How Many Years Does it Take to Become a Counselor?
The short answer to the question "How long does it take to become a counselor?" is "It depends." In this article, we will explore the longer answer to that question and look at the path to becoming a counselor in more depth.
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What Should I Study as an Undergrad?
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If you are fortunate enough to know that you want to pursue a counseling career early in life, then a psychology degree is probably the way to go. However, you may have no idea what you want to be when you grow up, even as you enter college. Most degree plans will provide an adequate educational background to pursue master's degree level studies. If you didn't have any psychology coursework as an undergraduate, you may have to go back and do some leveling coursework. This will be at the discretion of the program you apply to, so check on their requirements. Depending on the program, you may need as many as 18 hours of psychology coursework before you can be admitted to a master's program.
Yes, You Have to Go to Graduate School!
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To become a practicing counselor (and let me make something clear at this point--this applies to pursuing a career in mental health counseling as well as school counseling), you must have, at a minimum, a master's degree in a related field (such as counseling or social work). Some go on to pursue an education at the Ph.D. level in order to become a psychologist, or to medical school to become a psychiatrist and be able to not only counsel but to also prescribe medication. But to become a licensed counselor, you only need a master's degree.
Again, check with the graduate schools that you are interested in attending to find out what admission requirements they have in regards to undergraduate GPA and entrance exams. Most schools will require a certain score on the graduate record exam.
Once you have applied to and been accepted at your chosen school, you likely will spend from two to three years working toward your degree. How long it takes to complete the program will depend on a variety of factors including the requirements of the program, whether you are a full or part-time student, and if you go year-round or take a break over summer.
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Once I Get My Master's Degree I'm Done, Right?
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Not by a long shot! Included in your degree program will be a preset number of internship hours. This work will be overseen by your academic supervisor. Once the requirements for your degree have been achieved you will still need approximately two years of clinical experience before you can be licensed. Be sure to check with the state you wish to practice in to ensure that you are meeting the state's requirements. If you're savvy, you can find a way to get paid while doing these clinical hours, but you will still be under the supervision of a licensed professional and you will not make the salary that you can make when you are licensed.
Licensure
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Once you have your master's degree in hand and your clinical hours under your belt, you will be ready to sit for your licensure exam. This will take some study and preparation time (how much really depends on you). The format and difficulty of the test (as well as the cost) will be dependent on the state in which you are seeking your licensure. Usually, if you have received a quality education and applied yourself to your studies, you will be prepared for and do well on the exam. But don't take that for granted. Make sure you are as prepared as possible so that all the years of hard work you have put in will pay off.
The Bottom Line
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If you do not need to go back and do any leveling, and if you apply yourself to your goal, you can be a practicing counselor in four to five years. The road is not easy, but the rewards are tremendous and the need for quality counseling, in both the educational and mental health fields, is consistent and projected to grow.
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man do I look like my dad.
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