Learn About Counseling Degree Programs & Career Options
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Enrich your life and the lives of others with a counseling degree. As a counselor, you will interact with individuals, couples, families and other groups dealing with a variety of issues that affect their mental health and well-being. You’ll be helping people through some of the toughest times in their lives, which can be a difficult but extremely rewarding experience.
Careers
Employment of mental health counselors is projected to grow 22% through 2032, more than 3x the average rate for all occupations. That means there will be approximately 77,000 positions opening in the next 10 years for those looking to start in the counseling career field.
Salary
There is plenty of opportunity for advancement in status as well as pay in the counseling psychology field. The median annual pay for mental health counselors is $48,520*. Your earning potential can drastically increase if you choose to work in a specialty field. Marriage and family therapists earn a median annual pay of $49,880, while school and career counselors earn a median annual pay of $60,510.
Degrees
Counseling is a broad field, so you will likely need to choose a specialty before you apply to a degree program. All counselors are required to have a master’s degree, between 2,000 to 4,000 hours of post-degree supervised clinical experience, as well as a license awarded by the state in which you plan to practice. In addition, some states will require you to complete annual continuing education classes.
Find a Counseling Program
Tell us a little about yourself and we’ll connect you with schools that offer counseling psychology programs.
*All statistics used on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics