aCounselors are professionals who provide therapeutic and services to psychologically affected individuals. They assist their clients or patients with various issues that can range from substance abuse, marital problems to mood disorders. The vital aspect of a counselor’s job is to remain active and listen to their client’s issues to develop treatment plans and strategies to help them cope with their problems. While a psychologist’s duties are the same as those of a counselor, they also help clients with social or lifestyle issues instead of only helping them with their psychological problems. According to the BLS, the counseling field is one of the fastest-growing ones. Their study expects a growth of 29 percent from 2021 to 2029.
Individuals who want to go for a career in counseling have a plethora of choices available to them. They can find work in various settings such as private offices, colleges, universities, schools with both adults and children. Knowing what every counseling job requires will help candidates decide the best one when searching for a job. This article will list some counseling career opportunities, along with their duties, salaries, and requirements. Keep reading this article till the end to know about them.
- School Counselor
A school counselor helps both adults and children with academic and personal issues. These include home life, relationship problems, parental issues, bullying, disabilities, decreased academic performance, to name a few. They listen to students, create goals, provide helpful suggestions, and act as mediators between students and their teachers.
To apply for a school counselor’s job, candidates must first acquire a bachelor’s degree in counseling, followed by a master’s in the field. A school counselor also must obtain a practicing license and participate in continuing education courses to keep practicing. A school counselors annual salary is around 57,040 dollars on average. In comparison, the upper ten percentile earns 96,000 dollars per year on average.
- Health Counselor
A health counselor helps their clients overcome unhealthy behavior through the use of nutrition plans. They try to discover why they have such unhealthy habits and educate them on personal wellness. They monitor sleep patterns, food cravings and motivate their clients to incorporate healthy changes into their routines.
To become a health counselor, candidates need to complete a healthcare, nutrition, or counseling degree online or through a campus-based university, preferably a master’s. They should also supplement these degrees with psychology, health, fitness, nutrition, or behavioral sciences courses. Many organizations also prefer that candidates get certified by the state. A health counselor’s average salary is around 43,000 dollars per year.
- Substance Abuse Counselor
Substance abuse counselors help clients recover from drug, alcohol, or substance abuse. They help them with crisis management, evaluate their progress, collaborate with their families, test them for drug usage. They also work with other doctors or social workers to develop treatment plans and much more.
Substance abuse counselors must obtain a bachelor’s degree in psychology or counseling. These degrees cover subjects such as counseling techniques, human development, and psychopharmacology, to name a few. Also, most states in the USA require you to have a state-issued license to practice as a substance abuse counselor. The average annual salary of a substance abuse counselor is around 44,630 dollars. In contrast, the upper ten percentile makes 72,000 per year on average.
- Career Counselor
Career counselors help their clients discover job opportunities according to their work experience. They provide suggestions, present job growth figures, job responsibilities, educational requirements, interview expectations, and much more. They also know all about particular industries and sectors, such as the availability of career opportunities and their average salaries.
Candidates must obtain a bachelor’s in psychology or counseling to become career counselors. They then need to acquire a master’s degree in career counseling or development. Candidates also need to complete counseling-based internships to gain much-needed experience in counseling assessments, career counseling, or career development.
A career counselor also needs to give a state exam and acquire certification from the National Board for Certified Counselors to practice. The average wage of a career counselor is around 57,000 dollars per year. In contrast, the higher ten percentile makes 96,000 dollars annually on average.
- Residential Counselor
Residential counselors assist people who have trouble taking care of themselves while living inside a home. They work with distressed residents, develop programs, provide guidance, head group meetings, create treatment plans for substance abuse centers, and much more. A residential counselor may also sometimes live inside their client’s home, working odd, long hours and fulfilling their needs at any time of the day.
Candidates need to complete a bachelor’s degree in social work, counseling, or psychology to work as a residential counselor. They must also have at least two years of previous working experience and an internship working inside a group home or community center. Candidates also need to pass a state examination and enroll in continuing education classes to practice. A residential counselor’s average annual salary is a little on the low side at 26,000 dollars.
Conclusion
Suppose you are a compassionate individual and find a great sense of purpose in helping others. In that case, a counseling career might be the right one for you. You can help psychologically affected people wholeheartedly. Consider the career options mentioned in his article and decide which one will be the best for you!
