In the United States, counselors assist their clients with personal, family, educational, mental health, and career decisions and problems through consultation, evaluation, therapeutic techniques, teaching, and research. Counselors work in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions, health care facilities, counseling agencies, and in private practice. 

Formal education is necessary to become a licensed counselor in the United States. Degrees are offered at the master’s and Ph.D. levels through departments of education or psychology. While counselor education programs are not commonly offered at the undergraduate level, interested students may wish to take basic psychology courses and gain practical experience through volunteer or internship positions.

Graduate Education

At the master’s degree level, students specialize in fields of study ranging from elementary or secondary school counseling, college student affairs, education, gerontological counseling, marriage and family counseling, substance abuse counseling, rehabilitation counseling (which involves work with individuals with disabilities), agency or community counseling, clinical mental health counseling, counseling psychology, career counseling, and related fields.

A typical master’s program consists of forty-eight to sixty hours of coursework in eight core areas: human growth and development, social and cultural diversity, relationships, groupwork, career development, assessment, research and program evaluation, and professional identity. Students also complete 600 hours of supervised clinical experience in counseling.

The Education Specialist credential (Ed.S.) provides additional training in individual, group, and family counseling beyond the master’s degree level. These programs are often offered through departments of education.

The Ph.D. in counseling prepares students for leadership roles in advanced clinical practice, mental health care administration, counseling research, and counseling supervision.

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) grants accreditation status to institutions offering programs in counselor education at the master’s, Ed.S., or doctoral levels. Accredited programs can be found listed on the CACREP Web site at http://www.cacrep.org/directory.html.

Graduate programs in rehabilitation counseling, which prepare counselors to assist individuals with disabilities, are accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) and can be found at http://www.core-rehab.org. CORE also recognizes undergraduate programs in rehabilitation and disability studies.