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If you’re someone who likes problem solving and enjoys
helping people, you might find you are a good candidate to
work as a marriage counselor. Whether you decide to work from
a private practice, large employer or social service agency,
you may find that there many benefits to this line of work.
From reasonable pay, the ability to work for yourself, or
the fulfillment you find in your work, there are many reasons
why you might want to consider a role as a marriage counselor.
Type of Work
As a marriage counselor, you will likely find yourself working
with couples and individuals on a variety of issues. You won’t
just be dealing with husbands and wives who can’t seem
to get along. There is a multitude of other issues that can
work themselves into the sessions of a marriage counselor.
These might include the passing of a spouse, drug use or abuse,
depression, and similar or related issues. This can mean that
your daily or weekly schedule isn’t comprised of just
listening to people complain about one another. Instead, you
might find people with a variety of interesting issues that
you can use your background knowledge, education, and understanding
of people to help better cope with their or their spouse’s
problems.
Helping Others
The great part, and possibly the hardest part of being a marriage
counselor, is that while you are helping others with their
problems, they may be depending on you to resolve these same
issues. If or when you successfully guide a patient or patients
to a resolution to his or her conflict, it can be a highly
fulfilling experience and may cause you to remember exactly
why you chose this line of work. Seeing a couple reunited
after marital strife, seek substance abuse treatment, deal
with the mental scars of an abusive relationship, and even
part ways in an amicable manner, can be the real compensation
for a career as a marriage counselor.
Fulfillment…or lack thereof
As a counselor however, you must be prepared to encounter
situations that are not easily solved, may take weeks or months
to work though, and may never be completely resolved. This
aspect of the work however, can be the motivator to push yourself
to succeed and work harder to education yourself on new and
expanding methods of treatment. Not every session or even
every day will be a resounding success when it comes to solving
other peoples’ problems. You won’t be some kind
of magical miracle worker that is able to snap his or her
fingers together and create a solution to issues that may
have been brewing for years.
Pay
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were
approximately 27,300 marriage and family counselors in the
labor market as of 2008 and that “A growing number of
counselors are self-employed and work in group practices or
private practice…” The employment prospects for
counselors are positive, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics
projecting an 18% increase in overall employment for counselors
between 2008 and 2018. The median pay for marriage counselors
and family therapists in May 2008 was $44,590 although pay
and benefits can vary greatly between members of private practice
and those working through services or institutions.
Many schools offer programs in marriage and family therapy,
and it's even possible to earn your master's or doctorate
in marriage counseling through an online college. For a list
of schools, check out the Marriage
Counseling Schools directory to see what's
available.
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