Counseling Career Opportunities

Educational, vocational, and school counselors work primarily in elementary and secondary schools and colleges and universities. Other types of counselors work in a wide variety of public and private establishments, including health care facilities; job training, career development, and vocational rehabilitation centers; social agencies; correctional institutions; and residential care facilities, such as halfway houses for criminal offenders and group homes for children, the elderly, and the disabled. Some substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors work in therapeutic communities where addicts live while undergoing treatment. Counselors also work in organizations engaged in community improvement and social change and work as well in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and State and local government agencies. A growing number of counselors are self-employed and working in group practices or private practice. This growth has been helped by laws allowing counselors to receive payments from insurance companies and the growing recognition that counselors are well-trained professionals.

Rehabilitation counseling is a profession experiencing significant growth. It is estimated that more than 49 million Americans have a disability which prevents them from achieving personal or vocational independence. Every state in the U.S. has a public vocational rehabilitation program. Each year, nearly one million people with disabilities are helped by public rehabilitation agencies to become working, productive, independent members of society. Many more professional rehabilitation counselors are needed to meet the demand for rehabilitation counseling services. Additionally, rehabilitation counselors enjoy increasing opportunities for employment in a wide variety of settings, including: hospitals, mental health facilities, substance abuse treatment centers, correctional facilities, rehabilitation centers, private rehabilitation programs, public and private rehabilitation centers, and geriatric agencies and facilities serving older adults.