Masters Degree in Counseling

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mind. There are numerous fields where degrees in psychology are relevant and one of these is counseling. Counselors provide professional help in the form of advice, rehabilitation and support to different people. Recently, there has been an increase in the demand for counselors in a variety of settings due to several factors of which virtually all available positions require an advanced degree in counseling/psychology. A master´s degree in counseling represents a step in the right direction for getting these positions.

Masters Degree in Counseling—Facts

A counseling master’s degree provides the training required for working with different categories of people and the curriculum varies with the specialty. Typically, training covers a broad range of subjects including: mental health counseling, family counseling, children and adolescent counseling, addiction and substance abuse counseling, drug and alcohol counseling and several others. Admissions requirements usually include having a good placement score, excellent academic credits, a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related field, references and recommendation letters and personal interviews.

Top Schools for a Counseling Masters Degree

A lot of schools offer masters degree in counseling, counseling psychology and other related counseling degrees. There is also a preponderance of online counseling programs for distance learning. Some of the top schools include: University of California, University of Central Florida, and University of Michigan—Ann Harbor, Webster University, Alaska Pacific University and Arcadia University. The top online schools include Kaplan University, Capella University, Argosy University, Grand Canyon University, Ashford University, Ashworth College and American Intercontinental University.

Work Possible with a Masters Degree in Counseling

Counselors are required in a variety of settings and available jobs include: school counselors (help students to deal with behavioral, social and personal problems in order to enhance their development), mental health counselors (work with different categories of people to treat mental and emotional disorders), substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors, marriage and family therapists, vocational counselors, rehabilitation counselors and a host of others.

Salary and Outlook in Counseling

The salaries of counselors vary widely depending on the field, place of employment, location and experience of the individual. However, the mean annual salaries of counseling degree holders range from about $50,000 to $61,000 with educational, vocational and school counselors earning more amongst employed counselors. However, private counselors or those with group practices earn the highest in this field. Lastly, the job outlook for all counseling positions has been described as favorable due to an increasing awareness of the role of counseling in providing solutions to various problems, demographic changes and openings created by retiring practitioners.

In conclusion, counselors will be in high demand in the years to come because more emphasis is being placed on providing professional help and support to people with problems which helps them cope better. Furthermore, job openings will exceed the number of qualified counselors and a master´s degree in counseling provides an edge and facilitates rapid employment.