What Can You Do With a Master's Degree in Counseling?

March 12th, 2019

By Katelyn Elrod

Everyone desires a career that makes them feel fulfilled, and many feel the most fulfilled when they are able to help others. Though many careers offer opportunities to help others, a career in counseling specifically allows you to help other people become the best versions of themselves. A master’s degree in counseling opens up a world of possibilities, qualifying you for a number of rewarding positions. Here are seven types of places you can find employment with a master’s in counseling:

Mental Health Facilities and Agencies

Mental health facilities typically offer both inpatient and outpatient care to those seeking treatment for issues related to mental health problems, behavioral issues, and substance abuse. Mental health facilities hire those with a master’s degree in counseling to fill a variety of positions.

With an M.S. in counseling, one could be hired as a therapist, tasked with providing psychotherapy for individuals, groups, and families. Many therapists are hired according to the specialty of their degree, so they are able to counsel individuals within their specific areas of interest and expertise. Also, someone with a master’s in counseling could work as an intake specialist. An intake specialist is responsible for assessing patients to determine their needs before they enter into a program. Mental health facilities also need individuals to coordinate the care of patients, ensuring that each patient’s plan is being adequately implemented and that each patient is receiving the support he or she needs.

Hospitals

Hospitals, especially hospitals with mental health units, often offer employment opportunities to those with a master’s in counseling. Hospitals hire counselors to fill many of the same roles that counselors fill in mental health facilities.

Counselors may provide therapy to patients in a mental health wing, conduct interviews with patients and families, assess patients for intake, and do a variety of other tasks. Intake assessors often work in emergency and medical units, and they may be in charge of documenting a patient’s disposition and determining a patient’s risk of suicide, self-harm, or violence. Hospitals also hire case managers to develop case management plans and coordinate with caregivers and patients. In educational hospitals, a counseling professional often assists in training students, new therapists, and interns.

Schools

Individuals with master’s degrees in counseling are hired in the education system to provide a number of services to students at every level of education.

At a high school, a counselor has the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with students and advocate for them. High school counselors spend a lot of time helping students make life-altering decisions, such as what job to begin or which university to attend after graduation. In addition to guiding students in their choices regarding the future, counselors also often have the opportunity to walk with students through common teenage struggles, such as anxiety and bullying.

In elementary schools and middle schools, counselors form relationships with students, but they also work to identify developmental issues, special needs, strengths, and weaknesses in students early on. Counselors in middle schools and elementary schools typically work with teachers and parents to best determine and meet the needs of students. In addition, a counselor at this level helps create plans of action for students with behavioral issues and helps students through difficult situations.

Correctional Facilities

In correctional facilities, counselors play an integral role in helping inmates work through problems and prepare to reenter society. Counseling is vital in prisons, as it functions not to punish individuals for their decisions but to help them get on the right path.

A counselor in a correctional facility is often responsible for providing therapy for both groups and individuals, creating treatment plans, holding educational seminars and trainings, and coordinating activities conducive to the well-being of those in the facility. Also, counselors in prisons are crucial in preparing individuals to rejoin society upon release. Those who have specifically studied substance abuse counseling can put their special training to use by conducting educational classes about addiction, creating rehabilitation plans, and holding group and individual therapy sessions that specifically concern substance abuse.

Rehabilitation Centers

Many individuals with master’s degrees in counseling find careers in rehabilitation centers, where counselors aid in treating those who struggle with addiction. An emphasis in substance abuse counseling is typically required.

Addiction counselors may offer individual and group counseling, give therapeutic interventions, assist with relationship and social problems, make referrals, and act as liaisons between patients and medical staff. Counselors are integral in guaranteeing that patients feel understood and connected to others during their stay. In many rehabilitation centers, those with master’s degrees in counseling are hired to direct or coordinate patient care. They may be in charge of supervising counseling staff, overseeing activities, and ensuring that staff members adhere to policy.

Private Practice

For many with master’s degrees in counseling, running a private practice is the end goal. Though it is difficult to begin a private practice right after obtaining one’s degree, it is an attainable goal for a counselor who has had some experience and made connections along the way.

In a private practice, a counselor has control over his or her schedule and can focus on a specific area of counseling. Counselors who operate private practices often focus on specific areas such as family and marriage, substance abuse, grief, and mental health. Running a private practice is a suitable option for one who wishes to exercise control over his or her career, but it is integral for a counselor to conduct extensive research before endeavoring to begin one.

Religious Institutions

Many large religious institutions and churches hire licensed counselors to offer services to their congregations. Churches often specifically look to employ counselors whose master’s degree curriculum included Biblical teachings and a Christian perspective on counseling.

Counselors in churches have the opportunity to combine their area of expertise, such as mental health or family counseling, with their faith to apply Christianity to therapy. A church may hire a counselor to provide therapy to members of the congregation or develop sophisticated programs that address specific issues, such as substance abuse, family and marital problems, and grief. It is important to keep in mind that even churches that do not hire counselors to be on staff often choose a few counselors to whom they refer congregation members.

Mid-America Christian University offers four affordable and flexible programs for those seeking a Master of Science in Counseling. Students may choose an emphasis in Addiction and Substance Abuse, Applied Behavioral Science, Clinical Mental Health, or Marital, Couples and Family Counseling/Therapy. Students can take classes 100% online, meet for class in-person once a week, or do a mixture of both. Click here for more information.