|
HomeTopics...Human Services StudiesMental Health Counseling
A Career in Mental Health CounselingEvery state has dozens of mental health counseling experts available to aid men, women and children who are in need of support. Dealing with traumatic experiences such as drug abuse, grief, rape, spousal abuse, severe depression and divorce/relationship problems is no easy matter; the support of a counseling mental health services professional can make a huge difference in a person's recovery.
Mental health counseling jobs are readily available in hospitals, private practices, community health agencies and managed care facilities. Mental health counselors can also work in substance abuse treatment facilities, rehabilitation centers and even in larger corporations that offer in-house medical services. Some employed in this field offer free mental health counseling to low-income and elderly people. All mental health counselors must hold a master's degree and current state-level license or certification papers.
Work of a Mental Health CounselorLike psychologists, mental health counselors help their patients work through difficulties experienced in their personal and/or professional lives. The benefit of seeing a mental health counselor instead of a psychologist is that the visit will be far less expensive and mental health counselors are often trained in one or two highly specialized areas.
According to the Journal of Mental Health Counseling, reasons to seek out a mental health counselor can include:
A mental health counselor helps patients through difficult times in their lives. One key to successful counseling lies in teaching patients to incorporate therapeutic techniques in dealing with times of high emotion or stress, rather than falling back on destructive patterns or tendencies.
In a private practice, a mental health counselor has the most freedom to arrange a daily work schedule that fits his or her lifestyle. School settings usually offer summers off. Hospital or managed care facilities require a typical eight-hour workday with some weekends off.
Looking for a school that focuses on this subject?
Here is a list of institutions and the number of programs they offer.
Educational RequirementsTo qualify for mental health counseling jobs, you must complete a graduate program at an accredited college or university. Graduate programs generally require a full six-year course of study, including hands-on training in a clinical practice and preparation for the licensing exam.
Applying for a master's degree program requires you to have completed four years of undergraduate study with a degree in psychology. In addition, many colleges require enrolling students to have completed a course in abnormal psychology. If you were in a college or university that did not offer this course, plan to take it over a summer.
A typical master's degree program includes:
Licensing RequirementsAfter graduation, check with your state to find out what the licensing requirements entail. Many states require you to work under supervision full-time for two years in a clinic before you can take the exam. State exams cover assessment skills, ethics, laws, counseling skills and patient relations.
Most states use the mental health counseling exam created by the National Board for Certified Counselors. This exam offers 10 scenarios for counseling and asks questions based on these cases. All questions are graded on a three-point scale and students are notified by mail if they have successfully passed the exam.
Do you have a program in mind?
Research different schools that offer any of the below programs with the links below. Associate's Programs
Bachelor's Programs
Master's Programs
Doctoral
|
|
