A job with a low stress level, good work-life balance and solid prospects to improve, get promoted and earn a higher salary would make many employees happy. Here’s how School Counselors job satisfaction is rated in terms of upward mobility, stress level and flexibility.

To become a guidance counselor, many states require that you have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in counseling or a related field, such as psychology, education or sociology. Some states also require a master’s degree.

First, you must obtain a bachelor’s degree in a related field (such as psychology, counselling or education), followed by an MEd in counselling, before obtaining your state licence.

Getting hired as a school counselor can be difficult in today’s job market. However, difficult does not mean impossible! There are a lot of really good suggestions for school counselors who are looking for a job on some of the school counseling blogs in the blog o’sphere.

If you want to know how you can be a counselor without a college degree, you may want to look into addiction counseling. Some states allow people with a high school diploma and a combination of field experience or certification to become licensed to work as a counselor with alcohol and drug abuse.

Online and distant learning courses can offer an introduction to the use of counselling skills and theory, but do not have this relationship with staff and other students. Any courses you take through online or distance learning will not count towards the training hours you require for BACP membership or accreditation.

Key skills for counsellors

• Listening skills.
• Empathy and understanding.
• A non-judgemental attitude.
• Patience and a calm manner.
• Ability to cope with emotional situations.
• Ability to relate to and adapt communication style to suit a wide range of people.

Because of the master’s degree and licensure requirements to become a licensed counselor, it can take three to five years to complete graduate school, internship and supervised hours.

Although the terms counseling and therapy are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between psychotherapy and psychological counseling. Counseling is also usually more short-term than therapy. Psychotherapy is more long-term than counseling and focuses on a broader range of issues.

Here are the best student counseling graduate programs

• University of Maryland–College Park.
• University of Georgia.
• University of Wisconsin–Madison.
• University of North Carolina–Greensboro.
• Ohio State University.
• University of Florida.
• University of Missouri.
• Indiana University–Bloomington.

School Counselor Salary and Projected Job Growth The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual salary of $56,310 per year in 2018 for school and career counselors. Employment in this field is expected to grow 23 percent through 2026, which is much faster than average compared to all occupations.

Most mental health counselors earn between $56,338 and $67,966 after completing a counseling master’s program. Licensed counselors can earn quite a bit more (around $100,000 according to Indeed job listings) if they complete a PhD program after earning a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree.

Highest Paying Psychology Careers

• Neuropsychologist.
• Engineering Psychologist.
• Psychology Teacher.
• Clinical Psychologist.
• Counseling Psychologist. Average Yearly Salary: $81,330.
• School Psychologist. Average Yearly Salary: $77,430.
• Forensic Psychologist. Average Yearly Salary: $61,220.
• Sports Psychologist. Average Yearly Salary: $60,000.

Common Types of Counselors

• Marriage and family counseling.
• Guidance and career counseling.
• Rehabilitation counseling.
• Mental health counseling.
• Substance abuse counseling.
• Educational Counseling.

The real reason counselors get paid what they do is quite simply, economics. One reason for the apparently low salaries is that practitioners accept those salaries. Electricians have a median salary around $50k and it takes 5-6 years to become a journeyman electrician — that includes 4-5 years working as an apprentice.

A Master of Counseling is designed to give candidates a deeper understanding of human behavior and development. On the other hand, a Master of Social Work may give students a strong grounding in wider societal problems—such as substance abuse and addiction disorders.

Marriage and family therapists employed by state government agencies earn median annual wages of $72,230, and government-employed mental health counselors make a median salary of $52,720. In comparison, clinical social workers make a median annual salary of $50,470, according to the BLS.

The school counselor job description is more academic-focused than the school social worker job description. The school counselor focuses on designing and implementing a school counseling program that will help students build academic competencies, develop life skills and guide social skills.

Professional social workers hold a Bachelor of Social Work degree and you can find them in welfare agencies, hospitals, community health centres and other human services and justice organisations. Some social workers are also qualified as counsellors.

• Social and human services assistants: $33,750.
• Rehabilitation counselors: $35,630.
• Substance abuse/mental health: $44,630.
• Health educators and community health workers: $46,080.
• Marriage and family therapists: $50,090.
• Probation officers and corrections specialists: $53,020.
• School and career counselors: $56,310.

How To Become a Counselor

1. Pursue a master’s degree in counseling.
2. Complete practicum and/or internship hour.
3. Obtain counseling licensure and/or certification.
4. Choose a counseling career path.
5. Advance your practice through continued learning.

With an average annual salary of $83,050, mental health and substance abuse social workers in New Jersey earn the most compared to other states. Large metropolitan areas, such as New York and Los Angeles offer the highest-paying salaries to mental health and substance abuse social workers.

Careers Related to Social Workers[About this section] [To Top]

• Health Educators and Community Health Workers.
• Marriage and Family Therapists.
• Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists.
• Psychologists.
• Rehabilitation Counselors.
• School and Career Counselors.
• Social and Community Service Managers.

The annual median salary for social workers is $49,470, according to May 2018 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This is not an average salary. The median is the midpoint of a distribution of salaries. The lowest 10% of social workers earned less than $30,750 per year in 2018, according to the BLS.

There’s little debate over social work’s status as a stressful profession. Social workers practise in an increasingly difficult environment characterised by rising demands, diminishing resources and negative scrutiny from the media.

Social work makes for an incredibly fulfilling yet emotionally taxing career choice. Many social workers choose the field exactly for these reasons. They want to make a tangible difference in people’s lives, and social work is one of the most effective professions in helping others.