Does a Masters of Art Degree Qualify You for Guidance Counselor

Making the decision to further your education tin exist a momentous one, particularly if you have been away from the classroom for some time and already savor a successful career. If you are looking to develop your professional person path in the field of counseling, build your knowledge and open up doors past applying to Bradley Academy's online Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) program and graduate ready for the National Counselor Examination. Designed to educate yous at an avant-garde level in this circuitous field of study, Bradley's MAC programme equips you with the skills and cognition to make a positive difference in others' lives.

Divided into 2 specialty tracks — Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Professional School Counseling — the online programme prepares you lot for an array of professional trajectories within the field, such as helping high school students or assisting clients with mental health bug.

If you are corking to learn more, this guide offers a comprehensive await at each specialty and explains why Bradley University's online format could be an ideal option for incorporating study into your busy professional person life.

Historically, the practice of professional person counseling requires both certification and licensure. These credentials ensure that a person has met national standards and competencies for the authorized practice of this profession. Usually, a master's-level caste is needed to begin a career every bit a advisor practitioner in the U.S. Increasingly, these chief'south degree programs accept been accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) since 1981. Yet, these caste programs vary nominally in terms of their institutional recognition, and college placement, resulting in Master of Arts, Master of Scientific discipline or Principal of Science in Education degree programs. At Bradley Academy, the counseling plan is housed in the Higher of Education and Health Sciences, and it is a Master of Arts in Counseling degree plan with the ii specialty tracks noted above: Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Professional person School Counseling.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) specialty track

If you lot want to aid people who are experiencing hardship and challenges, applying to the CMHC specialty track could be correct for you. Mental illness is usually a chronic condition, affecting individuals of all ages beyond the U.Due south. and the world. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Command and Prevention (CDC), 26 per centum of American adults live with the most prevalent grade of mental affliction: depression. And, this number is predicted to increase in the coming decades. Other forms of mental illness include feet, panic disorders and schizophrenia.

Given the prevalence of mental illness in the U.Southward. — some estimates advise ane in 5 adults alive with a mental illness condition — there is unsurprisingly an increasing need for trained counselors who can help clients navigate the difficult terrain of their disease; professional counselors find strategies cemented in theory and best practices to help people live a healthier life. That is not to mention the fact that clients without a diagnosed mental disease oftentimes seek assist from counselors during episodes of poor mental health — instances that may be circumstantial in nature, engendered past grief or personal bug. Indeed, the CDC noted that a vast bulk of American adults — some 83 percent — are regarded equally not existence in optimal mental health.

Given the demand, if y'all opt to written report toward acquiring a CACREP-accredited master'south caste in counseling with a CMHC specialty, you volition find, in all likelihood, a number of task opportunities available to you upon graduation and acquisition of licensure. You volition be able to work as a trained advisor in an array of settings, from private practices to clinics, hospitals and then on.

Within the CMHC subject, it also is possible to specialize further in your professional person life, allowing you lot to focus on certain areas of mental wellness counseling.

Here is a brief look at several potential career paths for which a Bradley University CMHC degree can set up yous:

1. Grief counseling
   This career path involves helping patients navigate feelings of grief and depression after a death or in the cases of the terminally ill, in the menstruum leading up to decease. Bradley Academy's ENC 530 form offers students the opportunity to empathize the beliefs about loss and grief, blockers and interventions. Students volition identify the different types of losses.As explained by an article in Skillful Therapy, a publication that promotes ethical therapy, counselors and therapists dealing with client grief may utilise an assortment of strategies to assistance individuals come to terms with the death of a loved one. Examples include discussions well-nigh the deceased, sharing memories, grouping counseling and family counseling.
2. Substance abuse counselor
   Defined every bit a dependence on drugs, alcohol or both, substance abuse is a pressing societal concern. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), some viii.i percent of Americans experienced a substance abuse disorder in the yr 2014. Substance corruption counseling is treated equally a specialty of counseling, given that addiction and dependence are understood widely every bit mental illnesses. Furthermore, a significant number of U.S. adults — SAMHSA estimated 7.9 1000000 — living with a substance corruption disorder too experience a mental health disorder. In ENC 551, Bradley's graduate-level substance abuse counseling grade, basic counseling interventions for prevention, remediation and handling of substance corruption are covered.Substance abuse counselors work with clients to assist them manage their addiction, explore root causes of their trouble and find strategies to aid maintain a sober lifestyle, an article on Study.com detailed. Substance abuse counselors may help clients in a one-on-1 ground or in a group format.
3. Clinical mental health counselor
   The career path that pertains most directly to the MAC CMHC program is that of clinical mental wellness counselor. As noted by journalist Jordan Meyers, writing in the Houston Chronicle, professionals in this field volition assist clients navigate a range of mental health disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. The source elaborated that mental health counselors likewise assistance clients who have experienced a traumatic incident and need help coping with the aftermath. These individuals may or may not already have a mental health disorder of some kind.Typical strategies employed include one-on-1 counseling and group piece of work. The objectives of this kind of counseling vary, contingent on the needs of the client. Even so, common goals include helping clients manage symptoms, revise their idea patterns and develop objectives for life improvement.

The Professional School Counseling (PSC) specialty track

If you have an interest in working specifically with immature people, the PSC specialty rails could be right for you. Designed to equip yous with the pedagogy and skills needed to help school students, from kindergarten through college, the PSC specialty track prepares you lot for several rewarding careers working with immature people in an educational setting. Furthermore, demand for qualified professionals in this field is expected to grow, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting that employment volition increment past virtually 8 pct past 2024.

Here are two of import career paths yous can pursue with a PSC specialty:

1. Professional schoolhouse counselor
   Every bit reported in an commodity published by Good Therapy, professional person school counselors work with students of all ages, upward until the terminal year of college, with their work touching on a number of areas. Typically, school counselors will help students with academic or personal bug, offer career counseling, provide education in social or wellness classes and act every bit a mediators during moments of crisis, whether that is with another student, a teacher or even family members. Given that the office of a schoolhouse counselor is multifaceted and challenging, you demand strong organization skills and the genuine desire to help immature people to excel in it.Bradley University's ENC 653 (professional school counseling, 1000-eight) and ENC 655 (professional school counseling in secondary schools) explains administration, finance and accountability, and knowledge and experiential skills necessary for your preparation in this field. You too will learn about the history and evolution of school counseling.
2. Career advisor
   Professionals in the career counseling field focus on helping people find suitable career paths based on their power, experience and qualifications. The job primarily involves coming together 1 on 1 with individuals to talk over career paths and so making recommendations or facilitating interviews. Counselors too may offer data on how best to construct a resume and cover letter, and help with developing interviewing skills. Career counselors are establish most commonly in academic settings, such every bit schools and colleges, although they can be found inside nonprofit organizations and fifty-fifty working independently on a freelance basis.

The benefits of online report

For decorated working professionals, a major benefit of the MAC program is that it tin can be completed online. There are a number of benefits to online report, including:

1. Flexibility
   Asynchronous learning enables individuals with busy lifestyles to eat knowledge as their schedules allow them. However, these individuals are self-monitoring and accept strong time management skills to commit to coming together academic deadlines. Foremost, online students also monitor their personal and professional development equally they larn counseling skills. These individuals are responsible to themselves for ensuring that they are indeed learning their assigned materials and seek for assistance when meeting objectives. Online students are aware that working with other students is part of online assignments and that they must respect their peers' delivery to their own education, coming together deadlines and fact-checking information to ensure they are learning according to their curriculum and their academic and professional goals. Thus, online students make themselves bachelor to encounter the asynchronous and synchronous demands requisite of their program of studies. They know that their learning cannot exist diminished to only weekends — a myth that tarnishes the reality of graduate online academic piece of work.
2. Enhanced word
   Fifty-fifty though online learning may experience more removed, it actually is possible to have more meaningful discussions in the online format. Every bit announcer Lila Romero argued, writing in U.S. News & Globe Written report, this date is because students who may not otherwise vocalize their opinions in a classroom setting volition be more than likely to in a discussion forum. In fact, in many cases, students will exist required to contribute, which ensures that every perspective and voice is heard. Conversing online also affords you the opportunity to think through your responses before posting, ensuring that the ideas you present are nuanced and worthy of word.
3. More toll effective
   As noted in an article posted by Study.com, opting to study online can be more than toll effective, given that many of the expenses associated with on-campus study are eliminated, such as commuting, living on campus, supplies and and so on.

Additional considerations

Aslope the ease afforded by online study, there are several other important reasons why Bradley University's online MAC degree could be right for you:

• Bradley'due south online MAC plan is accredited by CACREP.
• Talented faculty with extensive feel in the field of counseling teach online courses.
• The curriculum incorporates a new arroyo to counseling known as neurocounseling. This discipline blends biological science and counseling by examining means that counseling strategies tin take tangible effects on the brain. Few other universities offering a focus on this counseling emphasis, and Bradley University continues to be a leader in this form of education.
• The required practicum and internships may be completed locally, eliminating the demand for long-distance travel.
• The program prepares you for licensing eligibility upon graduation.

To acquire more about Bradley Academy'southward online MAC programme begin the application process or review the website.

Sources
http://onlinedegrees.bradley.edu/counseling/masters/
https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/basics.htm
http://www.insidejobs.com/careers/grief-counselor
http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-virtually-therapy/bug/grief
http://www.payscale.com/research/U.s./Job=Bereavement_Counselor/Salary
https://www.samhsa.gov/disorders
http://study.com/substance_abuse_counselor.html
http://world wide web.payscale.com/enquiry/U.s./Chore=Substance_Abuse_Counselor/Salary
http://piece of work.chron.com/function-mental-wellness-counselors-14837.html
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211014.htm
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/school-and-career-counselors.htm
http://report.com/benefits_of_online_learning.html
http://www.usnews.com/education/online-learning-lessons/2015/ten/16/3-academic-advantages-of-online-programs
http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/modes/school-counseling#WhatDo
http://study.com/articles/Career_Counselor_Job_Description_Duties_and_Requirements.html

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