Guides to Counseling Careers & Other Resources

In the field today, there is an observable stratum of allies, yet their dedication to this goal varies a great deal, as does their level of skill, training, and overall experience. For this reason, it’s worth noting the distinct strengths and potential limitations of allied counselors, affirmative counselors, gender specialists, sex therapists, and LGBTQ+ counselors.

Recent acts of racism and discrimination have opened simmering mental health wounds and further amplified the stress minorities face on a daily basis. The Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, George Floyd’s brutal murder, and the proliferation of anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic are just a few examples.

Cultural competence was introduced in the 1980s by social workers and counseling psychologists as an approach to working successfully in multicultural contexts. Primarily concerned with learning about the cultures of those with whom we live and work through the examination of behaviors, attitudes, and policies, cultural competence was embraced by the healthcare community and has been used widely throughout the industry.

Wages for counselors vary widely based on the type of counseling services offered, the level of education, and more.

One of the most effective tools you will use, as a counselor, is your self-awareness. In a therapeutic session, this perspective allows the counselor to question his or her own thoughts, feelings, and biases. Without this process, counselors may react to their own and their client’s subconscious programming.

As always, clients should be encouraged to ask questions, yet due to the long history of discrimination, LGBTQ+ individuals may have some unique concerns pertaining to their privacy, emotional safety, and legal rights.

Around eight million Americans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

On July 12, 2012, the United Nations established March 20th as the International Day of Happiness.

There is no formal training on how to deal with client loss. If you are a counselor long enough, you will face a client’s death.

The last 12 months have devastated America’s mental health. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, one in five adults in the US had experienced mental illness in the last year. Since then, the rate has increased to an estimated one in three. Racial and socioeconomic inequality in policy and practice exacerbate the issue further: today, only one in three Black adults with mental health issues receives care.