14 Intriguing Career Options for Your Master’s Degree in Counseling  

Are you unsure about your current career path? You’re not alone. Many students aren’t exactly sure what to do with their bachelor’s degree or whether they should return to school to earn their master’s. And if so, what program should they pursue? However, if you’re passionate about helping others with their mental health and have stellar communication skills, earning your master’s degree in counseling may be ideal. Here’s what we know.

What Is a Master’s Degree in Counseling?

A master’s degree in counseling requires roughly six years of education beyond high school. It’s an advanced degree that brings with it a wealth of lifelong career benefits. Is a master’s in counseling worth it? We think so: it’s the stepping-off point of a rewarding and fulfilling career path.

Career Paths You Can Pursue with a Master’s Degree in Counseling

Ready to learn more? We’ve outlined 14 different career options for which your master’s degree in counseling can prepare you.

1. Counselor

Counselors talk with clients to help them work through specific problems. This could include relationship issues, addiction, mental health, and more. Counselors work in various industries, including health care, academia, and the legal system.

2. Health Educator

A health educator is someone who educates people regarding their health. While it may sound self-explanatory, health educators cover a range of topics and fulfill a variety of tasks that may surprise you. For example, they may head up the planning, development, and implementation of community health care programs, or they may work with clients individually to help them manage lifestyle diseases such as type II diabetes or obesity. Health educators may be employed by hospitals, rehabilitation centers, or substance abuse treatment centers to help clients learn how to make better choices when it comes to health.

3. Clinical Therapist

A clinical therapist sees patients to help them through troubling times. They can be instrumental in helping clients overcome negative thoughts or destructive behaviors. Clinical therapists are often instrumental in administering psychotherapy, which is a form of talk therapy. This may help the client overcome chronic conditions, including depression, post-traumatic stress, grief, or anxiety. Clinical therapists often work for healthcare organizations such as hospitals or clinics.

4. Social Worker

A social worker’s job is primarily to effect positive change. This may mean helping a mother or father learn better parenting skills, or it may mean helping an elderly individual receive Medicaid or Medicare benefits. Social workers perform many different roles, depending upon where they’re employed. For instance, it may be a social worker who helps you fill out financial aid forms while you’re in the hospital.

5. Family Therapist

A family therapist may counsel couples, families, or extended families to help them better communicate with one another. Marriage and family counselors, for example, focus on relationship counseling. They may help spouses avoid divorce or counsel engaged couples before they get married. Family therapists, conversely, may work with parents and children, helping them through difficult times such as the teenage years, parent separation, grief, or trauma.

6. Substance Abuse Counselor

As a substance abuse counselor, you’ll work with individuals trying to reclaim their lives from drugs or alcohol. You may provide psychotherapy in a substance abuse treatment center or private counseling in a methadone clinic. Substance abuse counselors may work in the legal system, for a health care facility, in private practice, and more. They play key roles in client recovery and often help with crisis management.

7. Psychologist

A master’s degree in psychology can prepare you to take on any of the roles listed above. However, if you wish to be a licensed clinical psychologist who assesses, diagnoses, and treats clients, most states require a doctoral degree and state licensure. Your master’s degree is a big step along the way to achieving this goal. As you work toward your Ph.D. or Psy.D., your master’s in psychology can help you gain employment in many fields, including mental health, social work, or school guidance.

8. Residential Counselor

Residential counselors help care for individuals who reside in group-based homes. This may cover a range of facilities, including nursing homes, halfway homes, women’s and children’s shelters, or assisted living centers for adults who are developmentally disabled. In this role, you’ll offer support, guidance, and mental care for residents. You may perform intake interviews, counseling sessions, and more.

9. Career Counselor

Career counselors help individuals find the job that’s right for them. There’s a lot of science that may go into helping someone choose a career in which they can excel, and a career counselor has the knowledge and resources to help. This professional can not only counsel clients regarding the many possible career paths available but also put them in touch with other community resources, such as local community colleges, employment agencies, and more.

10. Chemical Dependency Counselor

A chemical dependency counselor assists clients who are struggling with addiction to a chemical, such as a prescription drug, liquor, or nicotine. They help clients redirect negative thoughts and cognitive distortions that cause stress and anxiety. As a result, many clients can better manage their thoughts and emotions, which, in turn, may lead to recovery.

11. Academic Counselor

As an academic counselor, you may find yourself working in a local public or private high school or even in a college setting. These professionals have answers to common career questions, such as how to obtain scholarships, how to apply for financial aid for college, and what types of degrees are available. Academic counselors guide students toward enrollment in colleges, universities, and trade schools.

12. School Counselor

School counselors assist students with their mental and emotional health. This is the counselor students may see if they’re struggling with problems at home, including abuse, neglect, homelessness, or lack of resources. Often, students who appear troubled, overly tired, depressed, or frequently truant will be referred to the school counselor for help.

13. Community Health Worker

As a community health worker, you’ll be responsible for acting as a sort of liaison between members of your community and local health resources. As such, you may help individuals find access to screenings, educate families on the risks of developing heart disease, or hold workshops aimed at improving community health.

14. Researcher

A researcher’s prime responsibility is to track down answers. In this role, you may work in a laboratory or hospital, for an environmental agency, or for a university. Anywhere research skills are required, your master’s degree in psychology can take you.

Master’s Degree in Counseling

If you’re considering earning your master’s degree in counseling, there are many career options you can choose. This degree will prepare you for work in multiple industries, helping individuals, families, groups, and communities improve the quality of their lives.

Learn More Today

When you’re ready to begin earning your degree, we invite you to pursue the Master of Science in Counseling at Carson-Newman University. Carson-Newman is a faith-based university that offers a hybrid learning environment, with classes held online and on campus. To learn more, contact our admission office or fill out our convenient online information form today.