Counselor Job Description

A lot of mental health disorders such as phobias, manias, anxiety disorders, etc., cannot be treated completely by medications. People require counseling and support from someone to get rid of these disorders. Also, people suffering from certain eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia also require counseling. Counselors are the healthcare professionals who use various methods to analyze the problems of the patients and provide effective solutions for them. Medications are used to very less extent in this type of treatment and more stress is given on building confidence and positive body image in the minds of the patients. Counselors exchange ideas and opinions from the patients and use various psychological methods in the treatment. They treat patients of all age groups and they have to apply different methods of treatment depending upon the age of the patient and their disorder. To know more about the counselor job description, read below.

Duties and Responsibilities of a Counselor:

The main responsibility of a counselor is to help the patient cure disease. To treat the disease, counselors provide step-by-step treatment to the patients. Here are some of the duties of the counselors:

A counselor is engaged in face-to-face discussion with the patient where he analyzes the problem of the patient and its severity
He also takes help of the family members of the patient and collects entire history of the patient
They analyze this data to find out the factors that are responsible for the mental illness
They apply various psychological treatment methods such as CBT (Conjugative Behavioral Therapy) to help the patients fight against the stimuli causing these diseases
They also help the patients in creating a positive body image and increase their confidence levels
Treatments given for mental illnesses are prolonged and relapse is very common in these cases so these counselors also provide treatment to prevent relapse
They are required to keep a track of the progress of their patients and make changes in the treatment process if the patient is not responding positively
Some senior counselors also arrange sessions in schools, colleges, companies and communities on demand

Skills Required in Counselors:

They should be able to easily connect with people with profound communication skills
They should have a constructive approach towards the patients and should be good listeners
They should have ability to maintain confidentiality of the information collected from the patients and their families
Counselors should be good analyzers and should have good observations skills
Profound written communication skills are also essential
Should posses ability to tackle complicated issues with an ease and should be comfortable dealing with patients of all age groups
Willingness, patience, positive attitude, politeness are some of the other skills that are required in counselors

Educational Qualifications of Counselors:

Counselors either require a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in counseling, mental health or social work. It takes minimum four years to complete a bachelor's degree and it takes about 2-3 years to complete a master's degree. Internships or on-job training will also help you in this career. If you have experience, you may get to work at higher position.

Compensation or Salaries Paid for Counselors:

The salaries vary largely depending upon the experience, state and many other circumstances. Average salary paid to a counselor is $45,000 per year. Some counselors even earn more than this while some are paid less.

Some senior counselors even arrange group therapy sessions individually. Hope the counselor job description given here helped you understand the job profile of a counselor.