Counseling Psychology Graduate Programs

Most counseling psychology graduate programs cover all the aspects of psychology in a comprehensive fashion. However, to get accepted into any entry level counseling job an undergraduate degree is not sufficient. Depending on the kind of counseling one wishes to perform, the focus group they wish to work with, one would have to go in for more specific and in depth graduation programs.

Types Of Graduate Level Counseling Psychology Programs

There are broadly three types of counseling psychology programs, which you can opt for, in order to specialize in a particular aspect concerning the subject.

• Master Degrees In Counseling Psychology
• PhD and doctorate programs in Counseling Psychology
• Online Graduate Degrees

Classification Of Specializations

Before going deeper into each type of graduate degree, you will need to choose the specialization that you are going to take up. This choice directly shapes the future of the student and hence requires more research. Furthermore, the list given below is a broad categorization of all possible counseling psychology specialization but to get more a better idea of what each category entails do visit the links provided beside them.

• Marriage and family counseling – Your job as a counselor is to evaluate the problems of families and marriages, dissect the marriages and find out methods to solve the issues.
• Guidance and career counseling – Providing guidance and help to students in schools and colleges, aiding unemployed people to get jobs that are perfectly suited to their personality and skill set forms the core of this field.
• Rehabilitation counseling – Rehabilitation does not only deal with addiction centers. Such counselors are also employed by state institutions and private firms to help injured and disabled people to cope with life.
• Mental health counseling – With the increase in awareness of mental problems, the demand for such counselors is on the rise. Helping children with learning disabilities, OCDs and other such mental problems form the core of this field.
• Substance abuse counseling – Employed mostly by state and federal government institutes, these counselors have the most demanding job profiles because of the associated problems of de-addiction and mental or psychological issues that arise out of substance abuse.

Master Degrees In Counseling Psychology

The different types of Master degrees that are on offer in all the states are as follows:

• Master of Education

  If you are interested in pursuing a career as an education or guidance counselor then this is the graduate degree specifically geared towards you. However, such degree holders may not be able to switch tracks later on in life.

• Master of Social Work

  Considered to be the most versatile degrees available, a MSW degree shall provide a student with the opportunity to work in as many as 50 states as it is recognized for getting a license all over the country.

• Master of Science

  It is meant for those who are not wishing to pursue a PhD later on. There is no need to file for a thesis paper in order to receive the degree but its acceptance may not be met nationwide.

• Master of Arts

  A commonly pursued option, M.A. requires a submission of thesis paper along with a written or oral examination at the end to receive a degree. This degree paves the path for a doctorate, as it is easier to migrate on from here.

PhD and doctorate programs in Counseling Psychology

As it is with any other profession, a doctorate degree provides a graduate with the highest chances of landing a lucrative job with the best salaries. Furthermore, PhD in counseling psychology entitles a person to work with certain industries or government body. MS and MSW holders may not get such opportunities. Three types of doctorate programs are on offer in the United States.

• Ph.D. – This is the oldest doctorate program on offer. Here equal emphasis is given to clinical practice as well as research into the field. It opens doors to both worlds of counseling psychology.
• Psy.D – Called as a Doctor of Psychology, this degree provides greater knowledge on clinical practices and does not dig deeper into research.
• Ed.D – Doctor of Education is a relatively new degree that provides the degree holder with a chance to enter educational institutions and pursue careers as a professor too. Research is high on the agenda here.

Online Graduate Degrees

Online degrees are a part of distance education programs started by many universities. If you are a practicing counselor and do not wish to leave your job for a full time education then online degrees are the best option. They are no different from the above mentioned two types of graduate degree programs except that they are held at a lower status than the two and do not require a lot of time and effort to complete. However, at the end of the program, one is expected to complete an internship as assigned to assess the preparation for acquiring state or national licenses to practice counseling psychology.

Another variant to online degrees are the hybrid courses. These require students to study part time through half of the course and then continue classes for the rest of the course while still maintaining an active internship. Such online programs are great for those interested in the educational aspects or research oriented lines of counseling psychology.

Final Point Of Consideration

Irrespective of the counseling psychology graduate program that you wish to take up, the one aspect that needs serious consideration is APA accreditation. If APA (American Psychologists Association) does not accredit your choice of program, then you might hit roadblocks when facing job interviews in the field. So, ensure that you only opt for counseling psychology graduate programs accredited by this body.