An increasing number of stress conditions and negative situations in people's lives has become an issue of concern which needs to be handled with care. As there is a direct relation of these incidents with the mental and psychological health of a person, it is essential to seek the services of a counselor psychologist to relieve stress and other issues.
Job Profile of a Counseling Psychologist
A counseling psychologist's job is as many as 130 years old. A counseling psychologist is of equal worth to a high school student, a kid or an adult. It is an exceedingly rewarding job both from an emotional and financial point of view.
It is the responsibility of a professional counselor to communicate with different kinds of people helping them in dealing with their problems. This is a huge field with diverse options and exceptional job security. Counselors work in a variety of settings and with clients of all ages. The most prominent responsibility of a counselor is to assist all those disturbed people who are facing personal problems. The counselor often develops a specific plan of action in order to deal with the problems. He/she helps the patients to deal with certain issues like managing anger, despair, nervousness, family conflicts and other stress related issues. In most cases, the counselors do their job by talking it out and sharing the untold traumas with the patients. Counselors may individually work in clinics or as groups enabling flexible schedules and timings. They have a wide array of settings to work in ranging from hospitals to educational institutions and government organizations.
Requirements
Academic
Even though there are a few of counseling psychologists in the industry with a post graduate degree in the specific field, most of the employers prefer such candidates who have doctoral degrees. As the counseling psychologist is required to deal with clients personally, he or she should possess those certificates from the state which is required to practice. As a psychology student he/she should have completed five to seven years of graduate courses along with a thesis which is obtained from actual research.
Skill Sets
Other than the required educational qualifications, a sympathetic character, pleasant appearance to make the patients comfortable and also the ability to detach themselves from the clients are considered as some of the added skills that a counselor psychologist should possess.
Training
Counselor Psychologists require specific training as they are expected to counsel people who are in definite need of care and sympathy. They require specialized training in helping people so that they can comfortably and confidently deal with their day to day issues.
Prior Experience
In most of the cases, the employers will not demand experience as requisite to be a counseling psychologist. But if they have beforehand experience in educational institutions and other government organizations, they should mention it in their resume which will be an added advantage.
Employment Outlook
Career Prospects (globally)
There has been a significant increase in the number of counseling jobs available in the market. A heightened demand for psychologists is anticipated in the future years for the prevention and treatment of people with unhealthy life styles. They will also need to work in programs providing aid to elderly people. As per the reports of the Bureau of Statistics, the demand for all types of counselors will rise by the year of 2016.
Salary
Even though in most of the cases, the psychologists are paid well, the salaries of a counseling psychologist is at the lower end when compared to other psychologists. According to the scales of clinical psychologists, counseling psychologists working in government organizations earn a starting salary of $28,313 to $37,326. With experience and specialty field this may rise up to $75,114. A senior experienced counseling psychologist can earn from $50,616 to $75,326.
Conclusion
There has always been a huge demand for counseling psychologists as people seek their help for leading a problem free life solving issue in their marriage, at the work place, and in the personal paradigm.
Being a counseling psychologist you will be able to lend a helping hand to all those troubled people helping them in a significant way. Even within the industrial scenario, one cannot underestimate the importance of counseling psychologists as they help in the personality development of individuals leading to better professional performance.
