Is becoming a mental health counselor right for me?
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How to become a Mental Health Counselor
A master’s degree in counseling is required. A bachelor’s degree in most fields is acceptable to enter a master’s-level program.
Counseling programs prepare students to recognize symptoms of mental and emotional disorders and to use effective counseling strategies. Specific programs, such as marriage and family therapy programs, teach students about how marriages, families, and relationships function and how they affect mental and emotional disorders. Both programs typically require a period of supervised experience, such as an internship.
Mental health counselors must be licensed. Licensure requires a master’s degree and 2,000 to 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience.