Online counseling programs offer degrees in substance abuse counseling, school counseling, and marriage and family therapy, with opportunities for specialization. Licensure and certification requirements vary by region and type of counseling. Internship hours are required for real-life experience.
Online counseling programs provide training and education for mental health careers in substance abuse counseling, school counseling, and marriage and family therapy. Available degrees begin at the associate level, continuing to doctoral studies in education, with opportunities to specialize in a variety of areas, including couples and teen therapy. Since most positions require licensure or certification, requirements vary by region and the type of counseling provided.
Degrees in substance abuse counseling can be obtained online at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Associate degree programs last approximately two years and qualify students to work as drug counselors and gain certification in the field helping those struggling with substance or alcohol abuse. While online counseling degree programs offer a bachelor’s degree in substance abuse counseling, advanced certification allows individuals with a master’s degree to be licensed to provide individual therapy, manage a private practice, and teach university courses.
To become a school guidance counselor, you must complete an accredited online graduate degree, such as the Master of Education (M.Ed) in School Counseling or the Doctor of Education in Counseling Psychology (Ed.D). These online advising programs permit licensing in most regions, allowing individuals to provide educational and career guidance to elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as those attending college. Also qualified to help students with issues of a personal or emotional nature, school counselors must take courses in assessment, ethics, and counseling.
With a focus on counseling couples, individuals of all ages and families, marriage and family therapists can obtain training online through the Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT). A typical course of study includes courses in family therapy with children, psychopathology and brief therapy. The doctorate allows for more specialized studies, useful for working particularly with certain groups of individuals such as teenagers, young children and couples. In addition to completing a dissertation, other requirements for online counseling degree programs in this field include courses in research, grief, and parenting.
Mental health professionals are generally required to hold certifications or licenses in their respective fields. Often, in addition to completing academic courses, a certain number of internship hours are required and will be determined by the region in which you work. Internship hours refer to the time students spend dedicated to providing supervised counseling to gain experience in applying the theoretical knowledge learned to real cases. It is important to verify that certain online programs meet the licensing conditions.
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