Guides to Counseling Careers & Other Resources

Mental health internships offer students the opportunity to learn hands-on clinical skills in various settings. Most graduate-level psychology programs require students to complete a practicum and an internship experience prior to graduation.

Rather than being motivated by self-referral, mandated clients do not choose to go into counseling and often must report their progress to a third party. Mandatory or court-ordered treatment areas can range from alcohol or substance use disorders, protective services cases, sex offenses, or anger management.

Older adults can face significant mental health challenges, in part due to social isolation and its effects. Recent CDC data show that older adults, especially those aged 75 and older, experience some of the highest suicide rates of any age group.

As a counselor, you hope to have a good ending in which the therapist and client have a final session to say goodbye and discuss aftercare plans. This is not always the case. To increase the odds of a good ending, termination must be discussed throughout the counseling process, starting at the first session.

Counselors use nonverbal communication in spaces of silence or as the client is talking. When counselors demonstrate attentiveness nonverbally, it creates a safe space for clients to explore their inner thoughts and feelings.

Libraries worldwide contain dusty manuscripts detailing the finer points of cultural etiquette. While most of these antiquated manuals have been retired to the shelf, contemporary society still maintains unwritten codes of conduct with the pressure of social performance.

Whether it’s studied as part of a broader foundational degree, or through a specialized certificate program, life transitions counseling is an important skill for anyone working in mental health, but some careers focus on it more specifically.

Studies have consistently shown the mediating impact social support and LGBTQ+ community connection have on mental health for sexual and gender minorities. When they’re loved and accepted, they thrive. When they’re outcast and oppressed, negative messages start to get internalized.

As the need for diversely skilled mental health professionals continues to grow, counselors are increasingly being recognized and celebrated for their role in supporting the mental healthcare needs of the public. New movements and regulatory changes are being introduced to make way for the future of the modern counselor.

Ethical non-monogamy, also called consensual non-monogamy, is an umbrella term for all the safe and consenting relationships beyond monogamy. This includes a spectrum of polysexual relationships with more than one sexual partner, and polyamorous relationships, which have more than one romantic partner.