Online Counseling Degrees to Launch your New Career

Counselors are people who offer professional help and advice to others. A person with a degree in counseling has been trained to understand the human psyche and how we react and interact in a wide variety of situations. By understanding what an individual is likely to expect, and how such expectation is susceptible to either fulfillment or disappointment, a counselor can guide a person in decision making, recovering from a crisis, surviving in unpleasant circumstances, and in problem solving.

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While it may be possible to get a job with only a bachelor’s degree, most counselors have at least the masters degree in counseling; the highest paid counselors will have earned a doctorate. If you would be content to work as a counseling aide, rehabilitation aide or social service worker, you may be able to find work with only a bachelor’s degree. 

Many counselors are self employed, but counselors can be found in both private and group practices. Many, in fact as many as 40%, work for the government itself. The employment potential is expected to grow rapidly through 2014.  

Counseling degree programs are available through many online universities and in a wide variety of specialties such as family and marriage counseling, education counseling though the public school system, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, industrial counseling, and rehabilitation for the formerly incarcerated, just to name a few.  Most states have their own requirements for obtaining a license as a counselor in either private or public sectors. Those with school counseling degrees who intend to work in the public secondary or elementary school systems will need to fulfill the requirements of the particular school district which may include a teaching certificate. Those in Christian counseling who also have careers in church ministry will complete counseling courses as a part of pastoral or other ministry degrees.  

In addition to the expected psychology courses, counseling education includes courses in many other fields. You may need to take courses in gerontology or cultural studies. You might also take some courses in current law related to drug abuse, marital problems, mental health and rehabilitation. On the public school or college levels, you would probably need a good understanding of career counseling along with all the technology that goes along with helping a client decide on the appropriate career field. In the social services area, you will learn about the problems of child abuse and how to recognize abusive situations in order to do an effective job of protecting children.  

The salary you will make as a counselor will depend on the type of counseling you do. Substance abuse and behavioral counselors make from $27,000 to $50,000 a year. The average school counselor makes about $47,000 but salaries in excess of $75,000 have been reported in this area. Mental health counselors make up to $45,000, while marriage and family counselors average from $33,000 to $50,000, depending on whether they are in public or private practice. Those with experience with an established facility will usually make more than those who work for an agency such as DHS. In any case, the highest wages reported were among those who work for the federal government either in public or private practice.