What You'll Do in a School Counseling Career  Your online degree in school counseling will give you the skills to play a central role in helping this country improve its school system, one school or district at a time. In addition to leading school-wide initiatives on topics such as diversity and eco-responsibility, you'll work with teachers, staff, students and parents to aid students with learning disabilities, behavioral problems and home-life difficulties. If you work in a secondary school, you'll also spend a large portion of your time providing college application assistance and administering career assessments to sophomores, juniors and seniors.  Why School Counseling is Hot Getting an online degree in school counseling sets you up to serve as a school counselor, potentially impacting hundreds of lives each year while receiving one of the highest average counseling salaries. If you are ready to start working within the school system and advocating for student success, an online degree in school counseling will give you the skills and knowledge you need. How Long School Counseling Has Been Recognized The American Psychological Association (APA) recognized school psychology as a distinct branch of psychology as far back as 1946. They estimate that 25,000 school counselors currently help to guide students in schools throughout the country. Why Getting Your Online Degree in School Counseling is Smart Your online master's degree in school counseling will prepare you to lead students toward personal, educational, social and career success, fulfilling the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) charge to school counselors. Courses on counseling, ethics, research, assessments, cultural awareness and career development will give you the skills you need to take the lead in a learning environment. With opportunities for hands-on learning in local schools, online programs offer you the same high-quality education without the added hassle of a commute. If you are a practicing counselor, you may want to take advantage of the convenience of online education and pursue a second master's degree in school counseling. Once licensed, you'll be able to apply your current specialty to an educational environment and start earning a higher salary immediately. If upward mobility is what you're after, your best bet is to go for an online PhD in counseling psychology. With your doctorate, you can become director of a school counseling division or pursue another school administrator role, become a researcher or college professor, or even start your own practice as a counseling psychologist. Perks of a School Counseling Career In 2008 the US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that school counselors in elementary and secondary schools made the highest median wage of all studied counseling positions. At $57,800 per year, you can earn about $7,000 more than counselors with other specialties. The top 10 percent earn over $82,330 annually, so there's an even greater reason to pursue your online PhD in counseling psychology while you work. If you'd like to take a personal approach to the much-needed educational overhaul starting to take shape among America's schools, school counseling may be the hot career for you.  Red Hot Online Psychology Degrees Home
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