Masters In Counseling Blog

Unhappy with your Current Job? Here’s What Your Employer Doesn’t Want You To Know about Online Classes (Part I)

Barb — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:00:09 +0000

Studies show that career satisfaction is very important. Since we spend the majority of our waking hours at our jobs, how we feel about them and how they affect us can have a great impact on us, and by extension, our loved ones. A recent survey found that only 45% of people are happy with their jobs.

But nobody really likes to work, you say. I mean the term is “job” and not “fun,” correct? Wrong. Yes, it is work, you are obligated to do it, and you get paid for it. But there is no reason why you can’t enjoy it! Would you advise your best friend to spend the majority of their working hours doing something that made them miserable? I didn’t think so. Then why do that to yourself?

How do you know if you are unhappy at your job? If you dread going to work, and the workdays feel too long, and you can’t wait to get out of there — you are unhappy. Now, everyone has a bad day. A bad week, even. But if this is how you are feeling on a consistent basis, then you are not in the right job. And I’ve just named a few of the signs. There are more.

I was just about to quote a study or two linking depression and other mental health symptoms to a bad job. But do I really need to? Most of us want to do meaningful work, feel competent, and gain some satisfaction. If your job isn’t doing this for you, do we really need a study to tell us that you are in the wrong job?

In my next post, I will write about my own personal career transformation and how it has changed my life.

Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,

Barb LoFrisco

Internships and Salaries: What You Need to Know

Barb — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:00:48 +0000

OK, so now that you have decided on counseling as a career. Now what? How will you find internships? What should you look for in a good internship? What should you expect as a salary?

What to look for in an internship site

A good internship, or practicum site, will allow you the opportunity to do counseling. Lots of it. With as many different types of clients as possible. A good site will also allow you to have access to a qualified supervisor, both for regular supervision and any ad-hoc questions you may have. Because most internships and practicum opportunities are with agencies, and agencies are notoriously understaffed, beware of sites that won’t be able to meet your needs. Remember that you are there to do counseling, not paperwork or other tasks that their regular staff finds undesirable. In the past, I have been asked to clean floors and change air conditioner filters. I’m not joking. You should not simply accept that these are parts of your job. When interviewing for a position, ask the hard questions:

How many clients will I be seeing per week?

Will I be able to have one hour per week with my supervisor?

What is the typical day like for a counselor intern?

Are there previous interns I can speak to?

Remember, nobody is going to be as invested in your professional development as you are. Be your own advocate! Your success depends on it.

What can I expect as a salary?

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the average salary, nationally, across all sub-types for a mental health counselor is $41,360. Because this is a national average, it will vary according to region of the country, so it would be beneficial for you to research the particular location you are interested in. These averages also vary a bit by speciality, for example Marriage and Family Therapists earn a little bit more with a national average of $47,530.

You may make more as a private practitioner. Depending on how many clients you see per week, it is possible to earn significantly more. Here is an example:

20 clients per week x $100 per client = $2000 gross income per week

$2000 x 52 = $104,000 gross income.

Figure 30% for employer taxes, and you have $72,800.

Next, figure another $10,000 yearly for rent (I estimated at $600/month)
and other expenses (about another $3000) and you end up with approximately $62,000.

Not bad, huh? Of course, this are rough numbers, but they give you an idea.

Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,

Barbara LoFrisco

4 Reasons You Should Apply For a Counseling Degree Today

Barb — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:00:56 +0000

It’s a new year, and time for a fresh start and new endeavors. Perhaps this is the year that you will finally fulfill your dream of obtaining a counseling degree! Here are four reasons you should apply for a counseling degree today:

The employment outlook is favorable. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, the opportunities for counseling positions are expected to exceed the number of graduates! This field is growing faster than average. More specifically, it is expected to grow at a rate of 18% between the years 2008 and 2018. And, if you decide to be a substance abuse counselor, you will enjoy even more opportunity, as employment in this speciality is projected to grow at an astounding rate of 21%!
It is rewarding. How many professionals can truly claim that they help people and make the world a better place? Sure, you can help people by being a volunteer in a myriad of organizations, but why not combine your efforts and earn money while you save the world?
Taking the first step is sometimes the hardest. If you’ve been postponing applying for school, stop that right now. Procrastination is an energy-sapper and just leads to more procrastination. Stop thinking about it and just do it. You’ll become energized and mobilized, and the steps that follow will seem so much easier. To read more about how procrastination and how it can hinder you, check out this article.
It is more convenient than ever before. With the proliferation of online degree programs, getting a counseling degree is more do-able than ever before. You can literally get a counseling degree from home in your pajamas! Online degrees offer the unique opportunity to work at YOUR pace and YOUR schedule. If the only time you have to study is between 8-10pm on weekdays, no problem! You also won’t have the hassle of commute time and parking. For more details on the advantages of an online education, please see my previous post.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,

Barbara LoFrisco

3 Creative Ways to Tap into Your Alumni Counseling Network

Barb — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:00:33 +0000

Networking is an underutilized but very useful tool for obtaining information in an efficient manner. More specifically, networking with other professionals may be the fastest way to find employment. Here are three creative ways to tap into your alumni network:

Utilize social media. Facebook and LinkedIn are excellent methods of keeping in touch with alumni, as well as other business contacts. With Facebook, once you have set up an account you can “find friends” under your school name. Keep in mind that it is considered bad practice to “friend” someone you have never met or been introduced to, so be sure to include a brief message indicating how you know them. With LinkedIn, it is more acceptable to “connect” with people you haven’t met, in fact it is set up to introduce people to each other. Once you have an account, under “contacts” simply select the school name you registered and an “alumni” page will come up. You can then select any profile to view, and send connection requests to the people you are interested in.
Revisit your department. If you live near the school you graduated from, make a habit of stopping by occasionally to say hello. Email is also a great way to do this. Many academic departments are interested in keeping up with students’ accomplishments, so be sure to keep your former department up-to-date. If they can add your information into a newsletter, even better! Ask to meet for a consultation with one or more members of the department, and ask their opinion about your career path, or any other questions you have that they may be able to help with. In these conversations, it is likely that faculty will remember another alumni and possibly connect you to them. Regardless, this is a great way to network.
Initiate connections. Join the alumni society, if your school has one. I realize that sounds obvious, but I think many opportunities are missed because graduates get caught up in their new lives. So make the time to attend these events, and be patient. If you didn’t make any connections on your first visit, try again. Also, maintain connections with your fellow students. They may have alumni connections they can share with you. Lastly, while you are in your program consider taking classes out of order to increase your exposure to other cohorts, if your program will permit it. It may be extremely helpful to befriend someone a year ahead of you! They can become an informal mentor and excellent source of information, as well as another source of alumni connections.

Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,

Barbara LoFrisco

Oops! 3 Common Blunders Every New Counselor Makes

Barb — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:00:26 +0000

As with trying anything new, as a new counselor you are going to make mistakes. Learning what could go wrong ahead of time will help prepare you and may even save you from doing harm…

Here are three common blunders every new counselor makes:

Thinking that clients tell the truth all of the time.

Rationalization: All people wanting help are going to be honest. After all, why would they come to me if they were just going to lie?

Reality: Clients will occasionally lie. Sometimes it’s an outright fabrication, other times it’s a misrepresentation or omission of fact.

Ramifications: Inappropriate interventions, missed diagnoses, and, possibly, damage to the therapeutic relationship.

Remedy: I will use the same logic, reason and skepticism with clients as I do in the real world. I will not be afraid to confront clients. I understand that clients have their own reasons for lying, and that it usually has nothing to do with me.

Imposing own values or goals upon the client.

Rationalization: After having spent several years studying mental health, I know what is best for people. I know what “healthy” means and it’s my job to help people become “healthy.”

Reality: Clients are the only experts on their own lives. Interventions and goals must be centered on the client’s worldview, capacities and environment.

Ramifications: Clients will feel misunderstood and the therapeutic relationship will be damaged. Clients will have less personal investment in their goals, because they really aren’t the client’s goals. They are the counselor’s goals.

Remedy: I must strive to learn the client’s world so I can try to inhabit it with them. Only from there should I attempt to counsel them.

Not setting appropriate boundaries.

Rationalization: I need to do everything I can to help this client. My needs are not important, only the client’s needs are. After all, isn’t that what they teach in graduate school?

Reality: My needs are just as important as the client’s, and perhaps more important, since I am the tool to be used in the counseling process.

Ramifications: I will become burned out by not taking care of my own needs. My client’s poor behavior may become reinforced by my implicit acceptance.

Remedy: I will not be afraid to say “no” to clients. I will value my own time and work, and expect clients to do so as well.

Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,

Barbara LoFrisco

4 Qualities Every Successful Counselor Has

Barb — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:00:03 +0000

Counseling is a unique profession requiring a particular set of qualities. Do you have what it takes?

In order to be successful, all counselors need to have the following qualities:

Comfort with ambiguity. Many times, as counselors we cannot clearly see the results of our work. For example, counseling “results” are often biased or slanted because they are usually presented via client self-report, clients sometimes don’t return for that final session that provides closure, and occasionally, clients will lie. Therefore, you have to be comfortable in situations where you won’t always have all of the facts.
Empathetic. Although this quality may seem obvious, counselors need to have a particular kind of empathy. A good counselor must balance empathy with accountability. Simply feeling sorry for clients isn’t enough; a good counselor must also hold clients accountable for their actions. We are there to help them grow–we are not friends who side with them against the world.
Good boundaries. Counseling is a profession that has a higher risk for burnout. Therefore, if you are a person who has trouble defining boundaries and maintaining boundaries, your counseling years are limited. A counselor with good boundaries:
a. Understands his or her limitations, and is able to say “no” when necessary in a firm, but kind, way.

b. Knows where his or her responsibility for the change process ends and where the clients’ begins.

c. Establishes policies and procedures, and applies them consistently. For example, not allowing sessions to routinely exceed the pre-established time, since clients will sit and talk to you forever if you allow them to.
Believes in the capacity for change. Good counselors believe that people can, and do, change, and provide optimism and hope when there is none. However, good counselors are not blindly optimistic. Rather, they are realistic about the change process and are able to help the client set attainable goals.

Some of these qualities can (and will) be enhanced during your education and practicums. However, these are important considerations for anyone thinking of entering the counseling field.

Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,

Barb LoFrisco

The Most Important Thing You Need to Do as a Counselor

Barb — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:00:28 +0000

Protect yourself! Before you enter your first practicum or internship, make sure you have ample liability insurance. Yes, even though you are still a student you will need it.

One recommended source of student liability insurance is the ACA (American Counseling Association).

ACA student membership now includes liability insurance when the student is enrolled and engaged in a master’s degree counseling curriculum at a post secondary institution. Coverage is available to ACA student members solely while performing counseling services (e.g., practicum and internship) related to such curriculum. Features of the student insurance program include:

• Every covered student is protected up to $1,000,000 per claim and up to $6,000,000 in the aggregate.
• Any time a claim is filed alleging mishandling of counseling, assistance is provided with the policy.
• Legal defense and investigative costs are covered.

Visit the ACA Insurance Trust Website… Click on the Students link on the left side of the home page.

Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,

Barb LoFrisco

What You Need To Know About Federal Student Aid

Barb — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:00:50 +0000

The deadline for filling out your FAFSA is March 1. You can begin filling it out after January 1.

What’s a FAFSA?

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/), and it is like one-stop shopping for student money. Or, as they put it, “the source for free information, guidance and tools for federal student assistance.”

It’s how I got my University Graduate Fellowship. I highly recommend it.

A FAFSA application does take some time to fill out, so don’t attempt it in the 15 minutes you have while your husband or kids are in the shower. You’ll probably need at least an hour.

Sound daunting? You won’t know your options and possibilities until you try, correct?

What will you need? Your, or your parents’, 2011 tax returns. If you don’t want to wait for your return, you can use estimated numbers. However, if you are able to download the information directly from the IRS, you will save yourself a lot of time.

Also, you might want to make a pot of coffee and settle in.

There’s a huge “START” button on the main page, so I assume that will be self-explanatory for most of you. At the end, FAFSA will tell you what types of aid you are eligible for.

Many awards are limited to on-time applicants, so get moving.

Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,

Barbara LoFrisco

P.S. One other, slightly unrelated note, is that federal regulations prohibit you from receiving more financial aid than the cost of your attendance. Be sure to report ANY other funds you are receiving, such as grants or stipends, to your university.

Don’t Lose Your Financial Aid! Three Things You Must Monitor

Barb — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 09:00:49 +0000

Universities at the masters level utilize several measures in determining eligibility for financial aid. Financial aid can consist of student loans, stipends, scholarships, etc. There are three general categories for determining eligibility: Cumulative GPA, Pace, and Maximum Time. Your financial aid can be terminated if you fail to meet any of these requirements! Therefore, it is recommended that you monitor each of these categories for yourself so that you don’t get any nasty surprises.

Cumulative GPA

When enrolled in a masters program you are expected to maintain a minimum GPA, generally 3.0, at all times. This means you really can’t get grades of “C”; or if you do they must be compensated for by “A”s. This applies not only to financial aid eligibility, but is also a general academic requirement. In another words, too many “C”s and you’re out. This isn’t like undergrad.

For example, the University of South Florida (where I am a doctoral student) requires you to maintain a 3.0 average at all times. USF also does not include grades from previous institutions. Check your university’s catalogue for their specific requirements.

Pace

You must continually make sufficient progress toward your degree.

For example, at USF minimum pace is considered to be completion of 67% of the credit hours that you attempted. USF includes ALL coursework in this calculation, even if it is from a different university or program. Check your university’s catalogue for their specific requirements.

Maximum Time

There is a limit on the maximum number of credit hours you can attempt, and/or the total time it takes to attempt them. This means that if you aren’t successfully completing courses fast enough, your aid can be taken away. Universities calculate this as either as a maximum number of credit hours, or maximum amount of time. In either situation, universities will take the expected number and add some wiggle room to it.

For example, USF calculates Maximum Time as 150% of the required credit hours for your program.

I had a “nasty surprise” at the beginning of this semester when I got a very unfriendly letter telling me I was no longer eligible for my teaching stipend because I wasn’t making “satisfactory academic progress.” I went into full-on panic mode because suddenly I was going to have to come up with $3K tuition! Don’t let this happen to you. In my case, they wrongly counted my masters hours as part of my doctoral hours in their maximum time calculation. They were able to straighten it out, but if I had been checking it I could have avoided the last-minute panic. And when you’re in a graduate program, you want to avoid any kind of stress that you can!

Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,

Barbara LoFrisco

P.S. Due to the Budget Control Act, passed in August 2011, interest payments on student loans are no longer deferred until after graduation beginning July 1 2012. So, if you get a student loan, plan on paying interest on it as soon as it is dispersed.

Counseling Supervision: What Every Counselor Needs To Know

Barb — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:10:28 +0000

Most, if not all, states require that after graduating counselors complete an internship before becoming licensed. This means that counselors must be under supervision when they are treating clients. Usually this consists of a one-hour meeting each week with your supervisor, but requirements vary by state.

What is a counseling supervisor? It is an experienced counselor who has completed training in counseling supervision. Requirements vary by state, but as an example the state of Florida requires 5 years of experience post-licensure, and a special training course.

A counseling supervisor provides consultation to new therapists. They answer questions, provide guidance and support. They are ultimately responsible for the well-being of their supervisee’s clients, and so many supervisors will require taped counseling sessions or detailed case notes to ensure the counselor is on the right track. Counseling supervisors help with case conceptualization, methods, or specific interventions by asking questions and/or making suggestions. They also provide support for when things get tough. They help new counselors cope with counter-transference and heavy emotional issues that clients may present. As experienced professionals, they also help new counselors develop a professional identity.

Because this role is so important, it is essential that you find a good supervisor. Not only someone who is qualified, but someone who really cares about you and your clients, and isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions. And, just like a counseling relationship, it is also imperative that you have a good, trusting relationship with your supervisor. If you feel like you can’t tell him or her certain things, it is time to move on. Yes, you can change supervisors whenever you like. Your professional development is too important to worry about hurting someone’s feelings.

Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,

Barbara LoFrisco