The Salary of a Part-Time Counselor With a Master's Degree
Counselors work in a variety of community settings. They work with individuals and families as they work through problems in their lives. They typically specialize in a certain area of counseling, such as mental health or marriage and families. Although counseling job and licensing requirements vary by state and area of counseling, counselors often need a master’s degree to practice privately. They usually also need a master’s degree to work in schools or to practice marriage and family counseling.
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Schools
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States usually require school counselors to have completed a master’s degree. They may also need to be licensed by their states as school counselors. The average hourly wage of a school counselor in the United States as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics was $26.91. Working 2,080 hours full-time per year, a school counselor earned an average of $55,970 per year. For a school counselor working 20 hours per week for a total of 1,040 hours per year, the approximate annual part-time salary would be $27,986.40.
Marriage and Family
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Marriage and family counselors also typically need a master’s degree to practice in most states. The average hourly rate of marriage and family counselors in the United States as of May 2010 was $22.85, according to the BLS. The full-time annual salary was $47,530. Working part-time at 1,040 hours per year instead of the full-time 2,080 hours, the annual part-time salary would be about $23,764.
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Master's Degrees
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Counselors with master’s degrees undergo 48 to 60 hours of graduate study beyond their bachelor’s degrees. In addition to classwork, exams and research papers, students in master’s degree programs must complete a period of clinical training in which supervisors comment on their counseling techniques and style.
Outlook
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Counselors’ job outlooks vary according to areas of specialization. However, overall, the BLS expects job growth to increase by 18 percent, which is faster than average for all occupations. Demand for school counselors, in particular, is expected to grow by 14 percent, but school budget constraints are likely to decrease the number of positions available. As more families seek counseling for marital and familial problems and recognition of the field of marriage and family counselors increases, so will job growth for these types of counselors. The BLS expects job growth to increase by 14 percent in this area of specialization.
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References
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