Counseling Programs

Counseling is a specialty within psychology that covers evaluation, counseling practice, research, supervision and instruction. Counseling PhD programs study the development of both normal emotional difficulties and abnormal disorders in human experiences such as social groups, individuals, families and in formal organizations.

Counseling professionals help individuals cope with everyday issues, major crises and long-term emotional or mental challenges. Counselors strive to improve well-being, help maladjustment and relieve stress. They may help individuals with career planning or provide family and marriage counseling. If psychological disorders become apparent, they may refer the individual to a clinical psychologist because counseling PhD programs typically have a limited amount of coursework in clinical psychology.

What A Person Can Learn In A Counseling PhD Program

Individuals that wish to obtain a counseling PhD can expect to have a main core of classes that focus on psychology along with classes that specialize in counseling.

The core classes usually cover a broad spectrum of psychology including the following:

• Developmental Psychology
• Experimental Design
• Abnormal Psychology
• History and Systems of Psychology
• Memory and Cognition
• Physiological Psychology
• Organizational Psychology
• Psychology Measurement and Tests
• Psychology of the Learning Process
• Theories of Personality
• Social Psychology

Some of the specialty classes for counseling may include:

• Human diversity
• Cognitive origins of behavior
• Interventions
• Family, social, individual and organization systems
• Research and statistics
• Assessment
• Multicultural concerns
• Biological origins of behavior
• Psychological testing
• Psychopathology

If you are considering obtaining a counseling PhD degree, you should anticipate taking 4 to 5 years to complete the doctoral program beyond your baccalaureate degree.

Various Doctorate Degrees In Counseling

You can choose from several variations of counseling doctorate degrees including:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling PhD degree
• Doctor of Psychology PsyD degree
• Doctor of Education EdD degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling PhD Degree

A Doctor of Philosophy PhD is a standard psychology program that focuses equally on clinical training and research. This PhD program is provided by a traditional university. The PhD Programs stress a greater amount of research study. The competition for this degree is high. Some schools only choose up to 10 students each year.

Doctor of Psychology PsyD Degree

A PsyD doctoral degree in psychology is a recent addition in professional counseling degrees. Universities and colleges that specialize in psychology offer this program. A Psychology PsyD program focuses on counseling subjects and provides a minimum amount of coursework in research training. Students can enter into a PsyD program more easily than a PhD program because there is less competition.

Doctor of Education EdD Degree

An EdD doctoral degree is usually provided by a university department of education. This program emphasizes educational counseling and basic psychology coursework. A degree in Counseling Psychology is a sub-category within a Doctor of Education degree. This program stands out from the PhD and the PsyD because it allows EdD graduates that obtain a counseling license to practice psychotherapy.

What is Required To Be Accepted Into a Counseling PhD Program?

Before a person can enroll in this PhD program, they need to have completed a master’s degree in psychology. Alternatively, a person may be able to extend the PhD program an additional year in order to obtain a master’s degree within the first year of the doctoral program.

A doctoral committee can often be more receptive to an applicant that shows a sincere dedication to the program’s mission of improving social and individual well-being. In addition, the applicant should have reasonable graduate and undergraduate grades, average to excellent GRE scores and a written description of their long-term goals. Other important prerequisites include:

• Previous experience in situations that required counseling abilities
• Research experience
• Letters of recommendation and
• Samples of the applicant’s writing.

What Online Doctoral School Programs May Offer

Online doctorate school programs in counseling are similar to campus-based programs in duration and curriculum. It also may require 4 to 5 years to complete an online program after an individual has obtained a baccalaureate degree. The online coursework and group participation are not radically different from the campus-based programs as well.

For example, an online doctoral degree program in counseling psychology also requires a student to participate in groups, classes and seminars. The key difference is that the sessions are held online. However, some distance-learning programs require periodic attendance at seminars or orientation sessions scheduled at a central campus. A student in a doctoral counseling program needs to complete an internship and clinical service to qualify to be licensed.

In order to compete a PhD program, a student is required to create an independent research project that is centered on finding out if a particular theory may be true. Once the project is finished, the student needs to prepare a written dissertation based on how the results of the research proved that the theory is true.

Typical Online Counseling Doctorate Program Courses

Students enrolling in online doctoral counseling degrees can expect to take courses in cultural and ethical concerns relating to counseling, intervention programs, theories in addictions and counseling methods. Other subjects often cover:

• Group therapy
• Family counseling
• Marriage counseling
• Adolescent counseling
• Childhood counseling
• Addiction counseling
• Recovery techniques
• Social concerns in addiction

The courses are often presented through online videos, live webcams and other computerized applications.

The research, statistics and the dissertation for the counseling doctoral degree can be performed independently and may be submitted online. Individuals that graduate are required to pass a state exam for licensing in order to be permitted to perform counseling services to the public.

Online Schools That Offer PhD Counseling Programs

Here are several online schools that provide accredited counseling PhD programs.

General Counseling Studies

This counseling doctoral program provides coursework in advanced research, counseling methods and theory. The general counseling studies program may include counseling methods for addictive and compulsive and behaviors, grief and bereavement, geriatric mental health and child and adolescent issues.

Walden University

155 5th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55401-2511
Toll-Free: 1-866-492-5336
www.waldenu.edu

Walden offers a PhD degree in counseling through a specialized counseling psychology program. Students can study multicultural counseling, cognitive psychology, research design, interviewing and observational strategies along with numerous other related subjects. Dissertation research, field practice and internship experience courses are also provided. Students can partake in professional development and personal state licensure planning classes as well.

This PhD counseling program is designed to prepare individuals to work as licensed counseling psychologists that specialize in helping individuals maintain healthy relationships, functional lifestyles and satisfying careers.

Offline Counseling PhD School Programs

The following offline school counseling PhD programs are accredited and are based on campus.

University of Akron (PhD)

Department of Counseling
Department of Psychology
Arts & Sciences Building, 3rd Floor
Akron, OH 44325-4301
Toll-Free: 1-800-221-8308
www.uakron.edu

The University of Akron provides a counseling psychology doctoral degree program. It is made for students that hold a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and requires 5 years to complete. The program instructs students through a scientist-practitioner method by emphasizing research, theory and the practice of counseling. Core classes in psychology are included.

The university permits students to enroll through the Bushtel College of Arts & Sciences psychology department or through the College of Education counseling department.

University of Oregon (PhD)

Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services
Eugene, OR 97403-5251
Toll-Free: 1-800-760-6953
www.uoregon.edu

Admission to the University of Oregon doctoral degree program in counseling psychology is highly competitive. The program usually gets 160 applications for only 6 to 8 openings every school year. It focuses on teaching students to work effectively to diagnose, treat and prevent psychological conditions in adults, teenagers and children. They also learn to collaborate with each step of their work. Students are allowed to practice in local schools, community human services and clinical facilities.

The doctoral counseling program can be completed within 7 years. Most students finish the program in 5 to 6 years. Students can expect to participate in 2,000 hours of pre-doctoral internship, research and complete a dissertation.

Job Outlook For Counseling PhD Graduates

Jobs for counseling PhD graduates are predicted to increase faster than other occupations. The rate of growth is different for the various counseling specialties. However, the number of jobs is estimated to be more than the number of graduates. This is particularly true in rural locations. Overall, jobs are expected to increase by 18% from 2008 to 2018, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Mental Health Counseling Employment

Counseling jobs in mental health are estimated to increase by 24%. Insurance managed care programs are turning to less expensive choices by using counseling professionals instead of psychiatrists.

Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counseling Employment

Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counseling positions are predicted to increase by 21%. This repaid increase may be due to the greater amount of drug users being admitted to recovery programs instead of jail.

Rehabilitation Counseling Employment

Rehabilitation counselor jobs is estimated to increase by 19%. The growing amount of senior citizens may result in an increasing number of individuals that require rehabilitation services.

Vocational and Educational Counseling Employment

The job growth for school, vocational and educational counselors is predicted to increase by 14%. many schools are adding responsibilities to counseling positions which may be the primary reason behind the growth in school counseling employment. For instance, counselors may work with student issues concerning drug and alcohol abuse to prevent suicides in addition to career planning.

Marriage And Family Counseling Employment

Counselors for marriages and families can expect to see a 14% increase in their line of work. Today, it is more popular for people to look for help with their family and martial issues.

Salaries For Counseling Professionals

A graduates of a counseling doctoral program can look forward to a lucrative career. The median yearly salary for a counseling professional was $64,140 in May of 2008 as reported by the BLS. The salaries ranged from $48,700 to $82,000 per year. The top 10% salaries averaged $106,840 and the lowest 10% salaries averaged $37,900.

Salaries varied the most between different employers. Counseling professionals that worked for schools and in group healthcare practices made higher incomes than the ones that were employed in private offices and healthcare agencies.

Professional Licensing

Most of the states in the US permit an individual to become a licensed professional counselor (LPC). The candidates need to have the required numbers of hours of supervised counseling practice and a doctoral or master’s degree in counseling or a related degree from an accredited university or college.