Beyond Agency Work as a Counselor

Self-Reflection, Research & Planning

The first part of the journey begins with why you desire a change. You want to be clear about your motivation and which direction you want to take in your career. 

To find out more about your career choice, do some research. Get in touch with and talk to other counselors who have started a private practice or a consultation business, or those who began teaching, speaking, or writing. Learn about the day-to-day responsibilities and challenges of the business. Reaching out to others early in your career exploration helps build a strong support network for you in the long run.

Once you have decided on a new path, set some clear and achievable goals. What do you want to accomplish in the next three to six months?

Although there is greater freedom and autonomy in starting your own business, you must also consider start-up expenses and ongoing costs. Some of these expenses include renting an office space, buying office equipment and furniture, and obtaining insurance. It is a good idea to set aside money before starting your own business. Saving three to six months or more of salary can be a good cushion. This money helps decrease the financial pressure you experience when beginning a new business. You may need to consider part-time work to supplement your income.

Recognize that embarking on a new career involves facing uncertainty, fear, and doubt. It feels scary to make a change. Be prepared to face and work through these emotions. If you need additional support, seek out counseling.

The Counselor as Consultant

A consultant is hired to help organizations or communities with professional advice and counseling expertise for a specific situation. Their work is often found in hospitals, schools, community organizations, businesses, or governments.

Consultants help groups or individuals learn about mental health wellness programs, perform crisis intervention, improve interpersonal communication within a business, or add a new perspective. At times, consultants may be utilized to work with individual employees, offering counseling. Even when working individually, their goal is to address systemic or organizational difficulties. They conduct assessments, develop treatment plans, offer counseling, strategies, and advice to improve mental health and achieve organizational goals.

Become A Teacher

Counselors often don’t realize that a part of the work of counseling is teaching and modeling behaviors. You have already been teaching your clients through psychoeducation, which involves educating them about their behavior, diagnosis, and treatment.

Counselors have many opportunities to become professors at local colleges and universities. Those with a master’s degree can teach at some community colleges or undergraduate programs, while those with doctoral degrees can teach at the master or doctorate level. Classes include introductory psychology, abnormal psychology, and others. Look at college job listings around your area for opportunities and have a current resume ready to submit.

Many high schools offer education and enrichment courses to adults eighteen years and older. Counselors can explore creating their own course and teaching at an adult community education program. 

Counselors become continuing education presenters who teach at live conferences. If you possess strong public speaking skills and a passion for teaching counseling topics, this job may be a great fit for you. You can present to other professionals, including counselors. To teach effectively, you will need to develop a program, slides, and relevant materials.

Professional Speaking

Counselors are asked to speak at national conferences or they can apply to become a speaker at an event, to talk about a counseling topic. Counselors also hold talks at local libraries, nursing homes or assisted living facilities, or hospitals. Often a counselor submits a proposal to be considered for an event. If the proposal is accepted, a contract is issued.

Some speaking opportunities are paid, while others are unpaid. Unpaid speaking events offer other benefits such as marketing your business, connecting to potential clients, or other speaking events.   

A speaker discusses a range of mental health issues and wellness topics. Consider your audience when selecting a topic and theme for the event or conference. Allow yourself sufficient time to practice your speech before delivering it. Consider asking a fellow counselor to critique your performance.

An Expert Writer

Many counselors do not consider themselves writers. Yet, counselors write progress notes, intake assessments, evaluations, and more. Writing in an objective, clinical manner comes naturally for some counselors, while others require a little more practice. This makes writing a part of the professional counselor’s job.

If you’re interested in writing, consider sharing your expertise with others through articles and books. Look for magazines that cater to your ideal clients and contact their editorial team to inquire about their submission guidelines and article acceptance policies. This is one way to establish yourself as an expert counselor.

At the beginning of your writing career, you may need to write articles for free. These articles can bring in future clients and opportunities. After you have several articles published, develop a writing portfolio that features all your publications. The more you write, the more opportunities you will have.

Counselors are responsible for writing continuing education units. All counselors are required to maintain and dedicate a certain number of hours to professional training and development. Some of this training is online courses or written materials. Visit the website of continuing education companies and inquire about their writers’ guidelines. The writer’s guidelines will outline what each company is looking for.  Some companies pay the counselor a lump sum for the training, while others get paid monthly depending on the number of purchases made. Most companies require the topic idea to be presented in the form of a proposal. When the proposal is accepted, a contract will be issued.