Ready for a rewarding change? A counseling career could be the perfect fit.

Whether you want to work in education or personal development, help with relationships or health services, there are options available to you for a career in counseling. People with a variety of degrees and many different interests often turn to a counseling career when they’re ready for a rewarding change. Here are some of the most popular and rewarding careers for a professional who is interested in counseling (don’t have a bachelor’s degree? Here’s why a counseling degree could be the perfect fit).

School Counselor
As a counselor at school, you’ll help students at various stages in their lives. For an elementary school counselor, you’ll need additional certification for childhood development to be able to provide care and support to students who may not be able to express themselves in the same way that an older student or adult can. You’ll help children with social and developmental problems and help serve as a mediator for conflicts between kids, and help them to learn how to prevent disruptive or violent behaviors as they grow older.

For a counselor in a high school, you’ll help students in personal ways as well as help them to create their course schedule to plan for their lives after they receive their diploma. Helping a student understand their options is extremely important, and providing them with the tools to decide if they’d like to pursue higher education or move into the workforce is one of the largest responsibilities of a high school counselor.

Marriage/Family Counselor
As a marriage counselor you’ll help loved ones better understand each other. For those who feel they are growing apart, have communication issues, intimacy problems, you’ll help them to try to resolve these and other personal problems. As a neutral third party, you’ll be able to bring a rational and unbiased perspective and hopefully bring clarity to the relationship.

As a family counselor, you can also help children who may need support in dealing with behavioral problems or a parent who has substance abuse issues. Counselors can help children to cope with difficult home environments while providing an outlet for them to speak and be heard. These relationships with children will help them to better understand their families and their place or role within them.

Grief Counselor
Grief counselors provide support to patients who are dealing with the death of a loved one or other traumatic life events. They typically work in places like hospitals, funeral homes, churches, or other locations where people are coping with the recent or impending death or injury of a person who is important to them. This type of counseling can be a one-time session or can be long-term counseling for those who need extended assistance. Grief counselors help patients to understand their emotions, manage their grief or trauma, and ultimately will try to help them find solace or resolution to their loss. Grief counselors can also mediate group sessions for victims or survivors of various tragedies or illnesses to try to help them cope with the event or loss.

Domestic Violence Counselors
A domestic violence counselor focuses on those who have been victimized or abused. Survivors can work with counselors to develop skills and confidence to overcome their negative experiences to live their lives more safely. Domestic violence counselors try to help curtail the cycle of domestic violence to help victims develop the right tools to avoid becoming perpetrators. Counselors also help individuals to identify and report abusive behaviors and give tools and outlets to help victims to develop healthy relationships after their abuse. Counselors can work with individuals one-on-one or group sessions or support groups to provide victims the support they need.

The Wrap-Up
Counseling is a career path available to people with a variety of bachelor’s degrees. Your state may require an additional certification or course, but most counseling jobs require only a bachelor degree to start. If these careers seem interesting to you, look up your state’s qualification requirements to get started!