The counseling and human services field is a broad, interdisciplinary field in which most professionals focus on developing practical and strategic ways to help those in need. Counselors often work closely with their clients to help them understand their problems and develop strategies for coping with life’s challenges. Human services professionals often advocate for those around them and work to implement programs that will benefit the population at large.
While there are many types of human services and counseling jobs available, it is important to develop an advanced understanding of this broad field before you carve out your own path.
An In-Depth Look at Counseling and Human Services
Before you begin applying for counseling and human services jobs, you will need to understand the depth and breadth of this field. This field allows you to combine your passion for helping others with the practical skills required to take action, giving you the ability to make a significant impact on those around you.
Defining the Fields of Counseling and Human Services
According to the National Organization for Human Services, the fields of counseling and human services are defined as interdisciplinary fields that strive to meet the needs of humans through prevention and remediation efforts. Most counseling and human services professionals work to improve the quality and effectiveness of human services programs, ultimately providing more people with a higher quality of life.
Essential Skills for Success in These Fields
To be successful in the fields of counseling and human services, you will need to focus on developing the practical and technical skills required to develop and implement human services initiatives. In addition, you will need to hone the soft skills required to connect with others and assist them.
These are a few of the essential skills for success in counseling and human services:
- Being able to accept people for who they are and keep an open mind as they share their struggles.
- Being able to offer empathy to those struggling.
- Using therapeutic listening skills.
- Developing problem-solving strategies designed to prevent and remediate human services issues.
- Being able to assess the services you have provided and adapt according to the needs of the people you are working with.
Career Paths in Counseling
Counselors are mental health professionals who work directly with clients to understand their challenges and help them develop strategies to overcome them. One of the benefits of pursuing a career in counseling is the variety of career paths available. Counselors can work in agencies, community health centers, hospitals, schools, or private practice.
Types of Counseling Specialties
Many counselors choose to specialize in a niche area, often based on the population that they prefer to work with and their passions within the mental health field.
These are a few of the most common counseling specialty areas:
- Mental Health Counseling — Mental healthcounselors work with individuals, couples, or families struggling with mental health concerns and disorders.
- Addiction Counseling — Addiction counselors work with individuals suffering from addiction as well as their loved ones to help them overcome their addiction.
- Marriage and Family Counseling—Marriage and family counselors work with couples and families to help them overcome challenges, strengthen their bonds, and improve their relationships with one another.
Setting the Scene: Where Counselors Work
Counselors may be able to find employment in a variety of work settings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), counselors commonly work in inpatient and outpatient health treatment centers, educational facilities, private offices, hospitals, and correctional facilities, to name a few employment settings.
Opportunities in Human Services
With a broader focus than the counseling field, there is a wider range of career opportunities in human services. Those interested in working with larger populations of people, rather than individual clients, may be well-suited to jobs in human services.
Overview of Human Services Roles
These are some of the job opportunities that may be available to human services professionals:
- Outreach Specialist — An outreach specialist works to develop and implement social services programs that benefit those in the community in need.
- Grant Writer — Grant writers work to secure funding for human services organizations and programs.
- Case Manager — Case managers assist individuals and families in accessing necessary services, such as housing, healthcare, and mental health support, by coordinating resources and creating action plans.
Employment Settings for Human Services Professionals
Human services professionals may work in a wide variety of employment settings, including outpatient health clinics, hospitals, schools, long-term care facilities, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies. The employment settings for human services professionals will vary significantly based on their role.
Preparing for a Career in Counseling and Human Services
As you prepare for a career in counseling and human services, you will want to focus on developing the skills required to work directly with people who need assistance. By recognizing the practical, technical, and soft skills required to work in counseling and human services, you can begin to build a plan for achieving your personal career goals.
Educational Requirements and Certifications
The educational requirements and certifications for counseling and human services jobs will vary significantly based on the individual position. A graduate degree in human services and counseling could provide you with the opportunity to advance your knowledge and develop the skills required for many different types of positions in this field.
Building a Professional Network in Counseling and Human Services
Regardless of the type of human services and counseling jobs you are most interested in, you will find it important to build and develop a professional network in this field. Through industry connections, you may be able to access new opportunities for skill development and ongoing learning, which may help you grow and advance your career in human services.
Build Essential Skills for Success in Counseling and Human Services Careers
At Post University, we offer an online Master of Science in Counseling and Human Services, designed to help students develop the foundational knowledge and analytical skills required to assess a problem and swiftly develop a solution in a responsible and effective way. The skills-based curriculum for this program focuses primarily on prevention, psychoeducation, diagnosis, therapy, assessment, and intervention, allowing students to develop the practical and technical skills needed to complement their passion for helping those around them.
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Please note jobs and/or career outcomes highlighted in this blog do not reflect jobs or career outcomes expected from any Post program. To learn more about Post’s programs and their outcomes, please fill out a form to speak with an admissions advisor.
