Some careers offer a limited number of paths and opportunities after a person graduates. The good news is that counseling isn't one of those careers. Consultants can work in agencies, community health centers, or hospitals. You can start a private practice. You can run a clinic. You can work in or with schools. You can teach or do consultancy work. You can do a doctorate and switch to consultant training. You can seek license and specialty certifications. They can even use the skills they have developed to work in positions outside of the field.
The bad news is that these myriad options can leave many consultants feeling overwhelmed and unsure about their next professional steps. What follows are a dozen frequently asked questions aspiring consultants (and occasionally even established consultants) ask about possible career paths. The insights offered by various members of the American Counseling Association from different backgrounds can serve as a guide in deciding which path might be right for you.
Where do I even start with so many options?
Start with the end. To put career goals in perspective, Norm Dasenbrook, a Licensed Clinical Consultant (LCPC) and owner of Dasenbrook & Johnson's private practice in Rockford, Illinois, and Dasenbrook Consulting, recommends that consultants ask themselves, “Where to do? I want to end in the end "Or, as he sometimes puts it:" What do I want on my tombstone? "
Do prospective consultants ultimately want to teach or do research? Do you want to treat customers? Do you want to have your own practice? These questions can help people figure out their priorities and find their own path to that long-term goal, he explains.
Shannon Hodges, professor of clinical counseling in mental health at Niagara University in New York, says that setting a long-term goal and considering the steps required requires self-reflection on the part of the counselor: what is their real one Passion? Do you want to become a professor, run a clinic, work in an agency, be a consultant or open your own practice? Beyond that, what do you know about the responsibilities associated with this career path? What steps are required to make this career possible?
LeTea Perry, LCPC at Bridges Wellness Group, a counseling practice with offices in Washington, DC and Hyattsville, Maryland, recommends that counselors first identify what is important to them. Does it bother you to work in the evening or on the weekend? What are your personal obligations? Do you enjoy doing research, teaching, consulting or public speaking? Do you enjoy working with clients? If so, which sections of the population would you like to work with? Would you like to open a consulting office in several locations? Do you want to become known as experts in a certain field of knowledge?
Regardless of how consultants answer these questions, it is important that they choose a path that makes them happy both personally and professionally, Perry adds.
How can I find out more about my career opportunities?
Hodges, a licensed mental health advisor and licensed clinical supervisor, advises counselors to interview others in the field to learn more about the responsibilities and realities associated with a particular job. Running a clinic or becoming a professor may sound like a great idea, but unless you talk to others who actually do the job, you really don't know if it is a good fit for you and your lifestyle, he says. For example, Hodges notes that advising students who say they want to become professors has often failed to speak to faculty members about what is involved in that role. Many of these students do not realize that professors often receive more funding for their research and writing. It's not just about their teaching skills.
Judith Wambui Preston, a licensed professional counselor and owner of Centered Counseling Services, a private practice in Chesapeake, Virginia, says that leadership in this profession can be great careers. For example, a counseling student might contact the director of a mental health agency and ask how that person ended up in this position and what they do on a daily basis.
Mentoring offers consultants another opportunity to find out about career opportunities. Perry emphasizes the importance of finding good mentors because beginning counselors don't know what they don't know. In their experience, professionals are usually ready and even excited to share their backgrounds and wisdom. But beginning consultants need to take the initiative and ask.
Counselors should also seek to deal with local and national professional bodies where they are more likely to find mentors and other professionals who have done what they want to do. Perry says most of her career opportunities stem from connections she made as a member of the Maryland Counseling Association and the ACA, as well as a graduate of Bowie State University and Argosy University.
Dasenbrook, a past president of the Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association, agrees that joining a professional association is worth the money. Twenty years ago, at a conference, a colleague asked if Dasenbrook, based on his experience, would hold a workshop on starting a private practice. Today Dasenbrook is presenting this workshop at both state and national levels. He advises counselors to engage with their professional associations by volunteering for a committee or volunteering for their annual conferences.
Supervisors also act as career support, notes Preston. "The supervisor is the bridge between completing a master's degree and entering the world of licensing," she says. Several managers have guided her through her career journey, and now she again serves as a bridge for new professionals.
Should I get a job if I don't know what I want to do yet?
Yes. Often times, when you gain hands-on experience, you can find out what you want to do.
Community mental health centers and government funded or government funded agencies are great places to learn more about the type of client populations and diagnoses you want to work with, says Dasenbrook, author of After 40 Years in Therapy, What Have I . Learned? and the full guide to private practice advice.
Perry recommends that counselors create a career list and select three counseling channels that sound interesting to them. "You never know what you like or what your superpower is until you try it," she says.
During her Masters studies, Perry worked as a case manager in a group home with clients with severe mental disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. To make a more informed decision about her career path, she decided to work with other populations before deciding between mental health and school counseling. So she volunteered as a Boy Scout troop leader in a homeless shelter in Washington, DC. The children at the shelter were the members of their troop, and this point of sale allowed the girls to have fun and engage with each other. After Perry got tired of work and school, she was excited to see this group of girls. Then she realized that she wanted to work with children. She was a school counselor in southern Maryland for more than a decade.
As you try different jobs, "you find the populations to work with," says Perry. "You will see how much [money] you can earn with it and whether you want to get further certified to move up the ranks."
What can I do with a master's in counseling?
Many graduate counseling students come from undergraduate psychology programs and assume they need to do a PhD in order to have a successful career in the counseling profession, but that's not the case, says Hodges. To reinforce this point with his students, he shows them that master's advisory students at his university have a placement rate of 100% and only about 10% do a doctorate. Unless a student wants to become a full-time professor, they don't need to do a PhD, adds Hodges, who has authored several publications including The Professional Counselor: Challenges and Opportunities and The Counseling Practicum and Internship Manual: A. Resource for Graduate Counseling Students.
Of course, this does not mean that the path from a master’s degree to a consultant license is easy, stresses Preston. In fact, it is often a long and costly process. In Virginia, where Preston practices, counselors are required to accumulate 3,400 supervised hours before they can take their exams and obtain a license.
But consultants working towards a license still have many career opportunities. You can work in mental health facilities, community mental health facilities, detox faculties, hospitals, residential facilities (e.g., psychiatric inpatient facilities), correctional facilities, schools, and university counseling centers, Preston says. You can also find jobs that pay them to supervise, she adds.
“The great thing about a training program like consulting is that the skills go well beyond the job,” emphasizes Hodges. He has had several undergraduates who have used their counseling skills in professions outside of the field. For example, one student decided that counseling wasn't for her and so she became a professional trainer. Another former student was assistant director of human resources at a university, using counseling skills to handle sexual harassment claims, mediate disputes, and speak to dismissed employees.
Hodges noted that many colleagues who work in student affairs (e.g. dormitory, student dean's office, student activities) also have counseling degrees. "At a time of severe mental health problems among college students, a counseling background is very helpful," he adds.
Dasenbrook found a niche where counseling skills such as "I" language, reflective listening and empathy for business and industry were applied. For example, he has coached highly technical people who lacked the communication and people skills needed in their positions as directors or supervisors.
What are the advantages and challenges of a doctorate?
After Perry finished her Masters in School Counseling, she got a job in a school system. That same year, she received notification that she might lose her job due to budget cuts.
She was upset and angry because she thought a job in public education was safe.
It took Perry a day to cry about it, and then she made a plan never to be in that situation again. She decided to return to school and do her PhD to improve her versatility and stability, and to have more control over her future earning potential. Her doctorate opened up more opportunities for her, she says. She teaches as a complement to a counseling program, works in a clinical practice and offers training on social-emotional intelligence, ethics and other counseling topics for community organizations and universities. The knowledge and experience she gained during her PhD program also enabled her to make more money.
Hodges admits that a doctorate can open up more employment opportunities, but consultants should weigh the benefits against the costs first, he says. These costs can be high and include several additional years in graduate school and a large financial commitment.
When someone is considering a doctorate, Hodges advises them to seriously consider the following questions: Will a doctorate help you to achieve your professional vision? Do you have a support system (e.g. family, friends, an active self-care plan) to assist you with this persecution? What is the value of the doctorate? What is the return on investment? Given the high cost of education, manageable debt is one of the first things people need to consider, he adds.
Perry recommends that counselors find out their motivation – their "why" – before investing time and money in the doctorate. For them, this “why” boiled down to anger, fear, and insecurity beyond the possibility of losing their job through budget cuts and a desire to diversify their career options.
For Preston the decision to do a doctorate was a long time coming. She had entertained the idea more than once over the years, but the timing never felt right. Her children were young or she was busy with her own clinical practice. After taking out school loans for her Masters degree, she made a promise to herself that she would only get a PhD if she had financial help. (For more information on Preston's career choices after graduation, see her post on Julius Austin and Jude Austin's Surviving and Thriving in Your Counseling Program, published by ACA.)
Now, 15 years after graduating, Preston says the time is finally right for her. She has just completed her first year as a graduate student in the advisory training and supervision program at Old Dominion University in Virginia – on a scholarship.
What if I want to teach but not do research?
There are ways to teach without having to research and publish. One possibility is to teach as a complement. Larger universities often require more research and publications, while additional faculty and some faculty positions at community colleges do not.
Conducting workshops is another way of teaching others. Dasenbrook always wanted to teach, but since he didn't have a PhD, he knew it would be difficult for him to do so at a major university. Instead, he discovered that he could teach other consulting professionals how to improve their own skills and business through workshops. He has taught mediation skills for business and industry and now teaches workshops on how to start and build successful private practices.
Hodges noted that some universities are recruiting clinical professors. This is a faculty position that is more focused on teaching and supervision. One of his colleagues at Niagara University was hired to oversee clinical internships and teach part-time. She was drawn to this position because she doesn't feel like doing any research. Hodges predicts there will be more options for clinical faculties in other university counseling programs in the future.
Should I gain work experience before or during my doctoral program?
Preston thinks it is useful to have clinical experience before doing a PhD. "When a professor talks about a theory or technique in class, you come in with a different lens. You know what this professor is talking about … because you've actually experienced it," she explains.
Switching directly from a master's to a doctoral program is also beneficial, especially because it can be difficult to adapt to academic life after leaving the course, she adds.
When Hodges was in graduate school, he wanted to gain as much practical experience as possible. He completed internships and at the same time worked in agencies and career centers. It also took him two years after earning his Masters in Consulting to work on-site. When he started his PhD program, he worked part-time for an agency during the school year and full-time during the summer.
This experience enables him to speak from a real knowledge base when teaching, not just from a theoretical one. Students appreciate the practical examples he provides, he says.
Some of Hodges' students have also decided to work in counseling for a few years before returning to school to do their PhD. They say these experiences can help counselors determine if a PhD is the way to go.
Hodges thinks this is a good plan. He often advises students who are unsure if they want a PhD to get a job in a clinic and get a license first. Then they can teach part-time in a counseling program and decide what the next steps should be for their career.
Do I need practical experience as a teacher?
"Academics [often] have very little professional practice because they tend to be separate careers," Hodges emphasizes. "But having several years of direct service or maybe even running programs is really an advantage because you understand practical, everyday problems."
Dasenbrook believes that consultant educators should be licensed in the field they teach, and Preston says that some universities prefer to hire licensed educators. The hands-on experience in the settings they are teaching enables educators to discuss real-world examples, which will benefit students who wish to become clinical advisors
she adds .
Licensing also offers counseling educators more diverse career opportunities, Preston continues. Even with a doctorate degree, you need a license to practice independently. Otherwise, they can only see customers under supervision, she emphasizes.
Of course, practical experience is not required to make someone a better professor. Preston says she has had many professors with no clinical experience who have been wonderful teachers because they found other ways to expand their clinical knowledge, such as interviewing on-site clinicians and attending training and conferences regularly.
How do I balance being both a clinician and an educator?
Trying to juggle multiple professional roles at the same time can be a challenge. For their own well-being, counselors need to set boundaries, and when they have too much on their plate they need to be willing to let go, says Perry.
Consultants should take on new projects in small doses so as not to overwhelm themselves, Perry continues. For example, if a clinician works full-time in an agency, they can only teach one class on the side, or a full-time professor can only hire a limited number of clients to see how it goes.
While working in multiple roles undoubtedly broadens the potential for increasing a counselor's income, experience and expertise, counselors should consider the possibility of a learning curve for each new role or project, she adds.
Hodges knows the struggle to take on too many roles at the same time. During his PhD program he was a teaching assistant for both the psychology and counseling departments. He also worked part-time in an off-campus agency. This schedule didn't give him a day off and pushed him to burnout, so that he eventually had to quit one of his jobs.
“Part of the reason [counseling] exists is to help people lead balanced, healthy, and rewarding lives. We have to make sure we do that ourselves, ”says Hodges.
At another point in his career he found that he was not achieving this goal. He drove an hour at a time to work in an agency he loved while teaching, writing, researching, and working on journal boards. So he made the decision to adjust his career plan. He stopped working for the agency and focused his energies on researching, writing and making international business trips to Africa and remote parts of Australia during the summer when he was not teaching.
What non-clinical skills do I need as a psychiatrist?
When Hodges was on his Masters course, an alumnus came to talk to his class about careers. The man asked her, "Who would like to be a consultant?" Hodges recalls that all 30 hands rose.
Then the man asked: "Who would like to become an administrator?" Only five students raised their hands, but the alumnus predicted that five years from now, most of the class would be administrators.
In Hodges' case, this prediction came true. During his career, he was director of a university counseling center and clinical director of a county mental health clinic.
After some clinical experience, consultants often climb the career ladder in management and administrative positions. At this point, "Your management experience begins to actually replace your clinical experience," says Hodges. In these positions, counselors can negotiate with unions and outside agencies such as family services, prisons or hospitals. And they often need to interact with vice presidents and CEOs of organizations.
While running a clinic in rural east Oregon, Hodges had to interact with the state hospital, testify in court, treat frustrated county MPs, monitor prison contracts, and deal with a counselor who had an improper relationship with an inmate. Such administrative skills aren't covered in most counselor training programs, says Hodges, so he had to learn them the hard way – on the job.
Hodges is grateful for a manager who pushed him to develop these skills by raising hypothetical situations. At one point, the supervisor asked Hodges to write a correction plan for dealing with a therapist who was not doing a good job at work. The exercise forced Hodges to consider how he would help the employee improve their job performance, how much time he would give the employee to get better, and what reasons he would recommend to keep or fire her.
Is private practice a viable option? How do I learn the business side of it?
"There is this urban myth in many counseling programs that you cannot manage in private practice," says Dasenbrook, who, together with Robert Walsh, set up the ACA private practice initiative many years ago. "But if you're good at what you're doing and can get out of there, you'll do well."
Consultants have the clinical skills required to open a private practice, he stresses. The problem often lies in the business aspect – marketing and billing, for example. Dasenbrook advises finding a mentor and learning the business side of a practice. This mentor doesn't have to be another advisor. You can just be someone who's started your own business, he says.
Workshops, training, and college classes are also great ways to learn these skills. As a college student, Perry focused on business, but if she did it again she would be doing a minor or double degree in business and a subject related to counseling.
“Business majors have a personality and mindset that consultants can acquire,” she says. “We are by nature the helping profession and giver, but we also have to be business-minded. It is important for us to brand ourselves and look at things from a business perspective in order to effectively monetize our gifts and talents. "
What is the probability that my career plans will change?
Be prepared for career plans to change. Often times, counseling students start graduate school with preset plans, according to Hodges. He once had a college student who said she would never work in addiction. When her first choice for internship didn't work, she had to create a backup plan – a substance use treatment facility. In the end, she loved the job so much that she continued to work with the agency after completing her master's degree.
"Perhaps tolerance of ambiguity is a real career good," notes Hodges. "You never really know how you will feel about a job or a career until you accept it."
Dasenbrook's own career journey has taken several turns. He dreamed of opening a sex therapy clinic after graduation. While working in a community psychiatric center, he put together a small team – a counselor, a psychologist, a gynecologist, and a neurologist – and made his dream come true. Since there was not much demand for sex therapy in Rockford, Illinois at the time, the practice lasted only six months.
Although this career path did not go as Dasenbrook had envisioned, he established professional connections through the company and the other doctors began referring clients to him.
"You never end up where you start," emphasizes Dasenbrook. For this reason, he advises advisors to be “open to possibilities, open to something new”.
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Related reading from the archive of Counseling Today (2017): "A Well Chosen Way"
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Lindsey Phillips is the author of Counseling Today and UX content strategist. Contact them at [email protected] or through their website at lindseynphillips.com.
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It should not be assumed that opinions or statements in articles appearing on CT Online represent the opinions of the editors or guidelines of the American Counseling Association.
