Three's Company: The Three Types of Counselors |
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November 28, 2006
by Joe Cooper
Healthcare Programs Columnist
Hospitals and healthcare organizations employ nearly 50% of the counselors in the US. The healthcare industry's growing job market means good prospects for graduates of counseling degree programs in the next four to five years.
Counseling Categories
There are three main categories of counselors, and all of them require a counseling degree or psychology degree:
- Vocational Counselors. A vocational counselor focuses on providing productive career advice, stress relief strategies, and job application and transition techniques. Most vocational counselors have at least a bachelor's counseling degree.
- Rehabilitation Counselors. A rehabilitation counselor works with patients who suffer from disabilities, accidents, or disease and anxiety. Rehabilitation counseling often occurs in a hospital setting, where the counselor works to restore the patient's independence. A master's counseling degree in psychology is usually required.
- Mental Health Counselors. Mental health counselors work with patients who are suffering mental and emotional distress. A wide variety of situations can cause mental health problems, including family, relationships, jobs, disease, and mental illness. A bachelor's and/or a master's counseling degree in psychology is the most popular degree for this field.
Counseling Degrees
Counseling and psychology degrees are both ideal for this field. An online degree can prepare you for a career as a counselor in a hospital, school, or health center.
Counseling degrees online require a certain number of hours providing service to real clients (just like on-campus degree programs). The difference is that most of the required reading, writing, and research can be done from a distance. Online counseling degrees have become more popular in recent years, especially for working adults.
Source
About the Author
Joe Cooper is a freelance education and technology writer and edits medical literature. He holds a bachelor's in American Literature from UCLA.
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