Undergraduate learners should bear in mind that most four-year institutions do not offer programs in counseling, but they do administer degrees in psychology.
This route also begins to develop core skills in analytical reasoning and scholarly research. Most jobs and graduate programs do not list college classes required for counseling and psychology. However, learners interested in getting a head start can prioritize courses like those listed below. This course provides degree-seekers with an overview of the field, including its history, major figures and developments, and prominent methodologies.
Learners also begin to develop skills in critical analysis and experimentation. The class lays important groundwork and is often a prerequisite for upper-level classes. Statistics and Research Methods.
Learners in this course receive a solid introduction to the main research methods psychologists and social scientists use to organize and interpret information. Degree-seekers learn to apply statistical methods to research material and psychological experiments. They also gain a practical understanding of hypothesis testing, correlation, and standardization.
Theories of Personality. Pertinent for learners interested in counseling, this course provides an introduction to the main theoretical approaches to understanding personality. Degree-seekers examine and evaluate key theorists and case studies, applying their findings to personal and social issues.
Possible theories include psychoanalysis and humanistic psychology as well as biological and behaviorist approaches. Abnormal Psychology. This course surveys neurotic and psychotic behaviors, examining their origins, classification, and symptoms. Learners study methods of diagnosis and look at techniques for therapy and behavioral prevention.
The course also weighs social, cultural, religious, and familial factors that often contribute to abnormal behaviors. Degree-seekers assess current research and work to generate new findings. Psychology and Physiology. Degree-seekers in this class examine relationships between psychology and physiology, focusing on how the two interact and affect mental health and behavior. The course develops working knowledge of the human nervous and sensory systems as well as the physiological seat of certain behaviors.
Learners also study the development of learning and memory. These programs typically offer areas of concentration in subfields like mental health counseling, child psychology, substance abuse, and rehabilitation counseling. Most programs expect applicants to provide recent GRE scores. Most admission committees require scores from tests taken within the last five years. Both are useful to those who aspire to teach or conduct in-depth research at the college or university level.
Prepares students for clinical counseling using the medical school practitioner-scholar model, emphasizing the direct application of theory in supervised clinical settings. As such, the kind of coursework associated with each can vary greatly. Following is a look at the general aims and requirements of each degree:.
The inherent flexibility of online programs can be a bonus in such situations. When searching online degrees, consider the following:. Make sure the program is approved by the National Accreditation Agency, as well as by any other relevant state authorities. Most reputable online programs will supply a list of faculty credentials, which can be a decisive factor. Make sure the program includes the types of courses that will suit your area of interest in counseling. An excellent resource for gaining insight into online degree programs in school counseling are professional association websites linked to the American School Counselor Association, the Society of Counseling Psychology, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists, and the American Counseling Association.
A good counselor must first be a good listener, someone who can actively engage, empathize and pick up on pertinent social cues. School counselors in particular must develop critical-thinking skills to help students plan academic and career goals. School counselors may employ testing and social science assessment methods, but they also have to develop an intuitive sense of what works on a case-by-case basis.
Each state has its own requirements for certification, which can be found at the relevant state agency or by consulting the American School Counselor Association ASCA. Requirements often include completing certain coursework, passing a written exam, and obtaining work experience.
The everyday tools used by counselors are common to many workplaces, including basic office equipment such as computers and tablets; digital audio and video recording and playback equipment; and word processing, spreadsheet and database software. School counselors should also be comfortable working with computerized testing, diagnostic and statistical programs, learning how to interpret and sort data to best understand results.
K education has been a major concern on the national agenda in recent years, but there is far from universal agreement on how to improve schools. In many states, budget constraints and tax reductions have made it problematic to increase spending on education.
As the number of schoolchildren increases, so will the need for counselors and others working in fields related to education and child development. Individuals interested in pursuing a career in education or counseling may want to explore the details of similar fields. Following is information on the median salaries, projected growth through , and required education and training for several related occupations:.
In addition to counseling, there are other occupations that draw more heavily on one skill or another, and some individuals may choose a related career that focuses more on teaching, or perhaps emphasizes psychology. The following table shows how the salary of a school counselor compares to that of similar occupations:.
Use the search tool below to sift through the numerous counseling degrees currently offered by colleges and universities across the nation. Learn everything you need to know about attending plumbing school, and find a program near you on our list of the best programs. If you want to become an HVAC tech, attend a program that teaches what you need and get you hired. Depending on the program, a rad tech degree usually takes two years.
You'll typically need an associate degree to become a radiologic technologist. Read on to find the best radiology tech programs. Counseling Career Basics. Counseling In-Depth. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming. Step 1. The key as an undergraduate is to study areas across various disciplines that may have useful applications in the realm of school counseling, such as developmental psychology and the history and sociology of education.
Step 2. School counseling is a multi-disciplinary pursuit, and requires a facility and comfort level with a number of targeted skills and methodologies.
Coursework in school counseling typically includes classes in counseling techniques, academic development and social and behavioral issues, as well as the laws and ethics of counseling. Students pursuing employment as a college counselor will also complete courses in career guidance counseling, crisis intervention and trauma counseling.
For example, the University of Texas in Dallas offers classes in theories of social behavior, personality development, perception, memory, and brain processes. Hands-on experience in internships, research projects and laboratory assignments are also a valuable part of most education and psychology undergraduate majors.
Employment of school counselors is expected to grow by 19 percent from to , slightly higher than the average 14 percent for all occupations. Since insurance companies are increasingly providing for mental health needs, employment of mental health counselors is expected to grow by 37 percent during the same year time frame.
As curriculum developer and educator, Kristine Tucker has enjoyed the plethora of English assignments she's read and graded! Her experiences as vice-president of an energy consulting firm have given her the opportunity to explore business writing and HR. Tucker has a BA and holds Ohio teaching credentials. By Kristine Tucker.
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