Compare Popular Online School Counseling Programs
Step 1:
The first step on the road to becoming a college counselor is to discover a passion for helping others in a one-on-one manner. Many future counselors discover the field by undergoing therapeutic work with a counselor themselves. Once they've completed or spent significant time in psychotherapy, they are motivated to help others in a similar fashion.
Find Your Online School Counseling Program
Thus, the first step on the road to become a college counselor is to discover a passion for the field. After all, this work can be painstaking and emotionally draining. It requires that professionals be dedicated to it on a deep level so that they are able to provide help to clients for the long haul. Once a person has made the decision to become a college counselor, they should start looking for a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s-level counseling program. It's vital that college counselors who wish to conduct psychotherapy complete a master’s degree. Those who would rather have a non-psychological career would need to begin their career with a bachelor's degree.
Step 2:
The second big step on the road to become a therapeutic college counselor is to earn a bachelor's degree. At this stage, it is advised that they pursue a psychology degree that will lead to a master’s in counseling psychology or perhaps social work. There are also bachelor’s degree programs for adjacent careers, such as addictions counseling. Students might start with a degree in a related field, such as sociology or anthropology, but their master’s degree program is likely to have specific course requirements, such as developmental psychology, though these requirements vary between various colleges and universities. That said, most graduate programs should accept transcripts that reveal an undergraduate degree in psychology.
Students who hold degrees in other fields should find a suitable master’s degree program for counseling psychology and assess the admission criteria. In some cases, aspiring counselors may only need to take a few courses to meet the admissions requirements. However, if they have found work in a related field, such as that of a psychiatric technician or as a psychiatric nurse, they may be able to use their resume to satisfy admissions criteria.
Step 3:
Once students have completed their bachelor's degrees and can satisfy admissions criteria for a master’s degree program, they should apply to a graduate degree program for counseling psychology. There are many programs out there and each has its own focus and will attract specific sorts of students. Some have a strong spiritual focus that students will want to be aware of to ensure that their values align with that of the school and graduate department.
Graduate students should seek out programs that provide ample opportunity to engage in real-world practical experiences. After all, counseling is an interpersonal endeavor and students need to be exposed to the realities of that working environment. Many decide that the emotional costs are too high for them and decide to pursue research psychology or another field altogether.
Those hours of practice and real-world experience may also help students satisfy their state board's requirements for licensure. In fact, prior to applying, all prospective graduate students should ask their admissions counselors about the program's licensure support. Most accredited, reputable programs will have supports in place that help students experience an easy transition to becoming licensed therapists.
Step 4:
Once students have graduated from their master’s degree program in counseling, they will need to satisfy their state's licensure requirements. This often entails a year or more of practical experience under a licensed counselor. For those who wish to become college counselors, this might be accomplished by securing a position in a college health clinic and working under one of the licensed therapists there. Licensure also entails such requirements as a background check, letters of reference, and complete academic transcripts.
Keep in mind that every state licensing agency will have their own requirements for continuing education. That is, every licensed counselor must complete a set number of qualifying continuing education units (CEUs) in order to maintain their license.
College Counselor Career & Salary
Where Might You Work?
College counselors will find work within a college or university. Typically, their working lives will involve regular office hours in their institution's health center where they will see students for one-on-one counseling sessions. However, they may also form group counseling sessions for students who have a similar struggle. College counselors may also utilize technology and work remotely via a video chat platform such as Zoom or Skype. Given the rise in online education and students' busy schedules, this is increasingly likely. Thus, counselors might conduct these video counseling sessions from their homes or from the office, or some mix, depending on their employer’s restrictions or other factors.
Counselors might also decide to go into private practice and thus branch off from their college or university. In this case, they can see clients in whatever fashion they see fit and may even end up seeing clients in their own homes, provided that they have a suitable office space. It could also be that they continue to work through their old university employer and perhaps offer remote counseling sessions to students who can't make it to campus.