Counselor degrees online: Do you want to become a counselor? You don’t have the time to appear in classes in the traditional way? Do you wish you can study online to become a counselor? Don’t worry; I am going to provide some basic and advance information needed to become a counselor whether in the normal classes or online.
Firstly do you know how to choose your online counsellorship program? This is a question that must be answered. Anyway, nothing is hard to get, it is your opinion that matters. The first step needed to achieve your dream of becoming a professional counselor is to obtain a master’s degree. This means you must have been an undergraduate student in a related course and then graduated. The truth is that you can’t become a professional counselor until you have attended a graduate school to pursue state licensure for counseling.
There is a specialized curriculum that masters in counseling program offer. They are listed below:
A master of arts
A master of sciences
A master of education in counseling
The main focus of master’s in counseling program is to create a professional personality as a counselor, develop your ability to help individual and group psychologically in need, and then expand your understanding of human development and behavior or psychology.
Conditions to consider before applying for Counselor Degrees Online
Your career has to do with something concerning your life. Whenever you what to take a decision on your education which has to do with your future legacy, there are factors that you must consider before choosing your career choice.
These are the factors you must consider before applying for programs online:
Is the institution accredited online and traditionally?
How good are the students support services?
Is there any clinical placement assistance that is close to your residence?
What about an online classroom discussion and forum?
If these conditions are met, feel free to apply for your counselor program, however, be careful and ensure that you confirm the website is accredited and not a scam. You will not like to joke with your cash, will you?
ELABORATING THE FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHILE APPLYING FOR COUNSELOR DEGREES ONLINE
The master’s counseling program must have been accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs that it has met the state licensing requirement. If this is confirmed, you don’t need to be worried again all you should focus on should be other factors as will be discussed later. Online, there are over 40 Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Programs CACREP accredited counseling programs that specialized in clinical mental health, school, marriage, couple and family, career, student affairs and college, community and rehabilitation counseling. For instance, New York University and the University of Massachusetts offer four accredited online counseling programs.
If you are interested in online programs that are career specific, you may like to check these out: online master’s in counseling or an online masters in mental health counseling. Substance abuse and addiction counseling online programs have been accredited by the National and Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC). Feel free and make your research before applying.
WHAT COURSE HAS BEEN ACCREDITED FOR ME TO STUDY ONLINE
I am going to mention some numbers of accredited programs on counsellorship you can study online and the universities that offer them. This will aid you in the course of your research to choose the program suitable for you to study.
Here is the list of some online accredited programs you can apply for at your convenience:
Master’s of arts in counseling—Adams state university
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling—The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling—Assumption College
Master of Health Science in Addiction Studies— Governors State University
Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling—Lock Haven University
Master of Education in Counseling—North Carolina State University
There are several accredited programs online to prepare you for a profession in counsellorship. You may want to search further for more information.
Types of Counselors and your Interest
There are various types of counselors; the one you wish to become is left for you to decide, after proper research on the program suitable for your career dream. I shall list and explain the different types of counselors we have so that you can easily select the career of your choice.
Before you apply for Counselor Degrees Online, you should be aware of the type of Counselors:
Career Counselor
Child and Adolescent Counselor
Grief Counselor
Mental Health Counselor
Military Counselor
Pastoral Counselor
Rehabilitation Counselor
Career Counselor
A career counselor is a professional counselor that helps an individual or group to understand themselves and the world of work in order to make a career, educational and life decisions possible.
Counselor Degrees Online: Child and Adolescent Counselor
A child and adolescent counselor is a psychologist that helps children and adolescents correct the roadblock for development while they grow up, such as physical, emotional, mental health concern for a family member, teacher, and self.
Counselor Degrees Online: Grief Counselor
A grief counselor specialized at consoling individuals that are dealing with loss, specifically the death of someone that is close to them as relative or loved one.
Counselor Degrees Online: Mental Health Counselor
According to Wikipedia, a mental health counselor “is a medical professional who helps patients achieve emotional wellness.”
Counselor Degrees Online: Military Counselor
He specializes in addressing the need of the military community and the members of the family of a service member.
Counselor Degrees Online: Pastoral Counselor
According to Wikipedia, Pastoral Counseling “is a branch of counseling in which psychologically trained ministers, rabbis, priests, imams, and other persons provide therapy services”. The trained personnel provide their services to benefit both individual and group.
Counselor Degrees Online: Rehabilitation Counselor
He or she helps people that are suffering from emotional and physical disabilities live independently. They help their clients to overcome the personal, social, and professional effect of disabilities on their daily job or living independently.
Counselor Degrees Online: TYPES OF ONLINE LEARNING STRUCTURES
There are two types of online training or learning structure as focused on this article, namely: Synchronous and Asynchronous.
Synchronous Online Learning Structure
Online learning that is taken at a specific time of the day is referred to as synchronous learning where students within a course of study are synced with one and another in participation and attendance. This is also referred to as a virtual classroom, which is enlightened with motivating discussion, live lectures and faculty interaction within students and their lecturers.
Asynchronous Online Learning Structure
This is an online learning structure that gives students access to log in and views lectures and coursework at their convenience time but considering deadlines.
Online Ranking for University that offers counselor degrees online
There are various outstanding universities that offer cheap and affordable counseling degree. You may like to explore them to choose the best of your choice as a student of psychology. This is specifically designed for a student of distance learning who may not necessarily be present on the university campus. Though some of these universities I am about to discuss may demand your presence once in a while for a practical purpose, still, they are the best online universities a student of knowledge can enroll for now.
I will be explaining the reputation of each university, what they offer, and the tuition fee. Note, the tuition fee, may not be stable, as there is a possibility that each of the institution work in dynamism in terms of tuition.
Just as we know, the basic requirement to become a professional counselor is an undergraduate course in relation to your choice of a program; therefore, the recommendation for the online colleges will be based on the bachelor degree level.
Counselor Degrees Online: Brescia University
I rated this number one because of the reputations I found useful for students. They have advanced study methods that prepare students for both state and national licensure. This is amazing and signifies that it is a great platform for a reliable learning opportunity. It is your choice to select the institution you feel is the best.
Counselor Degrees Online: Online Bachelor of Science in Addictions Counseling
Brescia University’s bachelor degree in Addictions Counseling is known to offer students an advanced study of counseling methods which usually prepares them for both state and national certifications. The online counseling degree curriculum specifically, gives thorough attention to the treatments of addiction and is frequently changing because counselors over the year develop new approaches to understanding mental health problems. It is mandatory that any student of this program must complete 42 credits within the major and then decide to focus on a particular course as he may want or need. This will actually include “Addictions and the Family,” “Behavioral Psychopharmacology,” and “Recovery and Relapse Prevention.
You should take note that after the completion of the accredited online program, as a graduate will still need to take some additional counseling classes which will be thoroughly supervised for you to achieve the state licensure requirements. The above university is rated as one of the top 50 universities in the south, so it is a reliable online platform for your degree in counseling. The current tuition fee is $19,640/yr
Counselor Degrees Online: University of Cincinnati
Online Bachelor’s Degree Program in Substance Abuse Counseling
This above mentioned University offers a degree in Substance Abuse Counseling that deals specifically on handling issues that are in relation to chemical dependency. The university is an outstanding top online college and this uniqueness has been demonstrated in many ways, they employ Renown School of Human Services with well-respected faculty who are very good at both research and the skills of counseling. If you study at the University of Cincinnati, you are not required to travel at all, especially for those who don’t like traveling.
The entire degree you wish to enroll is available on the internet. UC has gained lots of credibilities and then named a top ranking university by United States News and then called one of the top 200 schools best schools in the world by Times Education, a United Kingdom-based publication. The Tuition is: $10,784/yr (In-state) $25,816/yr (Out-of-state)
Counselor Degrees Online: Grand Canyon University
Online Bachelor of Science in Counseling with an Emphasis in Addiction, Chemical Dependency, and Substance Abuse
This university has all it takes to cover all aspects of addiction, chemical dependency, and substance abuse. Apart from focusing on all the theories aspect of counseling, the scheme of work also persuades students to participate in a discussion for the treatments for clients or patient within all age, including adults, adolescents, and children. As a graduate of this online counseling degree program, you will have a lot of career opportunities and will be able to work in mental health clinics, rehabilitation centers, or in private practice.
The university is classified as one of the online colleges for students who are eager to learn from all states. There is a useful enrollment agreement which spells out the practical requirements for students from various areas. It is an accredited online university and rated 81 out of 100. You can check the ranking at TheBest.com. Tuition: $17,000/yr.
Counselor Degree Online: Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology with a Concentration in Prevention Specialist Online
This is labeled as “Best Buy” at GetEducated.com in higher education. It is perhaps, the biggest attraction of Northwestern States University’s online college counseling and psychology program. This means that it is a reliable college with good quality and affordability. It is one of the best online colleges for aspiring counsellorship professionals and also offers specialization in abuse of substances and prevention, which is suitable for people that are interested in chemical dependency.
It offers a cheap online counseling degree curriculum which is split into three main areas namely – general psychology, clinical psychology, and addiction studies – that ensure that a student benefit from comprehensive counseling topics. If you are a student close to the state where the university is located, you can apply for the state licensure as a professional counselor after graduation. The Tuition: $6,207/yr (In-state) $16,327 (Out-of-state).
I believe to some extent, this article must have given you some basic insight to the study of counseling degree online and on campus; it should be a guideline for the preparation for a professional course you aspire to study.
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