Counseling Degree Guide
Counseling is a process to assist clients to confront and cope with their personal conflict effectively. This process, lead by the counselor, helps the client gain insight on emotions, behavior, and relationships, which leads to self discovery, understanding and awareness.
Counseling can be conducted individually or in a group setting. The method of counseling can be face-to-face conversation, group work, or through other media such as by telephone, email, and diary or journal writing.
A Counseling school offers online counseling degrees as an option for professionals. Their counseling programs include a Masters and PsyD. in Counseling Psychology. People who are interested in counseling must have a strong desire to help others.
History of Counseling
The first documented counselor was Frank Parsons who began vocational counseling in 1908. He used the scientific process to assist people in choosing their careers. Earlier, Lynsander Richard, had envisioned the role of a counselor or "vocopher." From 1898 to 1907, Jesse B. Davis brought vocational counseling into schools to help students. The Mental Health Counseling Movement was established when Dorothea Dix, an activist, advocated that institutions be established to help treat people with emotional disorders.
Counseling expanded beyond pure vocational guidance when E.G. Williamson developed the first theory of vocational counseling by using a direct counselor-centered approach known as the "Minnesota point of view." In 1934, the American Counsel of Guidance and Personnel Association was formed, and today it is known as the American Counseling Association.
Career in Counseling
Online counseling degrees offer many programs for students beyond the Bachelor's level. Counseling can be applied anywhere as this profession is in high demand. Counselors are mostly needed for:
1. Marriage and family
This field is one of many counseling programs in counseling school. Marriage and family counselors are required to assist couples and families identify the sources of conflicts, and to help them provide an understanding about themselves in order to find the best solution to their conflicts. Marriage and family counselors conduct counseling sessions with one member or the entire family. With children, their task is to encourage the child to communicate their feelings, and to help them to improve their relationship with parents or siblings.
2. Career
Students who have difficulty deciding on a career, and those who are not happy with their current career, can obtain assistance from a career counselor. The counselor will evaluate the client's personality traits to determine what career suits them best. Clients are guided to approach their obstacle in finding the right career with an open mind. Career counselors also provide assistance to clients who have lost their job, have stress at work, or are in a career transition.
3. Mental health
Mental health counselors work at private practice, organizations, hospitals and government agencies. A counseling school offers online counseling degrees to acknowledge how important mental health is today. Trained in a variety of therapeutic techniques, these counselors help clients who are depressed, experience anxiety, have body image issues, have suicidal impulses, addictions, and other emotional disorders. Mental health counselors assist clients individually or in a group setting.
4. Rehabilitation
As one of the popular counseling programs, rehabilitation counselors play an important role assisting clients with physical, mental or emotional disabilities. These counselors evaluate the clients' strengths and limitations, which are used to develop rehabilitation programs and training. This will help clients to develop job skills in order to regain control over their life and be self sufficient.
5. Addictions and behaviors
These professionals offer assistance to individuals and families who have problems with alcohol, drug, gambling and eating disorders. These counselors help their clients to understand themselves better, help them to recognize their options and identify their goals to recovery. The counseling sessions can be done on an individual basis or in a group setting. These counselors develop personalized recovery programs to help clients establish coping strategy in order to develop healthy behaviors leading to recovery.
6. Schools
School counselors work in elementary, middle, and high schools to assist students who have academic, career, college access, developmental, personal and social problems. Counselors help students to evaluate their skills, abilities, interests, talents and personalities in order to develop attainable academic and career goals. School counselors also help to set and operate career information centers and career education programs.
The future of Counseling
According to Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, the employment of counselors is expected to increase 18 percent between 2008 and 2018. Growth is above the average for all occupations. With an increase in stress and anxiety, due to life and career changes, people need counselors more than ever. Environmental disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, add more stress to peoples' lives and they need help from counselors who can provide them with strategies to cope.