A college counsellor is an individual who works in a school with the responsibility of guiding students in personal and academic issues. College counsellors are very important in a school environment because today, students are struggling mentally and academically, mostly due to family issues. The primary goal of college counsellors is to help. If this is a career path you’re considering, then you might be wondering what Degree you would need to be a college counselor. Let’s start with What Degree Do You Need To Be A College Counsellor?
To be a certified college counselor, you need to acquire degrees in behavioral Fields such as psychology, sociology, etc.
Degrees you need:
Psychology
To be a college counselor, a degree in psychology is essential because it is the in-depth study of the mind. It involves the study of the human mind, emotions, reasoning, and the responsive and unresponsive part of the mind. It is a broad field as the human mind is very complex.
This Degree would help you understand people better. In this way, you’d know how to help them. It would help you understand yourself and others better, helping you develop insights into mental illness. You would learn to communicate better, and the degree complements other areas of study such as physiology, law, etc.
Sociology:
According to the Oxford dictionary, sociology is the study of the growth and operation of human society. It is the study of how we interact, how we respond in certain situations, and how different social groups come together. Not only that, it is the study of problems in society and how we react to these problems. It also helps you understand people in a larger setting.
When studying sociology, you will begin to understand social action, the social nature of people, human interaction, etc.
Behaviorism:
Behaviorism is the methodical study of human conduct. It is an effort to grasp the behavior of humans. Behaviorism is grounded on the ideology that behaviors are acquired through orientation, per his interaction with the environment. This means that humans acquire behavioral attributes through interaction with the environment and the impact of that interaction.
With behaviorism, you can define and measure changes in a person’s behavior.
Psychiatry:
Psychiatry is the science that deals with the diagnosis, management, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders. These include various abnormalities associated with behaviour, temper, and perception. A degree in psychiatry would take you a step further as a medical doctor. With this, you can learn to relate with your patient students. You can work in different sectors etc.
Behavioural neuroscience:
Behavioral neuroscience involves the use of the concept of biology to assert the genetic and physiological development of the conduct of humans and other animals. It entails the analysis of how the connection between humans and the environment is formulated, modified, and sustained as a result of the brain and nervous system.
Studying behavioural neuroscience would help you evaluate, understand, enhance, predict and control human behaviour to evaluate your patient student’s cases. With one or more of the degrees above, you can build a career as a college counselor. Let’s take an in-depth look into an important part of being a college counselor; counselling.
Counseling:
Counseling involves advising people in different areas of their lives. It involves listening, understanding, and helping the patients make better decisions. As earlier mentioned, this is generally what college counselors do for students. Counselors, however, are not restricted to just students but people at large. Here are three types of counseling:
Behavioural Counselling:
This is for patients struggling with eating disorders, anxiety, or panic attacks. Counselors here guide patients by changing their behavior to cancel out these unwanted characteristics.
Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytic:
This involves completely diving into the client’s mind to fully understand him or her. The goal is to help patients become aware of the various parts of their minds, trauma, and certain events they may have buried.
Humanistic Counselling:
This examines how the patient experiences certain events and the feelings they are attached to.
College Counsellor’s Role in Schools
A college counselor is expected to:
- Observe the student’s potential and academic progress.
- Teach students and parents how to overcome the difficulties involved in college admissions.
- Teach students how to pursue scholarships.
- Encourage students to prepare adequately, and apply to schools that are a good fit for them.
- Work with students with diverse needs and backgrounds.
Benefits of being a college counselor:
- You are secure in your position.
- You have a regular work schedule.
- As a college counselor, you get to have the summers off, and you can go on vacation or learn a new skill.
- You have diverse responsibilities.
- You have a lot of interactions with students’ parents and other staff members, which means it is not a boring career choice.
Top Colleges for degrees in Behavioral Fields:
- Harvard
- University of Southern California
- Trevecca Nazarene University
- Brown University
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Johns Hopkins University
- University of Texas Austin
- Clemson University
- Whitman College
- Franklin and Marshall College
Conclusion
This is some of the information you’d need to get started on your path to being a college counselor. You’d need to acquire a degree in one or more of the studies mentioned, and most importantly, check if college counseling is the career for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What skills do you need to be a college counselor?
College counselors need to have the desire to help, must be critical thinkers, must be good listeners, etc.
What are some other career choices for college counselors?
College counselors can also be financial advisors, academic advisors, and guidance counselors.
Do I need to have a good reputation for being a college counselor?
Generally, yes. With a good reputation, your employer and students would look up to you.
As a college counselor, do my students need to trust me?
Yes, students will be taking advice from you; they need to trust you to be able to do that.