Counseling Degrees

Are there any books that I can read to help me decide?

There are several books you can read to help you decide if a counseling degree is right for you and what kind of counseling most interests you.

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert is a fascinating book by John Gottman, who is able to identify with 91% accuracy whether a couple will get divorced based on how they fight. If this kind of research interests you, you may be an excellent candidate for counseling degree programs.

Alison Bechdel wrote autobiographical graphic novels called Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic and Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama. Both of these novels deal with her family’s dysfunction as both she and her father come to terms with their closeted homosexuality. For students interested in counseling, this evocative story provides insight into how homosexuality is dealt with by counseling professionals with by individuals and families.

Don’t Let the Jerks Get the Best of You is a self help book by notable counselor, Dr. Paul Meier. In a series of funny stories, activities and examples, Dr. Meier is able to help people recognize the jerks in their lives and stop being victimized by them. This book is great for counseling students, as it is a funny introduction into self reflection and listening techniques.

An excellent fiction novel for students in either traditional or online counseling degree programs is Cut by Patricia McCormick. This novel discusses a girl who cuts herself to avoid psychological pain, and her therapeutic journey at a treatment facility. This is an excellent novel for counseling students who are thinking of going to school for addiction counseling.

What are some online resources that will give me ideas about how to use a degree?

The American Psychological Association (APA) has many resources for students who are considering enrolling in conventional or online counseling colleges. With explanations of the different types of counselors, research about job outlook, salaries and lists of accredited programs that provide online degrees in counseling, the APA is a great place to find out how to get and use a counseling degree.

Another great resource is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which provides excellent information on careers to pursue with a degree in counseling. They also have extensive research on wages for different types of counselors, the necessary education needed to become a licensed therapist and the projected increase in counseling jobs over the next 10 years.

One woman that really showcases her degree in counseling online is Barbara LoFrisco. Her blog focuses on what types of careers you can get when you complete a masters degree in counseling. She also gives specific tips on how to gain work experience, how to apply for internships and doctoral programs. She includes guest bloggers who are professional counselors and who can provide inside information about the counseling professional.

Time Magazine offers an online segment called Healthland that gives recent reports on important psychological research that can affect a counselor’s practice. These are sections focusing on behavior, mental health and family and marital issues. Healthland provides an overview of current counseling trends.

What organizations accredit?

Although there are organizations that accredit colleges, in general, you need to find accreditation agencies that work with and accredit counseling programs, specifically. The most notable of these agencies are the APA, the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Each of these agencies are members of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, which holds colleges providing online programs to the same standards as traditional institutions.

Each of these accreditation organizations has a specialty field. The APA is a generalized accreditation organization for psychology, and focuses on programs that are built on psychological research and scientific methodology. CORE is an agency that works specifically with rehabilitation services for those with disabilities. CACREP is widely known as the major counseling accreditation body, and should be 1 of the accreditors of any online degree in counseling you are thinking of pursuing.

Other APA members include The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, which focuses only on programs in marriage and family therapy and The Accreditation Council on Occupational Therapy Education which is specifically for programs providing an accredited counseling degree online or on-site in the area of school and career counseling.

Is a degree recession proof?

The counseling profession is growing rapidly. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the employment of mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists should grow by 37% over the next 10 years, which is much faster than the national average for all professions. Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors are expected to grow by as much as 27% while occupational counselors will grow by 28% in the same time period.

Although this is a strong job outlook, counseling is not a recession proof job. As economic worries increase, so does the need for professional counselors, yet funds become less available for psychiatric and therapeutic services. Counseling may be a growing field, but many see therapy as a luxury and not a necessity in harsh economic times.

Additionally, the degree you choose has a direct effect on your financial prospects. Even the best counseling degrees online still may not be as desirable as those earned from traditional colleges. While some colleges offer an onlinedegree, this may limit your long-term opportunities. If you want to pursue a top online counseling degree, your best option is to choose an undergraduate degree in psychology, and then continue with an accredited online masters degree program in the specific counseling area you wish to pursue.