A mental health counselor is an invaluable position for so many people. In particular, schools are a perfect place for mental health counselors. Many kids are not only experiencing stress related to school assignments but also may need to manage stress from their personal lives at home.
Therapy can change your life, but not everyone has the luxury of affording therapy services. Thankfully, a school mental health counselor usually does not come at an additional cost for children.
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School mental health counselors are in a unique position to help young people who may be experiencing unique mental health struggles and may not have other resources to turn to.
If you are interested in becoming a school mental health counselor, then here is a brief explanation of the schooling required for the position.
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1. Earn a bachelor’s degree
If you plan to become a licensed mental health counselor for schools, then you may consider pursuing a bachelor’s degree with some focus on sociology or psychology. It is not always necessary to get a degree in these fields, but the subjects can give you information that will help with your future clients and job search.
It is also important to take classes that focus on cultural diversity. As a counselor, you may work with children from different cultural and economic backgrounds.
Once you complete your bachelor’s degree, the next step is to prepare your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and personal questions that can help with applying to a graduate program.
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2. Evaluate your strengths for the role
Before you apply for a graduate program, ask yourself if you would enjoy working with people for a living. The two best traits for any counselor are often considered to be patience and flexibility. These may be even more important if you decide to work with children.
The purpose of a school mental health counselor is to always be there for the student, even if the student does not know what they want. While on-the-job experience can help you get into a graduate program, you can still get into some programs without it. So long as you feel passionate about helping other people, being a school mental health counselor could be the right choice for you.
3. Complete a master’s degree program
In most states, mental health counselors need to complete at least 60 credit hours of graduate coursework in their specific field of counseling. These courses should cover topics such as research methods, group counseling, and diagnosis of emotional and mental health disorders, among others.
Your coursework can be split into working individually or interacting with small groups throughout one’s coursework. Counseling graduate programs are designed in this way so that you can develop good listening skills to understand what your patient is telling you and how you can act to help them.
4. Fulfill state licensure requirements
Each state has specific requirements to become a licensed mental health counselor. You can refer to the American Counseling Association, which includes a directory of state professional counselor licensure boards.
Some states may require that you demonstrate hours of supervised work post-graduate degree. Then, you can take an exam and apply for the license. Once you adhere to your state’s licensure requirements, then you have the opportunity to be an officially licensed counselor.
Conclusion
The steps to becoming a school mental health counselor are numerous and require years of hard work and dedication. However, for those who have this passion, helping children is its own reward. No matter how difficult your journey is, remember that your schooling will give you the power to help someone in need.
