How to Become a Counselor in Florida

Counselors must keep up-to-date with the latest counseling research.

A counselor is a title for a professional who has attended a graduate program in counseling. In the state of Florida, an individual can be licensed as a mental health counselor or certified as a school counselor.

Instructions

1. Earn a bachelor's degree. Although not required, a bachelor's degree in the social sciences or education is helpful.

2. Find a graduate school that offers counseling degrees accredited by the Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), which is a national accreditation organization. Visit Accredited Counseling Programs in Florida to find schools in Florida.

3. Review different areas of concentrations offered by the school. For example, Barry University offers mental health counseling, marital, couple, and family counseling, rehabilitation counseling and school counseling. Determine an area of concentration by shadowing a counselor and volunteering at an agency or shelter.

4. Find out the admission requirements from the graduate school by visiting the school's admissions website. For example, most graduate schools require Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, letters of recommendations, transcripts from previous degrees and an essay outlining goals.

5. Apply to the graduate school. Contact financial aid to see what opportunities are available. Students should be eligible for federal loans such as the Stafford subsidized loan. Few scholarships are available specifically for graduates.

6. Complete an internship while enrolled in the graduate program. Full-time programs take two years including the internship, which takes two semesters. Graduate from the counseling program by taking a comprehensive exam related to the particular concentration, which will be explained during the program by the student's supervisor or academic adviser.

7. Interview for jobs in the particular specialty (e.g., school counselors apply to school districts and mental health counselors apply at hospitals and agencies).

Tips & Warnings

• Internships in counseling are generally unpaid and consume as many hours as a part-time job, so that it might be impossible to work full time.

• Each counseling concentration has its own route to apply for certification or licensure. The graduate school will help counselors through the process of applying to the correct certification and apply for licensure.

• Note that becoming a marriage and family counselor requires different education than does a marriage and family therapist. Both positions have their own accrediting bodies.

References

• Florida Department of Health: Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling Licensure Requirements
• CACREP
• Accredited Counseling Programs in Florida