CounselorsCounselors assist people with personal, family, educational, mental health, and career decisions and problems. Their duties depend on the individuals they serve and on the settings in which they work. Educational, vocational, and school counselors provide individuals and groups with career and educational counseling. In school settings—elementary through postsecondary—they are usually called school counselors and they work with students, including those considered to be at risk and those with special needs. They advocate for students and work with other individuals and organizations to promote the academic, career, and personal and social development of children and youths. School counselors help students evaluate their abilities, interests, talents, and personality characteristics in order to develop realistic academic and career goals. Counselors use interviews, counseling sessions, tests, or other methods in evaluating and advising students. They also operate career information centers and career education programs. High school counselors advise students regarding college majors, admission requirements, entrance exams, financial aid, trade or technical schools, and apprenticeship programs. They help students develop job search skills such as resume writing and interviewing techniques. College career planning and placement counselors assist alumni or students with career development and job-hunting techniques. Elementary school counselors observe younger children during classroom and play activities and confer with their teachers and parents to evaluate the children�s strengths, problems, or special needs. They also help students develop good study habits. Elementary school counselors do less vocational and academic counseling than do secondary school counselors. School counselors at all levels help students understand and deal with social, behavioral, and personal problems. These counselors emphasize preventive and developmental counseling to provide students with the life skills needed to deal with problems before they occur and to enhance the student�s personal, social, and academic growth. Counselors provide special services, including alcohol and drug prevention programs and conflict resolution classes. Counselors also try to identify cases of domestic abuse and other family problems that can affect a student�s development. Counselors work with students individually, with small groups, or with entire classes. They consult and collaborate with parents, teachers, school administrators, school psychologists, medical professionals, and social workers in order to develop and implement strategies to help students be successful in the education system. Vocational counselors who provide mainly career counseling outside the school setting are also referred to as employment counselors or career counselors. Their chief focus is helping individuals with their career decisions. Vocational counselors explore and evaluate the client�s education, training, work history, interests, skills, and personality traits, and arrange for aptitude and achievement tests to assist in making career decisions. They also work with individuals to develop their job search skills, and they assist clients in locating and applying for jobs. In addition, career counselors provide support to persons experiencing job loss, job stress, or other career transition issues. Rehabilitation counselors help people deal with the personal, social, and vocational effects of disabilities. They counsel people with disabilities resulting from birth defects, illness or disease, accidents, or the stress of daily life. They evaluate the strengths and limitations of individuals, provide personal and vocational counseling, and arrange for medical care, vocational training, and job placement. Rehabilitation counselors interview both individuals with disabilities and their families, evaluate school and medical reports, and confer and plan with physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, and employers to determine the capabilities and skills of the individual. Conferring with the client, they develop a rehabilitation program that often includes training to help the person develop job skills. Rehabilitation counselors also work toward increasing the client�s capacity to live independently. Mental health counselors work with individuals, families, and groups to address and treat mental and emotional disorders and to promote optimum mental health. They are trained in a variety of therapeutic techniques used to address a wide range of issues, including depression, addiction and substance abuse, suicidal impulses, stress management, problems with self-esteem, issues associated with aging, job and career concerns, educational decisions, issues related to mental and emotional health, and family, parenting, and marital or other relationship problems. Mental health counselors often work closely with other mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, and school counselors. (Information on other mental health specialists appears in the Handbook statements on physicians and surgeons, psychologists, registered nurses, and social workers.) Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors help people who have problems with alcohol, drugs, gambling, and eating disorders. They counsel individuals who are addicted to drugs, helping them identify behaviors and problems related to their addiction. These counselors hold sessions for one person, for families, or for groups of people. Marriage and family therapists apply principles, methods, and therapeutic techniques to individuals, family groups, couples, or organizations for the purpose of resolving emotional conflicts. In doing so, they modify people�s perceptions and behaviors, enhance communication and understanding among all family members, and help to prevent family and individual crises. Marriage and family therapists also may engage in psychotherapy of a nonmedical nature, with appropriate referrals to psychiatric resources, and in research and teaching in the overall field of human development and interpersonal relationships. Other counseling specialties include gerontological, multicultural, and genetic counseling. A gerontological counselor provides services to elderly persons who face changing lifestyles because of health problems; the counselor helps families cope with the changes. A multicultural counselor helps employers adjust to an increasingly diverse workforce. Genetic counselors provide information and support to families who have members with birth defects or genetic disorders and to families who may be at risk for a variety of inherited conditions. These counselors identify families at risk, investigate the problem that is present in the family, interpret information about the disorder, analyze inheritance patterns and risks of recurrence, and review available options with the family. Related news articles EU Appoints New Point Man for Central Asia - 16 Oct 2006 NewsCentralAsia,Counselor-Ambassador Pierre Morel is a French diplomat. ... Pierre Morel worked in 1991-2 as diplomatic counselor at the at the staff of the French president. ... UW investigates counselor who claimed false Ph.D. - Oct 15, 2006 Seattle Post IntelligencerDetective Allen Beard said he obtained a search warrant to gain access to Terry Tafoya's academic records because the counselor had used a federal privacy law ... Counselor gets service award - Oct 15, 2006 Orlando Sentinel,Cole, a guidance counselor at Umatilla Elementary, last year enlisted more than 720 students, 50 staff members, the countywide service-learning group and ... Try to "click" with school counselor - Oct 15, 2006 Denver Post,...don't limit yourself. A mom, an aunt, a cousin, a counselor or even a journal can help you sort through the troubles. You cope by ... Counselor gets prison for sex with girl, 16 - Oct 13, 2006 Tucson Citizen,A 44-year-old Marana counselor will spend the next nine months in prison after admitting to having sex with a 16-year-old female client. ... Ex-teen counselor back before judge - Oct 13, 2006 Times Herald-Record,These conflicting signs are outside an entrance to the Orange County Courthouse. Is there a judge in the house? These conflicting ... Iraq imagery reopens wounds of Vietnam - Oct 15, 2006 Great Falls Tribune,Most have problems communicating, particularly with spouses, said Keli Remus of Chinook Winds Counseling, a local counselor specializing in PTSD. ... Financial counselor tackles mortgage advice for people - Oct 14, 2006 Enid News & Eagle,Financial counselor Dave Ramsey, who writes a syndicated column that runs in the Sunday business section of the News & Eagle, tackles mortgages in his advice ... Counselor attends hypnosis workshop in Schaumburg - Oct 13, 2006 MyWebTimes.com,John P. Houlihan, a licensed clinical professional counselor who has an office at 100 W. Superior St., Ottawa, was one of a group of psychologists, physicians ... Students use TCCI to gauge their chances of getting into colleges - Oct 14, 2006 Black & White,It’s an effective tool that many Whitman juniors and seniors use to identify colleges that are within their reach, guidance counselor Fran Landau says. ... Student survey prompts officials to seek additional high school ... - Oct 11, 2006 Journal Inquirer,SOMERS - Officials at Somers High School plan to ask the Board of Education to hire an additional school counselor for the school, following the results of an ... Teen idol? Just try being a counselor - Oct 9, 2006 The Register-Guard,...of the year. It was a week away from my parents, in a cabin with my best friends and counselor, Sugar Mama. We readily accepted ... Grant would add counselor for abused children - Oct 9, 2006 Pensacola News Journal,Counselor Nancy S. Hagman read a letter from a mother whose 8-year-old daughter was sexually abused. "I had lost my confidence as a mother. ... Commerce Secretary Picks Duke Energy Exec To Be Senior Counselor - Oct 12, 2006 Local Tech Wire,RALEIGH, NC – Richard Wiley, a Duke Energy employee since 1972, will serve as senior counselor to NC Commerce Secretary Jim Fain. ... Arapahoe County Addiction Counselor Gets Indicted - Oct 9, 2006 cbs4denver.com,...(CBS4) COLUMBINE VALLEY, Colo. An Arapahoe County Grand Jury has indicted a state licensed addiction counselor on 19 felony counts. ... Fain hires Duke exec as senior counselor - Oct 12, 2006 Bizjournals.com,NC Commerce Secretary Jim Fain has hired Duke Energy Corp.'s director of economic development as a senior counselor at the NC Department of Commerce. ... Fain hires Duke Energy exec as his senior counselor - Oct 11, 2006 Phoenix Business Journal,Commerce Secretary Jim Fain on Wednesday named Duke Energy's director of economic development as his senior counselor at the Department of Commerce. ... More information on Counselors from The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook Overview of Counselors occupation Number of Counselors in the U.S. Salary and earnings for Counselors Working conditions for Counselors Significant points for Counselors Training requirements for Counselors Labor Information Home | Occupational data by city | Search Rainforests | Madagascar | What's new |