage and
Family Therapy, MBA in Health Care Management
Tennessee Schools
Argosy University
(Nashville)
- Psychology, Counseling Texas Schools
Argosy University
(Dallas)
- Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Counseling
Utah Schools
University
of Phoenix*
(Salt
Lake City) - Human Services, Nursing, Counseling
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