Explore which type of counseling career is really for you.
If you are considering becoming a counselor it is important to take some time and to learn as much as you can about which type of patients you would be best suited to help. Every one of us has special traits, empathies, attributes and interests that would make us better counselors in certain areas. Becoming a counselor can be incredibly rewarding, but it will be vastly more rewarding if you use your gifts to bolster your education and to truly develop into the best counselor you can be.
We have compiled a list of the most prevalent areas of counseling that are available to you. Make sure to take your time and read the career description, as well as what the experts that have come before you have to say about their work and their careers in the field.
With this information you will have armed yourself with a much better understanding of what awaits you in a counseling career, as well as pointing you in the direction of which specialization best fits you.
| Professions | Job Responsibilities | Education Requirements | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Career Counselor |
Career counselors help their clients find or start a job. They provide professional advice, coaching, and psychological evaluations of personality and behavior to help match their clients with the jobs and careers that fit them best. | Doctoral or professional degree |
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Child/Pediatric Counselor |
Child counselors support children and their families with trained outpatient counseling. They help identify and address issues like autism, ADHD, and depression and then they help families and children better understand these issues so they can combat them more effectively. | Doctoral of Professional Degree |
 |
Child Abuse Counselor |
Child abuse counselors have the unenviable task of helping child abuse victims rebuild their emotional and mental health and stability. The job can be rewarding as counselors work to repair the child’s psyche and vigor for life. They help analyze the symptoms and how to treat them, and then provide therapy to help the child regain a sense of normalcy and happiness in their lives. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
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Community Mental Health Counselor |
Community Mental Health Counselors provide consulting, coaching, and therapy to people or communities battling issues. They understand the surrounding community and the psychological issues in play, and then they help clients understand their relationship to the community and provide support as the clients adjust to their community so the mental and emotional health of the community can be preserved. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
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Depression Counselor |
Depression counselors are specifically trained to deal with patients suffering from depression and the multitude of physical, emotional, mental, and social issues that can accompany the onset of depression. They prescribe medication but also help clients overcome depression through therapeutic techniques design to help the client find self-contentment and happiness. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
 |
Domestic Violence Counselor |
Domestic violence is a very serious issue across the world and these counselors are on the front lines, helping victims of domestic abuse cope with and overcome the trauma of the incidents. They can identify certain effects of domestic violence and use their psychological background to provide counseling and therapy so the victims can regain their mental and emotional health and live a productive life. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
 |
Geriatric Counselor |
Geriatric counselors are responsible for working with seniors with mental and emotional issues to help them identify, understand, and fight these issues. They are specially trained to identify and treat issues common amongst seniors and they provide counseling and support so seniors can learn to cope with their issues and potentially even defeat them. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
 |
Grief Counselor |
Grief counselors are often therapists helping people who have recently experienced a profound sense of loss or grief, usually resulting from death. These counselors use their psychological knowledge to help individuals identify their problems and the best ways to treat and prevent these issues from arising. The goal is to help these people come to grips with their grief and then overcome it. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
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Mental Health Counselor |
Mental health counselors are specifically trained to deal with patients with mental and emotional disorders and issues such as depression, substance abuse, and stress. They do work with patients to identify the treatment program that works best from them and then use their psychological knowledge to help the patient better understand their issues. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
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Rehabilitation Counselor |
Rehabilitation counselors try to help people with serious issues of any kind re-develop their emotional, mental, and physical health and stability. They show patients the best way to cope with their issues and then work side-by-side with the patient as they work to overcome their issues and rehabilitate socially, mentally, emotionally, or physically. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
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School Counselor |
School counselors are responsible for everything from a student’s academic success to the social influences that may be affecting their experience within the school environment. They are employed by the school to help support the students academically and also make sure they are well-adjusted socially and mentally for school and the environment it presents. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
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Spiritual Counselor |
Spiritual counselors are specifically trained to identify and deal with spiritual issues and people suffering from them. They combine psychology and spiritual knowledge to help patients get in touch with their spiritual side so they can better understand themselves and the issues afflicting them. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
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Substance Abuse Counselor |
Substance abuse counselors are trained to understand the psychological issues at play in cases of substance abuse and they are also trained to help patients treat and cope with those issues. Their psychological training helps them understand the issues afflicting the patients and how to treat them in each individual case. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
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Suicide Intervention Counselor |
Suicide Intervention counselors have the stressful job of understanding the psychology behind suicidal feelings and behavior and then working with patients who are experiencing those feelings to come up with a solution that can help them overcome those feelings. They try to add more positive therapy so patients can find self-worth and happiness. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
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Transformational Counselor |
Transformational counselors use alternative forms of healing, counseling, and therapy with a focus on mental and physical healing by getting in touch with your spiritual side. They combine traditional psychology knowledge and deeper understanding of spirituality to help patients find contentment and satisfaction. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
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Veterans Counselor |
Veterans’ counselors are responsible for working with the millions of war veterans to help them treat their range of physical, emotional, mental, and social problems. They are familiar with the psychological effect of war and they help patients understand their issues and then help them treat and cope with those issues through counseling and therapy. | Doctoral or Professional Degree |
