I am interested in becoming a counselor. I used to work in
a psychiatric hospital and loved it. I enjoy being a
teacher. I would be happy as either a therapist or an
educator. I would like to do things in a way that
qualifies me for both. I live in MD and do know what I
need to become a school counselor and an LCPC (Licensed
Clinical Professional Counselor). However, I don't know
the job market that well.
My original thought was a 48credit MA program in school
counseling. Then, to get the additional 12 credits I'd
need for my LCPC I'd take a 15 credit Clinical Counseling
certificate at Hopkins. That way, I'd be qualified for
school counseling (most school counseling jobs actually pay
better than mental health counseling jobs) AND for mental
health work. I'd work as a school counselor during the day
and do mental health work part-time in the evening. Once I
had the experience to get my license I'd consider either
staying with that combination, or getting a private
practice started.
However, my concern is that when I worked at the psych
hospital they looked down on any degree with "school" in
front of it. For instance, a school psychologist with a
Ph.D. and their state license is a fully qualified
psychologist who is qualified to work in any setting any
other psychologist may work (school, counseling and
clinical psychology are considered the three fields
within "professional psychology"). However, the reaction
to the hospital staff about any school psychologists
working there was "this is a hospital, not a school".
So, I am concerned that I may be at a disadvantage for non-
school counseling jobs if the degree is in school
counseling no matter what certificates and licenses I pick
up later.
I've started considering going for a clinical counseling or
mental health counseling degree and then take a CAGS/Ed.S.
in school counseling to enable me to be qualified for
either type of position. It may take a bit more
coursework, but if it was the best way to get where I
wanted to go, it may be worth it. However, I read that in
many states there is already many more school counselors
applying than there are positions. My concern is that they
may use the degree outside school counseling as a way to
weed me out of the running just to pare things down a bit.
So, has anyone out there used their school counseling
degree and additional coursework to obtain therapist
positions? Has the degree been a hinderance when applying
for positions? Also, has anyone used a mental
health/community/clinical counseling degree and additional
coursework to obtain a school counseling position? Has
that degree been a hinderance when applying for positions?
I thank you in advance for your help.
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