Counseling occupational outlook handbook

Still others help elderly people adapt to disabilities developed later in life from illness or injury. Some rehabilitation counselors deal specifically with employment issues. These counselors, sometimes called vocational rehabilitation counselors , typically work with older students and adults. Rehabilitation counselors held about , jobs in The largest employers of rehabilitation counselors were as follows:.

These programs typically include a period of supervised clinical experience, such as an internship. Licensing requirements for rehabilitation counselors differ by state and by type of services provided. Rehabilitation counselors who provide counseling services to clients and patients must attain a counselor license through their state licensing board. Rehabilitation counselors who provide other services, however, may be exempt from state licensing requirements. For example, rehabilitation counselors who provide only vocational rehabilitation services or job placement assistance may not need a license.

In addition, counselors must pass a state-recognized exam. To maintain their license, counselors must complete annual continuing education credits. Applicants should contact their state licensing board for information on which services or counseling positions require licensure.

Contact information for these state licensing boards can be found through the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. Some employers prefer or require rehabilitation counselors to be certified. Applicants must meet advanced education, work experience, and clinical supervision requirements and pass a test.

Certification must be renewed every 5 years. Counselors must complete continuing education requirements or pass a reexamination to renew their certification. Communication skills. Rehabilitation counselors need to be able to communicate effectively with clients. They must express ideas and information in a way that is easy to understand. Rehabilitation counselors often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations.

They must be compassionate and empathize with their clients. Critical-thinking skills. Interpersonal skills. Rehabilitation counselors must be able to work with different types of people. They spend most of their time working directly with clients, families, employers, or other professionals.

They must be able to develop and maintain good working relationships. Listening skills. Good listening skills are essential for rehabilitation counselors. Rehabilitation counselors must have patience to help clients learn new skills and strategies to address their disabilities.

Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U. Source: U. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. In May , the median annual wages for rehabilitation counselors in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program. Demand for rehabilitation counselors is expected to grow with the increase in the elderly population and with the continued rehabilitation needs of other groups, such as veterans and people with disabilities. Older adults are more likely than other age groups to become disabled or injured.

Rehabilitation counselors will be needed to help the elderly learn to adapt to any new limitations and learn strategies to live independently. In addition, there will be a continued need for rehabilitation counselors to work with veterans who were disabled during their military service.

They will also be needed to work with other groups, such as people who have learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, or substance abuse problems.

These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link s below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area. All state projections data are available at www. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. The American Board of Professional Psychology awards specialty certification in 15 areas of psychology, such as clinical health psychology, couple and family psychology, and rehabilitation psychology.

The American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology offers certification in neuropsychology. Board certification can demonstrate professional expertise in a specialty area. Certification is not required for most psychologists, but some hospitals and clinics do require certification. In those cases, candidates must have a doctoral degree in psychology, a state license or certification, and any additional criteria required by the specialty field. Most prospective psychologists must have pre- or postdoctoral supervised experience, including an internship.

Internships allow students to gain experience in an applied setting. Candidates must complete an internship before they can qualify for state licensure. The required number of hours of the internship varies by state. Analytical skills. Psychologists must examine the information they collect and draw logical conclusions. Communication skills.

Psychologists must have strong communication skills because they spend much of their time listening to and speaking with patients or describing their research. Interpersonal skills. Psychologists study and help individuals, so they must be able to work well with clients, patients, and other professionals. Observational skills. Psychologists study attitude and behavior. They must understand the possible meanings of facial expressions, body positions, actions, and interactions.

Psychologists must demonstrate patience, because conducting research or treating patients may take a long time. Problem-solving skills. Psychologists need problem-solving skills to collect information, design research, evaluate programs, and find treatments or solutions to mental and behavioral problems.

Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U. Source: U. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. In May , the median annual wages for psychologists in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:. Those employed in hospitals or other healthcare facilities also may have evening or weekend shifts.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program. Employment of clinical, counseling, and school psychologists is projected to grow due to demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals, mental health centers, and social service agencies.

Demand for clinical and counseling psychologists will increase as more people turn to psychologists for help with their problems. Employment of school psychologists will continue to grow because of an increased awareness of the connection between mental health and learning. These workers also will be needed to help students whose educational, behavioral, or developmental issues impact their ability to learn.

Organizations will continue to use industrial—organizational psychologists to help select and retain employees, implement trainings, increase organizational productivity and efficiency, handle employee conflicts, and improve office morale. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.

The link s below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area. All state projections data are available at www. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area.

There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of psychologists. Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service.

Marriage and family therapists help people manage and overcome problems with family and other relationships. Postsecondary teachers instruct students in a variety of academic subjects beyond the high school level. School counselors help students develop academic and social skills. Career counselors and advisors help people choose a path to employment.

Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors provide treatment and advise people who suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction, or other mental or behavioral problems. Training and development specialists plan and administer programs that improve the skills and knowledge of their employees.

American Psychological Association. National Association of School Psychologists. Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards. American Board of Professional Psychology. Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. American Board of Professional Neuropsychology. Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists. Industrial-Organizational Psychologists. Clinical Neuropsychologists. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists. Psychologists, All Other. School Psychologists.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. Last Modified Date: Wednesday, October 20, The What They Do tab describes the typical duties and responsibilities of workers in the occupation, including what tools and equipment they use and how closely they are supervised. Even though the underlying mission of the counseling profession is the same, the fact that there are so many different types of counselors — ranging from school counselors to couples and family counselors to addictions counselors — makes it necessary to provide clarification for those interested in learning more about the vast career opportunities within counseling.

BLS has published the Occupational Outlook Handbook , recognized as one of the top publications for career information, for more than 60 years. The handbook, which is coupled with the Career Guide to Industries , provides readers with information about working conditions, necessary training and education, potential earnings, occupational outlook and employment projections for hundreds of specific occupations.

Both the Occupational Outlook Handbook and the Career Guide to Industries are released biennially, with the handbook being available online at the BLS website since Colleen Teixeira Moffat, an economist and occupational analyst in the BLS Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, says counselors should notice a change in the content related to their profession in the handbook. I can jump right to counselor education without having to read about rehabilitation counselors.

The four profiles will cover 1 addictions counselors, 2 mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists, 3 rehabilitation counselors and 4 school and career counselors. Moffat says dedicating more space to each type of counselor also allows for differences between the specialties to be explained in greater detail.