How to Become a Counselor?

Do you enjoy guiding people to live a positive and impactful life? Do you find happiness in helping people express their feelings? Do you love to solve the problems of others? Well, if you answered ‘yes’ to all or any of the above questions, then a career in counselling may just be your calling. A counselor works on providing guidance/support to people who are facing emotional, personal, professional, lifestyle or relationship difficulties in their life. Concisely, a counselor devises solutions and acts as a facilitator to help people achieve their goals and live a happy life. Read through the blog to know how to become a counselor.

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Step 1: Earn a Bachelors degree

The primary step in your journey of how to become a counselor is earning a bachelors degree in Psychology like BA Psychology or BSc Psychology or related fields. The above-mentioned course can equip you with the foundational knowledge of the field. If you are planning to study abroad these leading courses, you need to abide by the following eligibility criteria

• Usual formal schooling of 10+2 with Science, Commerce or Arts Stream
• A lucrative score in language proficiency tests like IELTS, TOEFL etc
• LORs (Letter of Recommendation) and SOP (Statement of Purpose) will help you create a promising impression on the admission authorities

Once you fulfil the above-mentioned requirements, you can easily seek admission in the popular programs of abroad. A plethora of Psychology courses is offered by many institutions along with variants of this field which will help you gather insights to the domain in a duration of 3-4 years. Stop wondering about how to become a counselor and go through the below-mentioned courses which will help you seek quality education and get a step closer towards your career aspirations.

BSc Cognitive Sciences	BSc Forensic Psychology	BSc Social Psychology
BSc Business Psychology	BA  Developmental Studies	BSc Health Behaviours Science

You must thoroughly research about the university, as the right institution will avail a plethora of opportunities to capture. Here is a list of universities where you can study the above-mentioned courses: 

• University of Auckland
• University of Zurich
• University of Warwick
• Harvard University
• Trinity College Dublin
• Stanford University
• The University of British Columbia
• McGill University
• Yale University
• University of Amsterdam
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Step 2: Get Work Experience 

After securing an undergraduate degree you must strive to furnish your theoretical knowledge through practical industry experience. Once again the degree from an esteemed institution, you can easily find an internship through which you can learn the core fundamentals of the field. You can acquire an entry-level job directly under a full-time counsellor wherein you can polish your freshly acquired skills into full-time practice. Gaining full-time practical experience is an important step to climb in your journey of how to become a counselor, as it helps you gain the right amount of exposure required for pursuing a masters degree.

Step 3: Grab A Masters Degree

Dwelling upon your long term career prospects, you must choose a specialization wisely.A multitude of postgraduate under Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Science (MSc) available entering which you can add a feather to your hat as well as it will level up your expertise and will equip with the intricacies of the domain. To end all your queries about how to become a counselor, some famous specializations are Counselling Psychology, Community Psychology, Neuropsychology, Organisational Behaviour, Industrial Psychology etc  As a part of eligibility criteria, the candidates must have an undergraduate degree with a minimum of 1-2 years of work experience in the relevant field. Following are some of the popular postgraduate courses:

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MA Psychology	MSc Psychology	MA Counselling Psychology
MSc Organizational Behaviour	MSc Behavioural Science	Master of Psychology
MSc Developmental Psychopathology	MSc Clinical Psychology	MSc Behaviour Science

Step 4: Get your License and Pursue PhD 

Your career as a counsellor will kick start once you acquire an authorized license in the field ending all your dilemma about how to become a counsellor! Once you attain the legal certification or license, you are all set to practice this profession independently. You can also qualify the state examination or the National Counselor Examination (NCE). Apart from this, if you possess an MSc degree, you may qualify the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE).  If your interest lies in academia, doctorate degree would be the best option!

Thus, we hope that this blog about how to become a counsellor has provided you with ample information to establish your career in this field. Reach out to our  Leverage Edu experts and they will help you select the best program and university along with a smooth hassle-free entry into your dream university.