Counseling, Mental Health Counseling

Counselors and mental health counselors work with individuals, families, and groups to address and treat mental and emotional disorders and to promote optimum mental health. They are trained in a variety of therapeutic techniques used to address a wide range of issues, including depression, addiction and substance abuse, suicidal impulses, stress management, problems with self-esteem, issues associated with aging, job and career concerns, educational decisions, issues related to mental and emotional health, and family, parenting, and marital or other relationship problems. Mental health counselors often work closely with other mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, and school counselors.

Education and Training
A master's degree is typically required to be licensed as a mental health counselor. Some States require counselors in public employment to have a master's degree; others accept a bachelor's degree with appropriate counseling courses. Counselor education programs in colleges and universities usually are found in departments of education or psychology. In an accredited master's degree program, 48 to 60 semester hours of graduate study, including a period of supervised clinical experience in counseling, are required.

Graduate programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). While completion of a CACREP-accredited program is not necessary to become a counselor, it makes it easier to fulfill the requirements for State licensing. Another organization, the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE), accredits graduate programs in rehabilitation counseling. Accredited master's degree programs include a minimum of 2 years of full-time study, including 600 hours of supervised clinical internship experience.

Career Outlook
Job potential is strong. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment for mental health counselors to grow 30% between 2006 and 2016. During the same time period, employment growth for mental health and substance abuse social workers is expected to grow 29.9%. Employment of mental health counselors will grow as more people become comfortable with seeking professional help for a variety of health, personal, and family problems. Employers are also increasingly offering employee assistance programs that provide mental health and alcohol and drug abuse counseling. More people are expected to use these services as society focuses on ways of developing mental well-being, such as controlling stress associated with job and family responsibilities. >> See List of Top Careers for Master's Degrees

Salary
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006 median salary for mental health counselors was $34,380.

Human Services / Mental Health Counseling - MS
Mental health counseling is a field that can bring immense personal satisfaction as well as excellent career opportunities. This CACREP-accredited master’s specialization in Mental Health Counseling is a rigorous program that includes online course work, residencies, and field experiences designed to prepare you for state licensure eligibility. You will develop the theoretical knowledge and practical skills you need to assess and treat mental and emotional disorders and promote optimum mental health. People who choose this specialization often pursue mental health counselor positions within institutional, community, and private practice settings.

Human Services / Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling & Therapy - MS
This CACREP-accredited master's specialization in Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling/Therapy is a rigorous program that includes online course work, residencies, and field experiences designed to prepare you for state licensure eligibility. Students will learn to apply family systems theories and therapeutic techniques to address a wide range of relationship issues and to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders and problems within the family system.

Human Services / School Counseling - MS
The demand for qualified school counselors is expected to grow as school enrollments increase, more states pass counseling mandates, and school counselors take on expanded roles. This School Counseling master’s specialization is built on the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model and includes course work, field training, and residencies. It is designed to prepare you to deliver and manage contemporary school counseling programs, and act as a school leader who can advocate for the personal, educational, and social needs of students. People who choose this specialization are often interested in pursuing licensure as school counselors.

Human Services / Counseling Studies - MS
An advanced degree in counseling can be the credential you need to land higher-level human services positions. This non-clinical online Counseling Studies is designed for professionals in the counseling, psychology, or sociology fields who wish to advance their careers, and for those wishing to enter the human services profession. It offers a broad base of course work designed to provide a strong foundation in counseling theory and techniques, with a particular focus on serving diverse populations. People who choose this specialization are often interested in pursuing managerial or director-level positions in public or private human services settings, or in continuing into a doctoral program.

Human Services / Counseling Studies - PhD
This online PhD Counseling Studies specialization offers a broad overview of advanced research and study in counseling theory and techniques, including contemporary and emerging issues in the field, as well as specialized courses in such areas as human sexuality, grief and bereavement counseling, child and adolescent counseling, geriatric mental health issues, and compulsive and addictive behaviors. People who choose this specialization are often human service or counseling professionals pursuing leadership, consulting or faculty positions in public or private human services or educational settings.

Psychology / Counseling - MS
This online master's degree specialization is designed for professionals in the counseling, psychology, or sociology fields who wish to advance their careers, and for those wishing to enter the human services profession. You will develop fundamental knowledge in the discipline that will position you to pursue career opportunities in public or private human services settings. Note: This program is not designed to meet licensure requirements.

Counseling Psychology - EdD
The Doctor of Education in Counseling Psychology helps enhance the professional expertise of those pursuing leadership, supervisory, training, and teaching positions in the counseling profession. You will focus your scholarly work on the application of research techniques to the counseling practice. Students typically enter this program with master's level counseling backgrounds in mental health, social work, school counseling, pastoral counseling, family therapy, and psychiatric nursing. This program will prepare students for careers as researcher, executive director, director of career services, community college professor, counselor (with prior licensure), consultatn, admiinistrator, supervisor.

Please note that the EdD in Counseling Psychology does not prepare graduates for licensure. In the counseling field, licensure is generally earned at the master's level.

Mental Health Counseling - MS
UMass Online's Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling prepares its graduates to be professional practitioners in a variety of community settings and institutions: hospitals, schools, rehabilitation agencies, career planning centers, employee assistance programs, clinics, residential treatment facilities, and other mental health agencies. The program operates on a cohort model whereby all participants complete the same program of study over a two-year period. Clinical courses are taught during the first summer and all participants must be present on campus for the months of July and August. (Housing information will be provided by the program upon request). The remaining courses are delivered in a web-based on-line format following a semester calendar. Participants must follow the program of study exactly.