Online Masters Degree in Mental Health

If you enjoy interacting and communicating with other people, and you're an active listener when they talk about their complicated, stressful lives, you may be the perfect candidate for a career as a mental health counselor. With the right training, you could help a wide range of clients, for example, troubled couples or teens struggling with social pressures.

Let's say that you just finished your psychology major -- then you know that you need a master's degree to practice professionally. Perhaps you're already working but you dream about changing careers and becoming a counselor. Master's degree programs in mental health can help you on your path.

Exploring master's degrees in mental health

Graduate programs build strong foundations in counseling, statistics and research design. Master's degrees in mental health cover subjects like these:

1. Assessment techniques
2. Counseling and psychotherapy theories
3. Diagnosis and assessment
4. Ethics and legal issues
5. Multicultural counseling
6. Psychopharmacology

Targeted topics focus on different types of counseling -- career, organizational, couples/family therapy, groups, substance abuse, or prevention and intervention. Specialized coursework may explore community counseling, trauma and crisis counseling, or organizational management and leadership. If you choose a concentration in forensic counseling, you will look at working with teen offenders, the mentally ill and drug offenders.

Many programs require clinical practice and competency assessments, which can include exams, supervised fieldwork, internships and/or residencies, depending on the school.

Mental health career outlook and salaries

Master's degrees are required in many mental health careers. Options include career counseling; school and college student affairs counseling; clinical mental health and addiction counseling; or marriage, couples and family counseling. The Bureau of Labor Statistics listed these 2010 median annual salaries for related occupations:

1. Industrial or organizational psychologist: $87,330
2. Mental health counselor/marriage and family therapist: $39,710
3. School and career counselor: $53,380

The BLS projects average or higher rates of employment growth between 2010 and 2020 for these careers.

Options in mental health careers

Doctorates in mental health include the Ph.D. -- the more traditional research-based degree -- and the Doctor of Psychology, which focuses more on professional practice rather than research. Both degrees train graduates to be psychologists.

Convenient online programs for master's degrees in mental health can put you on the path to helping others. On-site residencies are usually required, but online schools generally can work with you to find internships or fieldwork close to home.

If you enjoy interacting and communicating with other people, and you're an active listener when they talk about their complicated, stressful lives, you may be the perfect candidate for a career as a mental health counselor. With the right training, you could help a wide range of clients, for example, troubled couples or teens struggling with social pressures.

Let's say that you just finished your psychology major -- then you know that you need a master's degree to practice professionally. Perhaps you're already working but you dream about changing careers and becoming a counselor. Master's degree programs in mental health can help you on your path.

Exploring master's degrees in mental health

Graduate programs build strong foundations in counseling, statistics and research design. Master's degrees in mental health …