Welcome to CounselingDegrees.org, where you will find lots of information on what a counseling career is all about and how you can get started today.
Online counseling degrees are becoming increasingly popular as more people realize the importance of recognizing and managing emotions, feelings, and behaviors. Moreover, court systems are acknowledging the advantages of sending offenders to therapy as opposed to prison, and this means a particularly large increase in the need for substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors.
But there are plenty other counseling specialties as well, including:
- Career, Vocational, and Guidance Counseling
- Community Counseling
- Educational and School Counseling
- Marriage and Family Counseling
- Mental Health Counseling
- Pastoral Counseling
- Rehabilitation Counseling
Although state and specific employer requirements vary, counselors generally must have a master’s degree in counseling or a bachelor’s degree with specialized counseling courses; even online degrees in psychology are a good place to start for future counselors.
If you’re ready to pursue a career as a counselor and learn more about online counseling degrees, read on.
Counselor Job Description
Counselors assist individuals, couples, and groups with various types of problems that may affect their work, school, family, or personal life; they most often work in private practice, mental health facilities, and school settings.
Counselors are trained in a variety of techniques to help draw out thoughts, feelings, and emotions from their clients, and must be attune to the various methods that work with different personalities. As most counselors are not medical doctors, however, they must refer their clients to psychiatrists for medication if they feel it may be needed.
Counselors’ job duties include listening to and talking with patients; providing advice and guidance; suggesting treatment; and keeping on top of recent topics and trends in their field.
Counselor Education and Training
Although there is no national body that governs the licensing of counselors, states have their own requirements for counselors as do individual employers. Whereas some states and employers require a master’s degree, up to 3,000 hours of clinical work, and the passage of an exam to be licensed, other states and employers don’t require a formal license at all and allow individuals with bachelor’s degrees and certain appropriate counseling courses to earn a living as a counselor.
Those with master’s degrees in counseling undoubtedly have the most career options open to them, but if you aren’t ready to commit to a master’s program just yet, an online bachelor’s degree programs in psychology or education can also prepare you for a career in counseling, provided you select your courses carefully.
Types of Online Counseling Degrees
Online counseling degrees are available at the following levels of education:
- Bachelor (BA or BS): generally requires four years of full-time study.
- Master (MA or MS): generally requires one to two years of full-time study.
- Doctorate (PhD): generally requires up to four years of full-time study.
Program and school requirements vary greatly, so be sure to investigate carefully those you’re interested in applying to, paying special attention as to whether any on-campus class time is required. Note, also, that many counseling degree programs at all levels require some clinical experience.
Specilization is possible, and, indeed, quite common at the graduate level of study, and courses are generally grouped into the following areas:
- Assessment
- Career Development
- Group Work
- Human Growth and Development
- Professional Identity
- Relationships
- Research and Program Evaluation
- Social and Cultural Diversity
Look for complementary courses in psychology and/or edcuation department offerings as well.
Advantages of Online Counseling Degrees
The number of online counseling degree programs has risen greatly over the past several years as more students turn to distance learning to meet their educational needs. Some advantages of online counseling degree programs include:
- Study on your own time, at your own pace.
- Continue working a full-time job as you study.
- Save money on tuition, fees, books, and transportation.
- Fast, easy access to professors and other students via email.
- Pursue your counseling degree even if you live far from any university that offers such a program.
Salary and Job Outlook for Counselors
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual earnings of educational, vocational, and school counselors in May 2006 was $47,530, the highest of any counselor group reported by the BLS. The next best earning group was marriage and family therapists at $43,210, while mental health counselors pulled in $34,380, substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors made $34,040, and rehabilitation counselors earned $29,200.
The BLS predicts 21% overall growth in the counseling profession through 2016, “much faster than the average” for all occupations. The fastest growing type of counseling is expected to be in the substance abuse and behavioral disorder fields, and other promising areas include educational, vocational, and school counseling and rehabilitation counseling.
Think you’d be a great counselor? Start looking at online counseling degrees today!
