What does a counselor do?

What is a Counselor?

Are you interested in becoming a counselor? There are various avenues available to you in this field.

A counselor provides support services, counseling services, and/or rehabilitation services within diverse community settings. Their duties vary, depending on where they work and the particular specialty they've chosen to be in.

A counselor may be faced with all sorts of situations involving addictions, trauma, disabilities, career counseling, academic counseling, mental health issues, family problems, and employment needs.

Duration 15 months
Part-time available
Tuition $2,492/credit hour
Format 100% online

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The following are various types of counselors. Click on each type to learn what they do.

Career Counselor
A career counselor is trained to help people with their career choice decisions.

Credit Counselor
A credit counselor acts on behalf of a debtor to negotiate with creditors, in order to resolve debt that is beyond a debtor's ability to pay.

Drug & Alcohol Counselor
A drug and alcohol counselor is a trained professional who works with addicts to help them better understand and overcome their addictions.

Rehabilitation Counselor
A rehabilitation counselor helps individuals cope with how their disabilities have affected them as they relate to independent living.

Mental Health Counselor
A mental health counselor helps people manage or overcome mental and emotional disorders and issues with their family and relationships.

School Counselor
A school counselor helps students develop social skills in order to succeed in school.

Marriage Therapist
A marriage therapist helps couples who are experiencing marital issues that need to be resolved.

Genetic Counselor
A genetic counselor has specialized training in medical genetics and counseling, and helps individuals understand the ways genetics can affect life.

Are you suited to be a counselor?

Counselors have distinct personalities. They tend to be social individuals, which means they’re kind, generous, cooperative, patient, caring, helpful, empathetic, tactful, and friendly. They excel at socializing, helping others, and teaching. Some of them are also artistic, meaning they’re creative, intuitive, sensitive, articulate, and expressive.

Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if counselor is one of your top career matches.

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What is the workplace of a Counselor like?

Counselors work in a variety of places, depending on their specialty. They can be found in hospitals, in private practice, within the legal system or education system, or in group homes.