You hold a degree in psychology, social work, human services, or a related field. Congratulations! But how do you get from graduation day to a successful career in counseling?

We’ve laid out the roadmap below. Learn how job shadowing, a master’s degree, licensure, and a lifetime of connections will put you on the right career path.

Job Shadowing

You have your bachelor’s degree, but you still have some decisions to make. Inform those choices with a few days of job shadowing.

The purpose of job shadowing is to introduce you to what a counseling career is really like. What are the day-to-day tasks and routines? What type of environment will you work in? Shadowing will answer these questions firsthand.

Job shadowing is also an excellent opportunity to learn from an expert. You can see the techniques you’ve learned in action. You may even pick up some pointers that were hard-won from experience alone.

Finally, shadowing can help you decide what sort of counseling you would like to specialize in. You can spend time with a veteran of psychiatric counseling, a school counselor, and a social worker, for example, to get a well-rounded outlook of the field. You can then choose an area of specialization that will fit your needs and keep you engaged.

Hit the Books, Again

Next, you will need go back to school again so you can obtain a master’s degree in counseling, as this is the minimum education requirement for most counseling jobs. You can choose to attend in person or go for an online degree.

As part of your degree program, you’ll complete a supervised counseling experience, analogous to an educator gaining experience as a student teacher or a doctor completing a residency. This involves working with real clients under the watchful eye of a licensed professional. Typically, at least 1,500 supervised experience hours are required.

Get Your License

After you’ve graduated with a master’s degree, the next step is to obtain a counseling license. Licensure procedures vary from state to state, but generally speaking, you’ll need to pass a national counseling exam and then complete a state application.

National exams sponsored by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) include the National Counselor Examination (NCE) and the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). Some states require that you pass both examinations prior to licensure.

Licensure types include Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and LPC with a Mental Health Services Provider designation (LPC/MHSP). Once licensed by the state, you’ll be in a position to obtain employment with an existing organization or open an independent practice.

In most places, you will need to gain continuing education credits on a yearly basis in order to maintain your license. These can be done in-person or online.

Keep Connecting

Now, you’ll start to make important connections by applying to open counseling positions and, once hired, getting to know your new boss, fellow staff, and clients. You can look for job openings online or ask for referrals from those in your professional network. As with virtually every career path, a strong professional network is valuable to counselors.

LinkedIn makes it easy to connect and keep up with colleagues and instructors whom you already know – fellow former students, professors, and those who you job shadowed, for instance. You can also network with other professionals in your field and community and industry events, seminars, conferences, and continuing education courses.

Another option is volunteering with support organizations such as crisis hotlines or mental health agencies in your local community. You will meet other professionals and gain experience in dealing with a variety of situations.

You can also strive to meet and interact with people from various backgrounds, be they from your community or across the globe. This will help you to cultivate deeper empathy. “Groundtruthing” can also help you to find out the “truth about people and places in order to debunk misinformed opinions.” This will help you to be even more effective at your job.

At some point in your career, you may choose to teach counseling at the university level or even get involved with counseling research.

Finally, stay up-to-date with industry trends. Pick a counseling journal that is relevant to your circumstances and read each issue. Attend expert seminars and conferences. Cultivate curiosity as a lifelong learner.

Key Takeaways

Generally, a counseling career requires a bachelor’s degree in the social sciences as well as a master’s degree in counseling. You will then need to meet national and state requirements to obtain and maintain your licensure.

But that is by no means the end of your exciting story. You have a lot to learn through hands-on experience, continuing education, networking with other professionals, and getting to know people from diverse backgrounds.

Follow this roadmap and start your counseling career journey today.