Student considering Masters in Counseling..advice??

Hello, everyone..

I am changing careers. I really wanted to do information technology but I could not do the programming..not for lack of trying! I am going to have to drop before I get kicked out! Sad but true. I put all I had into it. Got no help from my professors. And, it never made sense..

I have a genuine interest in psychology. I have found several masters degrees that lead to licensure as a professional counselor. I also noticed that many universities will allow the student to specialize in a specific area such as addiction, forensic counseling, marriage counseling, etc..

These programs are very involved and require residencies as well as a practicum. Now, I have also been searching salaries. I know it depends on a lot of things. However, I find that a licensed counselor with a masters degree and no experience starts out at 30,000.00 or less a year. I also read somewhere that many counselors are unhappy with the job and that there is a very high burn-out rate. I don't know if any of this is true?

I am miserable in my current profession. I cannot continue in it anymore. I have to go elsewhere with a new degree and a better career.

So?

For those who do this for a living?

Do you like your job?
Would you recommend this field to friends or family who show an interest in it?
What, in your experience is the average salary? Are my internet searches correct?
BTW, I live in the Southeast US..if that helps.
To be a little more specific, I am looking at mental health, addiction, duel diagnosis as it applies to the laws and the legal field.

Any advice you could give would be helpful to me.

thank you
Jeannie

Hi Jeannie,

I'm nearly done with a BA in psychology and have done extensive research on careers in the mental health field, specifically counseling. From what I've learned, no one is recommending it as a career path at this point in time. This is based on things like:

1) Having a MA/MS degree is a minimum requirment and doesn't guarantee employment as a counselor (a PhD will ALWAYS open more doors in the psychology field)
2) State licensure can be difficult to obtain, sometimes requiring two or more years beyond graduate school and transferring from one state to another can require as much as 20-30 additional semester hours
3) The pay is not very high - for example the average annual salary for an addiction counselor is abotu $34k, mental health counselors average in the low $50k's and that would not be a starting salary
4) It seems highly competititve with many people wanting to pursue the same path and having the same credentials

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in your career. I'm still researching my best options. It seems like you really need a doctorate degree to succeed in this field.