How to Become a Counsellor

Do you like to help people? Are you the person everyone runs to for advice when they have a problem or find themselves in a jam? If so, you may have a natural ability to bring comfort and peace to troubled lives and may find counselling a rewarding and fulfilling career choice.

Everyone at some point in their life needs help and a counsellor can offer the guidance and support they need to get through and overcome obstacles in their lives. Whether a person is suffering from an addiction, a mental problem, a learning disorder or deficit, loss of a job or career change, marriage problems, loss of a loved one, or just needing someone to talk to on a regular basis a counsellor is there to help. Counselling is a highly regarded career offering consultation, support, therapy, teaching, evaluation and assistance in an effort to help the client understand, cope, grow, and overcome their problems.   

As a counsellor, you may choose to join a company or medical practice in a staff position or choose to open a private practice for yourself. Counselling is a very broad category that covers several different specialties in a large number of sub-fields. Some of the counselling specialties from which you can choose include, addiction counselling, career and stress management, welfare and social work, mental illness, conflict resolution, grief counselling, marriage counselling, or family counselling to name a few. However, if you decide to open a private office, you are self-employed and have the option of working within a specialized field of counselling or accepting patients with various needs, the possibilities are limitless.

One of the larger counselling specialties is family and marriage counselling due to an overwhelming number of problems affecting families today. Couples and families need extra support and help through a vast array of problem areas some of which include infidelity, child behavioral problems, depression, domestic violence, infertility, addictions, emotional difficulties, and so much more.

 Another rather large counselling specialty and quite possibly one of the most challenging is substance abuse. Research shows numbers in the millions of people classified with alcohol and or drug dependency each year. Counsellors who specialize in substance abuse may choose to work in hospitals, halfway houses, welfare agencies, prisons, or drug and alcohol treatment centers.

Programs are available at local colleges and universities as well as online to best suit your budget, lifestyle, and the amount of time you have available to devote to course study. The most common types of programs offered for counsellors include certificate programs, diplomas, advanced diplomas, associate degrees, bachelor degrees, and master’s degrees.

For on campus programs, consult your local community college or university for a list of available courses and curriculum however, if you need more flexibility and freedom in your studies, an excellent online resource offering in home study for counselling is the International Career Institute. What are you waiting for; take steps today toward a fulfilling career as a counsellor by visiting http://www.ici.net.au/counselling-psychology-course