Kuhathaas, Varenya - Mental Health Counselor
From What can you do with a degree in psychology?
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| A course in lifespan development may be useful in this career because it can provide insight into the developmental milestones that we must achieve and what happens when one does not achieve these milestones. A course in cognition may be useful to provide insight into the way that one might think about themselves and their problems. Personality and individual differences may be a useful course because as a mental health counselor, one will be working with a variety of different individuals. Abnormal psychology may be useful to diagnose disorders in individuals and provide clients with treatment to their illnesses. A course in brain and behavior may be useful to understand what types of chemicals and medications will do to the individual. As a mental health counselor, one must be able to provide information about medications for their clients and what the potential side effects might be. | A course in lifespan development may be useful in this career because it can provide insight into the developmental milestones that we must achieve and what happens when one does not achieve these milestones. A course in cognition may be useful to provide insight into the way that one might think about themselves and their problems. Personality and individual differences may be a useful course because as a mental health counselor, one will be working with a variety of different individuals. Abnormal psychology may be useful to diagnose disorders in individuals and provide clients with treatment to their illnesses. A course in brain and behavior may be useful to understand what types of chemicals and medications will do to the individual. As a mental health counselor, one must be able to provide information about medications for their clients and what the potential side effects might be. | ||
| ==Salary Potential== | ==Salary Potential== | ||
| - | A mental health counselor earns an average salary of $50,255 per year. It can range anywhere from $38,000 to $68,000 <ref name="Salary">Mental Health Counselor Salary (2015). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Mental_Health_Counselor/Salary.</ref>. There is such a large range in the salary for a mental health counselor because it is largely determined by experience. This graph shows that an individual with less than one year experience makes around $43,000. | + | A mental health counselor earns an average salary of $50,255 per year. It can range anywhere from $38,000 to $68,000 <ref name="Salary">Mental Health Counselor Salary (2015). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Mental_Health_Counselor/Salary.</ref>. There is such a large range in the salary for a mental health counselor because it is largely determined by experience. This graph shows that an individual with less than one year experience makes around $43,000. An individual with 12 years of experience or more will make around $60,000 <ref name="Salary">http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Mental_Health_Counselor/Salary</ref>. There is also a difference in salary that is determined by the education one possesses. For exmaple, an individual with just a diploma will have an average monthly salary of $3,083. An individual with a master's degree might have an average monthly salary of $10,000.<ref>Stamm, J. (2003). Mental Health Counseling Training Programs and Requirements. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://educationportal.com/mental_health_counseling_training.html</ref>. |
| - | + | [[Image:V3 chartAverageTotalCashByExperience e761a2fe-0968-401d-b0c2-a1a85b221be7-v1.0.png]] | |
| ==Job Outlook== | ==Job Outlook== | ||
| The projected demand for a mental health counselor is expected to grow by 29% between 2012-2022. This is largely because insurance companies are now offering coverage for menatl health counseling services <ref name="Inner Body">http://www.innerbody.com/careers-in-health/how-to-become-mental-healthcounselor.html</ref>. There is also a large prokected increase becuase of new research around mental health and the importance of maintaing one's mental health. It has been estimated that two million more individuals will need mental health treatment in 2030 compared to the numbers from this year <ref name="Camp">Campbell, D. (2013). Mental Health Treatment is Stretching Services to the Limit. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/23/mentally-illstretching-services-limit</ref>.There is also a lot of pressure for increasing mental health services because of the aging population and the high rates of mental disorders among the Canadian population, in general <ref name="Camp">http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/23/mentally-illstretching-services-limit</ref>. | The projected demand for a mental health counselor is expected to grow by 29% between 2012-2022. This is largely because insurance companies are now offering coverage for menatl health counseling services <ref name="Inner Body">http://www.innerbody.com/careers-in-health/how-to-become-mental-healthcounselor.html</ref>. There is also a large prokected increase becuase of new research around mental health and the importance of maintaing one's mental health. It has been estimated that two million more individuals will need mental health treatment in 2030 compared to the numbers from this year <ref name="Camp">Campbell, D. (2013). Mental Health Treatment is Stretching Services to the Limit. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/23/mentally-illstretching-services-limit</ref>.There is also a lot of pressure for increasing mental health services because of the aging population and the high rates of mental disorders among the Canadian population, in general <ref name="Camp">http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/23/mentally-illstretching-services-limit</ref>. | ||
Revision as of 15:26, 26 March 2015
Kuhathaas, Varenya - Mental Health Counselor
Job Title
Mental Health Counselor
General Overview
A mental health counselor is someone who helps an individual achieve personal goals, diagnoses and treats disorders, and helps the individual be able to lead a productive life. They often help the individual through difficult experiences and provide skills and attitudes to bring about change in their life [1].They provide assistance to avoid implications that can come about as a result of mental illness that goes untreated. Mental health workers operate as part of a team that includes social workers, case managers, and any other discipline that is involved in the client's welfare [1].
Job Duties and Responsibilities
There are many different duties and responsibilities that go along with being a mental health counselor which vary according to the organization one is employed by. First and foremost, one must maintain confidentiality about clients' information and treatment. They must be able to get clients to discuss their feelings and help them develop insight [2].They must be able to help clients develop strategies to deal with their problems and counsel individuals to be able to overcome any changes in their life. They prepare client records and reports and collect this information through observations and interviews. They are their client's advocates and should be able to implement treatment plans for their clients based on their clinical experience [2]. They may have to meet with other groups that are involved in their client's life to provide the necessary information. they will have to provide resources to other community groups or specialists as they see fit [2]. They may have to go beyond their client and counsel the client's family members. They must evaluate the treatment's effectiveness in terms of how the client seems to be progressing and how the client resolves the identified problems in their lives [2]. They must be able to plan social and recreational activities for their client according to whatever problem they may be suffering from. Duties include modifying any activities to comply with the client's current status to improve their condition [2]. As a professional, they must be able to keep up with the current literature and keep in contact with other social service agencies. They must have the ability to gather information from other mental health resources that is to be used in conjunction with their counseling. They have to monitor their client's medications and discuss life after therapy with the client [2]. As a mental health counselor, they must supervise other counselors and staff, plan prevention programs and implement them in their community, and be able to hold courses on various mental health issues they may have seen in their clinical experience [2].
Typical Workday
There are many social institutions that employ mental health workers and they are all under different names in various institutions. Hospitals, social services, the Mental Health Association, educational institutions, and jails all employ mental health counselors. There is no standard classification for mental health counselors, rather, they are very similar job positions that carry different job titles[3]. The hours of the job depend largely on where the individual works. Some jobs require the counselor to be part-time, full-time, or even an on-call basis. Their clients include a large variety of the population. Again, it depends on where they are employed for the clientele to be seen. They may work with the Aboriginal community, with individuals in need of rehabilitation, people in crisis, individuals with mental health issues, or individuals in need of social services[3]. The technology they require is very minimal. They usually only require office equipment (eg. a computer) to keep track of client information [4].
Educational Requirements and Other Qualifications
It is required that mental health counselors have a degree in psychology or child and youth studies. A master's degree is required for the stream of counseling that one may wish to pursue (eg. working with families, children, or addicts)[1]. They will need to receive training from the organization they are providing services for, as each organization has a different set of rules or ethics they may follow. In Canada, one must be certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. This requires undergoing psychological testing and taking an exam. One must also be under the supervision of an approved clinician before becoming a full member [5].This is a profession that requires continuous education and training to keep up with the rapidly changing standards of the mental health profession. Opportunities for advancement are available if one wishes to pursue a doctorate degree in counselling [1].
Related Skills, Interests, and Abilities
A mental health worker must be able to have an open mind about diversity and the ability work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds, ethnicities, sexualities, etc. One must be able to discuss freely anything that your client may want to discuss with you. Mental health counselors must possess compassion, empathy, and superior communication skills [1]. A mental health counselor must be perceptive of others' behavior, oriented to find ways to help others, think critically about how to approach problems, make tough decisions, self-monitor, and monitor others [4].
Relevance to Psychology Undergraduate Degree
A course in lifespan development may be useful in this career because it can provide insight into the developmental milestones that we must achieve and what happens when one does not achieve these milestones. A course in cognition may be useful to provide insight into the way that one might think about themselves and their problems. Personality and individual differences may be a useful course because as a mental health counselor, one will be working with a variety of different individuals. Abnormal psychology may be useful to diagnose disorders in individuals and provide clients with treatment to their illnesses. A course in brain and behavior may be useful to understand what types of chemicals and medications will do to the individual. As a mental health counselor, one must be able to provide information about medications for their clients and what the potential side effects might be.
Salary Potential
A mental health counselor earns an average salary of $50,255 per year. It can range anywhere from $38,000 to $68,000 [6]. There is such a large range in the salary for a mental health counselor because it is largely determined by experience. This graph shows that an individual with less than one year experience makes around $43,000. An individual with 12 years of experience or more will make around $60,000 [6]. There is also a difference in salary that is determined by the education one possesses. For exmaple, an individual with just a diploma will have an average monthly salary of $3,083. An individual with a master's degree might have an average monthly salary of $10,000.[7].
Job Outlook
The projected demand for a mental health counselor is expected to grow by 29% between 2012-2022. This is largely because insurance companies are now offering coverage for menatl health counseling services [1]. There is also a large prokected increase becuase of new research around mental health and the importance of maintaing one's mental health. It has been estimated that two million more individuals will need mental health treatment in 2030 compared to the numbers from this year [8].There is also a lot of pressure for increasing mental health services because of the aging population and the high rates of mental disorders among the Canadian population, in general [8].
To Know More
This link provides further information on mental health counselors, in regards, to what they do, field specialties, education, training, and work environment.
Notes and References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Maurer, S. (1999). How to Become a Mental Health Counselor. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.innerbody.com/careers-in-health/how-to-become-mental-healthcounselor.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Career Planner (1997). Job Duties and Tasks for: "Mental Health Counselor." Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://job-descriptions.careerplanner.com/Mental-HealthCounselors.cfm
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Community Mental Health Careers. (2013). Careers. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.workinginmentalhealth.ca/forms/careers.aspx
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 O*Net Online (2013). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1014.00
- ↑ Certification (CCC) (2015). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://ccpa-accp.ca/en/memberbenfits/certification
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mental Health Counselor Salary (2015). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Mental_Health_Counselor/Salary.
- ↑ Stamm, J. (2003). Mental Health Counseling Training Programs and Requirements. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://educationportal.com/mental_health_counseling_training.html
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Campbell, D. (2013). Mental Health Treatment is Stretching Services to the Limit. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/23/mentally-illstretching-services-limit
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