Helping individuals of all ages to address and create a healthy balance between the extremes encountered in a lifetime (such as sadness and happiness, success and hard times, joy and pain), counseling psychologists are trained to assist patients and clients resolve some of life's toughest issues. By identifying psychologically sound coping methods on an individual and group basis, professionals often find employment in hospitals, with community organizations, and at other facilities that provide counseling services.
What Type of Positions Can a Counseling Psychologist Hold?
In addition to assuming positions at community mental health centers, family service agencies, psychiatric hospitals, counseling centers and medical schools, about 21% of counseling psychologists work in private practices while 34% of counseling psychologists work in academia. Many counseling psychologists provide psychotherapy services with numerous available career paths that one may follow, such as:
- Administering career testing and offering vocational counseling to help clients choose a profession, cope with workplace conflict, or adjust to a new job environment.
- Working with specific discussion and therapy groups related to grief, pregnancy, parenting, divorce, and/or long-term illness.
- Administering personality tests for large corporations and businesses seeking new employees.
- Establishing a private practice to provide relationship counseling to newlyweds, couples experiencing communication issues, and same-sex couples.
- Treating patients in a clinic that deals with addiction, such as overeating, smoking, and/or drugs.
Stacey Glaesmann, M.A. says that undergraduate degrees in any type of psychology field are limiting; however, adds that it is not impossible to find a position in the field. A common job position for someone with a Bachelor's degree is in research as an assistant (RA). Glaesmann suggests that those with an interest in pursuing graduate school should get involved in a couple of studies as an RA while still an undergrad. Learn more about how to become a counseling psychologist.
"Start off as clinical mental health counselors and eventually serve in supervisory and administrative roles. Some go on to pursue a doctoral degree, which affords them the opportunity to teach and conduct research."– Christopher J. Quarto, Ph.D
