To become a youth counselor, obtain a master’s degree in counseling, complete supervised counseling practice, obtain a professional counseling license, and consider becoming a certified national counselor. Research the job’s realities and determine if your personality is a good fit.
If you want to help children and teens with issues ranging from emotional, developmental and behavioral problems to choosing a college degree, you might want to become a youth counselor. Since the path to a career in youth counseling varies depending on the specific type of job, you should start by deciding what type of counselor you want to become. Potential employers might include schools, youth group homes, juvenile detention centers, and parish community centers. While requirements for each job may vary, prospective counselors will generally need to obtain a graduate degree in counseling and, in many cases, licensure or certification.
To become a youth counselor, in most cases you will need a master’s degree in counseling from an accredited university. These programs, usually offered by a university’s psychology or education department, usually consist of 48 to 60 credit hours of study, combined with supervised counseling practice. Your classes should generally address a broad spectrum of counseling issues, such as addiction, professional counseling and crisis management, as well as offering a deep focus on working with children and adolescents.
Every US state requires counselors to obtain a license before they are officially considered professionals. Investigate the specific type of counseling work you want to do to determine whether your employees should qualify as professional counselors. Some counselors, such as some college academic advisors, do not need a professional license. As most counseling jobs – particularly those funded by the government – can only be filled by applicants with this professional distinction, however, obtaining your license will go a long way towards helping you become a youth counselor.
The steps to obtain a professional counseling license vary by state. However, in general, they include satisfactory completion of a master’s degree plus approximately 3,000 hours of supervised counseling practice. To better prepare for your future career, try to serve most of these practice hours with young people. The final step in licensing is usually a comprehensive exam. Because some states require classwork in specific areas of counseling, it is recommended that you consult your state’s licensing requirements before beginning the master’s program.
To further strengthen your youth counseling qualifications, consider becoming a certified national counselor. Unlike the counseling license, which is issued by individual states, the certification is a national qualification. Certification requirements are generally less arduous than licensing requirements; in most cases, applicants must complete a master’s degree and pass an exam. To maintain certification, however, counselors must take continuing education classes or re-take the certification exam every five years. While certification is generally not a required qualification for youth counseling jobs, the credential can add an additional level of distinction to your resume.
Finally, if you want to become a youth counselor, research the day-to-day realities of the job and think about whether your personality is a good fit for it. Many youth counselors work regularly with troubled children and teens, and the emotional nature of this work can be stressful and depressing for some. An ideal youth counselor candidate will have a friendly, caring and patient nature, excellent listening skills and the ability to function in a stressful and potentially upsetting environment.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
