How to Become a Community Counselor
A career as a licensed community counselor can prove to be rewarding. Community counselors are licensed counselors hired by a variety of facilities including hospitals, social service agencies or schools. They work to meet the counseling needs of the surrounding community or the employees of the business for which they work. The number of jobs in counseling is expected to increase by 18 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Instructions
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Obtain a bachelor's degree. You do not have to obtain a bachelor's degree in psychology, but it can be helpful if you do. A bachelor's degree in psychology can help you by providing you with the necessary foundational knowledge needed to work as a counselor.
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Complete a master's degree program in counseling or social work. In most states you need to have at least a master's degree to obtain your license to work as a counselor. Community counselors can choose to specialize in one area of accounting such as mental health counseling, school counseling, social work or even addiction counseling. Choose a specialization that suits your interests and will help you provide adequate counseling services to the community that you intend to help.
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Obtain your license. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the requirements to become a licensed professional counselor (LPC) vary widely from state to state. You will need to visit the website of your state's licensing board. The most common types of requirements for a license include the completion of a master's degree, supervised clinical experience of 3,000 hours or more or two years of experience and passing results on the state licensing exam.
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Obtain certification in your field of specialization. This step is voluntary, but it can set you apart from other applicants in the counseling field who may be applying for the same position you are. You can obtain national certification from the National Board for Certified Counselors, which offers a general counseling certification, but also offers specialized certifications in mental health counseling, school counseling and addiction counseling.
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Apply for open positions for community counselors. The University of Mississippi Medical Center notes that community counselors work in a variety of settings such as mental health clinics, schools, rehabilitation centers, health care facilities, social service agencies, correctional institutions and even halfway houses. Search for as many open positions as you can find and apply to all of them or just the ones that interest you the most.
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