Mental health professionals play a crucial role in helping individuals overcome challenges and lead fulfilling lives. However, many traditional approaches to mental health focus solely on the mind, neglecting the body and spirit. If you're interested in becoming a mental health professional with a holistic perspective, continue reading.
Counseling psychology assists people in improving their well-being, resolves conflicts, and aids to increase their overall quality of life. Counseling psychology is performed by using culturally-informed and sensitive practices and focuses on normative life-span development, with emphasis on prevention and education. It addresses individuals as well as the environments in which they function.
Counseling psychology explores how others function and addresses various mental and physical challenges, such as PTSD, anxiety, alcoholism, trauma, addiction and depression.
Mental health counselors play a vital role in helping individuals overcome mental health challenges and achieve whole-person wellness. They take an integrated approach to healing the mind, exploring both spiritual and psychological factors to help patients break free from destructive behaviors and enjoy an improved mental state. Below are some of the skills necessary to become a mental health counselor.
Becoming a licensed mental health counselor requires a lot of work and dedication. Below are the steps needed to become a mental health professional.
Firstly, obtain your bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as psychology or sociology. A bachelor’s degree provides a foundation of knowledge in human behavior and prepares you for more advanced studies in mental health counseling.
Next, earn your master’s degree in mental health counseling or a related field. A master’s degree program provides in-depth knowledge and training in counseling theories, techniques and ethics. This degree is required for licensure as a mental health counselor.
If you are interested in pursuing a career with a whole-person, holistic perspective, consider earning your degree from a school that focuses on the overall wellbeing of clients, such as Bastyr University.
We offer a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a focus on holistic mental health. This program provides students with the intrapersonal skills necessary to pursue counseling in a holistic manner, with an emphasis on whole-person care.
While completing your education, you must also complete supervised clinical experience. This is a crucial step in developing your counseling skills and preparing you for a career as a mental health counselor.
At Bastyr, we offer a hands-on experience at our own clinic, where students can put their skills to the test in a real-world, supervised setting. Students are guided by experienced mental health professionals and gain excellent practice in basic counseling and assessment skills, providing a wonderful foundation for their career.
Finally, the last step in becoming a licensed mental health counselor is to pass licensing exams. The requirements for licensure vary by state, but generally involve passing a national exam and completing a certain number of supervised hours of clinical experience.
Becoming a mental health professional requires a lot of work, dedication and time. However, it is an extremely rewarding profession. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in a related field, like the BS in Health Psychology degree at Bastyr, earning a master’s degree in mental health counseling, like our MA in Counseling Psychology, completing supervised clinical experience, and passing licensing exams are all crucial steps in preparing for a career in mental health counseling.
If you are passionate about helping others and committed to making a difference in the mental health field, becoming a mental health professional focused on holistic and whole-person wellbeing may be the perfect fit for you.
Are you interested in learning more about our MA in Counseling Psychology?
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