If you’re planning on practicing in America, you should know that the law tells you that it is necessary to hold at least a graduate-level degree to be able to work as a professional.
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Is a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling worth it?
If you are empathetic and have a passion for helping people, a professional path along the lines of Mental Health Counseling might be ideal for you. Surprisingly, counselors actually work in many different fields, including:
- Addiction counseling
- Mental health counseling
- Marriage counseling
- Career counseling
How to decide if this Degree is worth it
According to the bureau of labor statistics, the average job growth of this profession is 16%. A Master’s Degree can make your path clear if you plan on working in this field.
Monetary benefits aside, just knowing that someone in this world is genuinely doing better because of the help you offered is a good feeling by itself. Getting a graduate-level degree can help make this easier for you as you won’t have to do a lot more than that for your career.
If you’re good at talking to people, listening to them, and resolving their problems, chances are that you have a knack for this kind of profession. Moreover, as a counselor, you will get to choose what age groups you choose to help.
The kind of job that counselors have is a very noble one. The job satisfaction in this career is very high as many people are happy with what they’re doing.
Counseling is a safe professional career path. Counselors everywhere get the same benefits as many other high-paying jobs, including health insurance, a retirement plan, and paid vacations.
Is this Degree the one for You?
If you’re looking for a meaningful job where you help many people and interact a lot with your clients, this profession couldn’t be more perfect for you. Even if you don’t want to attend campus full-time, you can find a program in which you don’t have to do that.
Read ahead to know whether or not this degree can potentially be the one for you.
Interest in Psychology
The human brain is a very interesting organ. It has the power to imagine something that your eyes have never even seen. Counselors learn all about this beautiful organ.
They learn about all the highs and lows of the human brain. Not just that, they also learn how to help people reach the goals that they’ve been working towards.
To be a counselor, you have to learn all about psychology, so it is suggested that you pick up this career path only if you have an interest in this subject.
Passion for impacting others in a good way
Counselors have to establish a connection with everyone that they work with. It goes without saying that a lot of people have trauma, so the counselor has to be empathetic and has to choose his words wisely.
Although this can be a difficult task, the results of doing this are very pleasing. You get to potentially be the reason why someone is doing okay today, and that in itself is a very beautiful thing.
Being a counselor
Counseling in a lot of countries requires you to hold at least a Master’s Degree in the field.
Since the human brain is very unpredictable, it is unlikely that someone would want an unqualified person to attempt to heal theirs. Just like doctors are required to hold at least a single qualification, counselors are also required to finish a graduate-level degree.
If you want to pursue your career as a counselor, you should definitely do your Graduate Degree in Mental Health Counseling.
The Financial Returns of this Profession
The financial returns that you get for this master’s degree are amazing. You’ll most likely find this degree to be completely worth it. The job market is enormous and there are a lot of career opportunities in this profession.
The median salary in America for mental health counseling is around $47,000. BLS has recently reported that this number has gone up to the $70,000 range. The salary ranges vary depending on where you’re planning on opening practice, the chosen industry, and your educational background.
After getting a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling, you can potentially get jobs that rank in the top 100 best jobs (U.S News & World Report Survey). These jobs include:
- School counselor
- Marriage counselor
- Addiction counselor
- Mental health counselor
Mental health counseling also ranks 7th in the best social services jobs. The best-paying cities in the United States are Vallejo, Napa, Oxnard, and Trenton. These cities have average salaries ranging from $77,000 to $96,000.
BLS has reported that the weekly earnings of mental health counselors with a master’s degree were, on average, $298 higher than those with just a bachelor’s degree (2018).
Statistics For Counseling Specialities
The whole counseling industry has been on the rise recently. From 2018 to 2028, BLS reports the following job growth for various careers you could pursue:
Substance Abuse
This sector has a much faster growth rate than the average. Statistics report that 68,500 new jobs will be created within the next ten years. This indicates a 22% employment growth in the industry.
School And Career Counseling
This sector reports a far smaller employment change, with 8%. The projected number of new jobs stands at a staggering 27,500. This sector is definitely still worth investing your time and energy into.
Family and Marriage Therapy
This sector has recently come into high demand. The sector has reported a 22% employment change with around 12,000 new jobs to be created in the coming years.
Is Counseling a good Career?
Some careers can only promise to offer limited paths after graduation. Counseling, however, is definitely not one of those careers.
Counselors can work in a variety of departments, including community centers, hospitals, agencies, and even private practices. A lot of counselors run a clinic, some choose to work in schools and colleges, while others prefer teaching. You can also go into the research sector after getting a Master’s, or you could get additional specialty certifications.
Long story short, counseling is definitely a good career. Besides, people can use counseling in everyday life. When you learn psychology, you learn how small things like facial expressions can tell you a whole story about a person. For example, people who study psychology are better at catching liars.
A master’s degree in mental health counseling will definitely help you outside the office as well.
These extensive job options can however leave you with the dilemma of what to choose out of all these options. For some people who choose this career path, this feeling can even be overwhelming.
Fortunately, a lot of counselors can offer insight and help you in figuring out exactly where to start. You can interview other people in the field to learn more about the career paths that follow after a Master’s Degree.
What to do with a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling?
As we’ve mentioned earlier, this degree offers you a variety of fields you could potentially go into. The top options with regards to the salary and career opportunities are marriage counseling, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, rehabilitation counseling.
Marriage and Family Therapy
These people focus on the relationships inside a household. They help mend the relationships inside families and couples. They employ a number of psychological approaches to do their job.
These counselors primarily work in the private sector and tend to have their own practice.
Mental Health Counseling
Licensed practitioners establish a practice to help people with mental health problems or addiction problems. They connect with their clients and listen to all their trauma and help them get through it.
These counselors provide psychotherapy services and help their clients improve their mental well-being.
Substance Abuse Counseling
These counselors provide their services to people with addiction problems; whether it be drugs, alcohol, or people. These counselors develop treatments for people with specifically these problems and help their clients be a better version of themselves.
Rehabilitation Counseling
People who work in this sector provide their services to people with emotional disabilities. They have a network of doctors and therapists so that they have the necessary resources and services available to better their client’s mental well-being.
Conclusion
People who pursue a career in mental health counseling are in a very noble profession. Monetary benefits aside, just the mental satisfaction from helping your clients might be more than enough reason for people to choose this career path.
I hope this article helps you in making your decision.
Christina Lyon is the author of this educational blog and she is involved with student’s life and education. She has a passion for writing articles related to education including Degrees, Diplomas, exams, students’ experience, and her prime objective is to support worldwide students by answering all their FAQs through this blog.
