Career Profile:Health Counselor

See Available Health Counselor Schools

Job Description:

Are you passionate about helping people? Are you a good listener? Do you want to dedicate your career in making people lives better? If so, then you should consider becoming a health counselor. A health counselor is someone who provides professional advice on coping problems, addiction, depression, nutrition, or stress management. Health counselor experts create individualized treatment plans for their patients by gathering relevant information through observations, interviews and tests.

Health counselor experts have different areas of specialization. They can opt to specialize in a particular area (i.e. career counseling, substance abuse, marriage counseling), or stick to general counseling. Duties and responsibilities of health counselors are usually based on their area of specialization and the type of patients that they are dealing with. Some of the general duties that they perform may include:

• Planning, conceptualizing, implementing structured counseling programs for clients
• Conducting group and individual counseling sessions
• Regular monitoring of patient's progress
• Developing effective treatment plans depending on the needs and diagnosis of the patient
• Work closely with other medical staff to come up with thorough clinical assessments
• Offer counseling to family members as part of the patients' treatment program
• Identify underlying cause of the patient's problem
• Develop and modify patients' treatments as necessary

Work Environment:

Many health counselor professionals work in counseling centers, hospitals, HMOs, and government agencies. Meanwhile, others choose to render private and independent counseling services. They usually work 40 hours a week, and they also provide special consultation arrangements to accommodate the availability of the client. They generally enjoy a comfortable, relaxing, and pleasant work setting.

Education and Training Requirements:

To legally practice as a health counselor, it is vital that health counselor aspirants earn a graduate degree and get certified. That being said, they have to get formal training and education from accredited schools. Moreover, it is highly advised that they pursue a master's degree program since this one of the requirements to get a license and certification. Health counselor aspirants must also have a 2-year supervised clinical experience, and must pass the examination that will be issued by the National Board of Certified Counselor.

Salary Range:

Income rates of health counselor are based upon years of experience, area of specialization, skills, and geographical location. Here is a breakdown of the annual earnings of health counselor professionals according to their work experience:

• Entry Health Counselor Professionals - $29,637 - $40,536
• Experienced Health Counselor Professionals - $33,603 - $50,329
• Top-level Health Counselor Professionals – $54,530 and up

Job Outlook:

It is anticipated that the demand for health counselor professionals will grow faster than other profesions. The growing number of people requiring rehabilitation care and counseling services will prompt the generation of more job opportunities for qualified professionals.

So, begin a meaningful career as a health counselor by browsing through our extensive list of health counselor schools!

No schools found or there was a problem, please try again later. (error: 6, http code: 0)

*Program Availability Varies By Location and Often Changes. To get the most up-to-date information, use the links we provide to request additional information from a local campus representative.