In North America alone, 25% of the population is diagnosed every year with certain mental health issues. These problems certainly create social, economic and political impacts, thus there is a great need for people practicing careers in mental health therapy and counseling. Luckily, most health care insurance providers recognize the value of mental health counseling. This is, of course, beneficial to professionals who are concerned about our behavioral health.
Similar to clinical psychology, mental health counseling's approach is holistic, examining a patient's environment and society and their influences on the person. This is done while also examining his behavioral, physical, and emotional health as well.
There are various related careers in mental health therapy, too. Some are focused on mental retardation, while some in drugs or substance abuse, and some in the treatment of a serious mental illness. To really find a career in mental health, one must have a specialization. But before specialization, one might become an MHC or mental health counselor first.
After getting a master's degree in mental health counseling, most practitioners in the field choose four major specializations: educational, career and school counseling, substance abuse counseling, rehabilitation counseling, and marriage and family counseling. Practitioners get licensed for these specializations.
The job of a mental health counselor involves therapy, support, providing resources and creating policies in regars to a variety of mental issues such as addiction, depression, aging, anger management, stress, suicide, etc.
In the US, careers in mental health therapy and counseling provide an annual salary of around $36,000, and the high-paying positions are mostly freelancers with well-established reputations in their chosen specialization. These high-paying clinical psychologists or expert counselors constitute about 10% of the entire number of practitioners and can earn about $62,000 annually. In order for a mental health professional to develop a private counseling practice, after licensing, he or she must prepare for it for at least five years.
Being involved in mental health therapy and counseling entails a lot of time in the academy. Primarily, for a career to start, one must obtain an MA, MSW or MS, which are two-year master's degree programs. Aside from this, an internship must also be completed, wherein the student will work directly with people. The state licensing requirements vary from state to state. The period of administered post-graduate work is conventional and must not be set aside.
There are many jobs for practitioners of health therapy and counseling in the US and all over the world, but competition is tough in some regions. So if one is really interested in getting much from this career, he must do well in school, complete his practicum, get a license and a master's degree, and pass the examinations administered by the company of choice, should he decide to be in one. And if one is confident enough, he can start his own clinic or center. In this way, he can indeed earn more while keeping other people sane.
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