| If
you are a good listener, listen to this: Does it feel good
to help people sort out their problems? Do you give good advice
without telling people what to do? Counselors are important
professionals who can make a big difference in people’s
lives.
Counselors help people of all ages who are
going through a hard time, life changes, or sorting out big
decisions. They ask special kinds of questions and even help
people practice specific ways of talking and thinking more
positively. If you enjoy helping people, a counselor may be
the ticket for your future.
Counseling of all types….
Children: If you love children and
families, working as a children’s counselor is a great
choice. Using play therapy, teaching parents, and talking,
children’s counselors help kids with challenges from
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) to coping
with divorce.
School Counselor: Some counselors
work in schools, including elementary schools, high schools,
and colleges. Their main job is to help children to navigate
through their youth and be successful in their education.
Adults: Counselors work with adults
and couples, helping grown-ups make good decisions about their
lives. Sometimes counselors are specially trained to help
after tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina.
Private Practice or Agencies: Some
counselors choose to work in their own office where they see
four to eight clients per day, for about an hour each. Others
work with many others in an agency that might have many different
services for people, from counseling, to health care, to job
training.
Interview with a Counselor: Jenny
Buechel
 Jenny
always liked helping people. She was a good listener, made
people laugh, and loved children.
In college, she majored in elementary education
and psychology, and realized psychology was her favorite.
She started out as a teacher, but felt she wanted to work
more one-on-one with children. “Helping them out during
difficult family times is what I enjoyed the most,”
said Jenny. She started her a masters’ degree program
in counseling and found her fit.
After graduating, Jenny began working with
children and families in a counseling setting. “I liked
relating to the parents and children: understanding both of
their sides and helping them understand each other.”
The children Jenny worked with were from ages
6-15. She helped children who were feeling sad, worried, or
having a hard time adjusting to a new school.
Jenny saw a lot of children who were in foster
care, where their parents were unable to care for them for
a period of time. She worked with foster parents to help the
children adjust to their new homes.
She also did “mobile therapy:”
going into families’ homes to do counseling. “That
is usually where children felt safest, in their own environment.
It’s easier to involve the whole family when they are
in their home, in action.” Jenny could also take the
children out into the community in order to play basketball,
go out to eat, and do other typical “kid” stuff.
“We would find the place where the children felt the
most comfortable talking,” said Jenny.
She gained special expertise in working with
children who were returning back to their biological homes
from foster care. Jenny counseled parents so that the family
could reunite with everything they needed to be a healthy
family, from jobs, to housing, to positive parenting.
On the other end of the spectrum, Jenny also
counseled families who wanted to provide foster care or become
adoptive parents. “Sometimes I get to know the child
who is going to be adopted. It is so rewarding to help find
a home for a child with a family who is ready to give them
a loving, stable home.”
“Counseling provides me an opportunity
to help people in many different ways. It was a perfect way
to combine my teaching and psychology degrees. I get to teach
parents how to understand their children and make
direct connections with children in setting a great course
for their lives.”
What
You Can Do to Get Ready:
After getting your college degree, you can
apply to a number of different graduate schools to get a 2
year graduate counseling or social work degree. You can also
prepare for a special licensing exam which means you have
extra expertise.
Until then, spend time volunteering or working
in “helping” jobs that build your communication
skills and require you to keep important information confidential
or private.
What
it Pays:
Counselors’ salaries vary greatly depending
on where you choose to work. Some counselors choose to run
their own business and can make up to $120 per hour while
paying other office costs. Counselors in agencies make between
$20 and $40 per hour but get their equipment paid for by the
agency.
Other
Resources:
National
Association of Social Workers
National Board
for Certified Counselors
American
School Counselor Association
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