Counselor positions often have duties that are similar to those of psychologist jobs. Counseling is seen as a subset of the field of psychology. In fact, it is the largest subspecialty. Rather than work on deep mental illnesses, counselor jobs tend to focus on helping people deal with everyday pressures and to overcome issues that affect their daily lives. These pressures and challenges might come from emotional, social, vocational, educational, health-related or developmental issues and situations. Counselors work to help people live happy, healthy and productive lives.
Counselors typically have advanced degrees in psychology or counseling, specifically if their school offered the specialty. In order to become a counseling psychologist, professionals are required to have either a Doctor of Philosophy or a Doctor of Psychology degree, or in some cases, a Doctor of Education degree. Professionals with this level of education will have more career opportunities than counselors with master's degrees, but there are plenty of counselor jobs available for those with master's degrees.
One of the most common career choices is that of a school counselor. Professional school counselors are certified or licensed educators with a minimum of a master's degree in psychology/counseling. School counselors help students focus on academic, personal, social and career development in order to achieve success in school. On a daily basis, school counselors might work with students, parents and educators in situations involving drugs or violence, academic performance concerns or college and career counseling.
Other counselor jobs include becoming case workers or child care workers who operate within the child care system to help children cope with the stress of an unstable or constantly changing home environment. In a similar way, professionals might work as a crisis counselor or rehabilitation counselor. The fields of marriage and family counseling are open to counselors, as are the roles of grief counselors and community counselors.
Counselor jobs aren't necessarily limited to job titles with the word "counselor" in them. The specific set of skills a psychology degree provides opens up a wealth of other career opportunities. Counselors would be excellent as human resource associates, hiring managers, probation officers, college admissions officers, educators and even research assistants in academic and clinical settings. Counselors have a particular insight into human behavior that translates well across many fields, and leaves the door open for many career opportunities.