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Human Services Degrees: Help Your Community
April 24, 2007
by Francine L. Huff
Business Programs Columnist
Do you have a desire to help improve the lives of the people in your community? Getting a counseling degree can help you get started in a challenging and rewarding career in human services, which is a broad field that includes counselors, social workers, psychologists, and corrections workers.
Counseling School Offers Many Career Tracks
Many human services programs have concentrations that allow you to earn a counseling degree. Generally you'll need at least a bachelor's counseling degree to get entry level jobs, but many organizations will require a master's or Ph.D. degree. Attending counseling school online or on campus will help you get specialized training to work with people in a variety of settings, such as substance abuse programs, homeless shelters, residential care, and employment services. Also expect to get on-the-job training once you begin working in this field.
Jobs in Family Counseling
Counseling school can help you decide if you want to focus on marriage counseling, family counseling, or even grief counseling. For many family counselors may include all of the above. However, not all counselors work in social service agencies. Counseling school can also prepare you to work in educational, medical, and corporate settings. Churches also need people who are trained in Christian counseling.
Challenges of Counseling
Working as a counselor can be challenging and counseling school can help prepare you for some of the more difficult issues you may face. Counselors must learn to set appropriate boundaries between themselves and the people they help, as well as deal with people who have different lifestyles and values. Also, change takes time, so it's important to be patient and persistent, especially when dealing with some government agencies.
Counseling school can prepare you for jobs in a variety of organizations. The job outlook for people who hold counseling degrees is expected to remain strong, as demand continues to grow for school, vocational, career, and drug-treatment counselors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Sources
About the Author
Francine L. Huff is a freelance journalist and the author of The 25-Day Money Makeover for Women. She has appeared on a variety of TV and radio shows.
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