How to become a child counselor in texas

How to Become a Therapist in Texas

Whether traveling your own journey towards mental wellness, supporting friends with their everyday challenges or witnessing mental health sagas of celebrities in the media, it’s clear that our culture is changing for the better. People of all ages are more likely to open up about their struggles and seek help when a rough patch comes along.

This has led to an increased demand for professionals to provide support to individuals overcoming their internal trials. If you’ve ever considered a career in therapy, there’s never been a better time. You’d be on a promising career path that would allow you to put your compassion to work.

Keep reading to find out how to become a therapist in Texas and begin making a profound impact in your community.

What types of therapists are there?

You may be surprised to learn just how many kinds of therapist jobs there are. Whether you’d like to focus on assisting children as a school counselor, providing end-of-life therapy in a nursing home or anything in between, you can find a specialty that aligns with your skills and interests.

Here is a sampling of the many types of therapists the serve others:

• Addiction therapist
• Behavioral therapist
• Child therapist
• Clinical therapists
• Couples therapist
• Exercise therapist
• School therapist
• Trauma therapist
• Nutritional therapist

Regardless of which specialty you’re interested in pursuing, you’ll need to meet certain therapist requirements in order to practice in the state of Texas. Read on to learn about the process of becoming a therapist.

5 Steps for becoming a therapist in Texas

In order to practice as a therapist in the Lone Star state, you’ll need to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Here is an overview of the steps to achieving this:

Regardless of what type of therapist you hope to become, the first step is to earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited school. There is no specific degree field required, but it’s a good idea to choose a subject that aligns with the duties of a therapist.

Some common options include:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Sciences
• Sociology
• Communications

2.        Earn a master's degree

The next step to becoming a therapist in Texas is to complete a graduate degree program from an accredited institution. Depending on your desired career path, your master’s degree could be in counseling, psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, or a related field.

According to the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, appropriate graduate programs must include 60 graduate semester hours and coursework in areas such as:

• Abnormal human behavior
• Counseling theories
• Counselor ethics
• Research
• Addictions counseling
• Couples, marriage or families
• Psychopathology

In order to meet the requirements for Texas LPC licensure, you’ll need to be sure your master’s program includes a supervised practicum experience or internship. This practicum must consist of 300 or more hours, with at least 100 hours of direct client contact.

After graduating from your master’s program, you’ll be required to acquire directed, post-graduate experience in professional counseling under supervision in a work setting. Texas LPC applicants must complete at least 3,000 hours of supervision, with at least 1,500 hours of client contact under the direction of an approved supervisor. This process typically takes 18 –24 months to complete.

The last step to becoming a licensed therapist in Texas is to apply for your LPC license, which involves earning a passing score on the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) and the Texas Jurisprudence Exam.  

The NCE is administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors and is made up of 200 multiple-choice questions. This exam is designed to assess the knowledge, skills and abilities in effective counseling services. The Texas Jurisprudence Exam is a no-fail assessment conducted online that evaluates familiarity with Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors’ rules.

Once you’ve completed all of the steps outlined above, you are officially licensed to practice as a therapist in Texas. You can now apply all of your training and passion toward a meaningful career helping others.

In order to maintain your Texas LPC status and remain eligible to practice, you’ll need to renew your license every two years. This involves paying a renewal fee and completing 24 hours of continuing education during the two-year period.

Take the first step toward becoming a therapist

If you’re ready to help fill the gap and become a therapist in Texas, it’s time to start planning your path. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology at Concordia University Texas can help you build a strong foundation of knowledge to launch a promising career in therapy. You’ll be exposed to new ideas and theories on human behavior and experience that can equip you for a therapist career, according to Dr. Monica Yndo, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Concordia.

“Because of our work in and outside of the classroom, our students leave here educated, but they have also developed in their own identity,” Dr. Yndo explains. “We’ve exposed them to new cultures, ideas and perspectives. Our students are leaving the University more well-rounded than they arrived.”  

Learn more about how Concordia University Texas can help equip and empower you to fulfill your calling as a therapist by visiting our psychology degree page.

How to Become a Child Counselor

Children and adolescents progress through many life changes and challenges in their family, peer groups, schools, and other environments. Treating young clients requires appropriate training, a special level of patience and the ability to connect with both children and their families.

Children and adolescent counselors provide their clients with coping skills to achieve emotional and mental health. The challenges facing their young clients include attention disorders, learning difficulties and behavioral issues, as well as the emotional impact of divorce, death, serious illness, or emotional trauma brought on by child abuse, familial issues or bullying. Teenage clients also present a wide array of concerns such as dealing with peer pressure, eating disorders, self-mutilation, drug abuse, sexual confusion, depression, anxiety and in some cases the early signs of a serious mental illness.

Northwestern University

The Family Institute at Northwestern University

Master of Arts in Counseling

Earn a CACREP-accredited master’s in counseling online from top-9 ranked¹ Northwestern University.
 

¹U.S. News & World Report: 2022 Best National University Rankings 

• CACREP Accredited
• Earn your MA in Counseling from Northwestern in as few as 18 months
• Accelerated full-time, traditional, or part-time tracks available

New York University

NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Master of Arts in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness

Aspiring mental health counselors are prepared to pursue licensure with NYU Steinhardt’s MPCAC-accredited online counseling master’s. Students can earn their degree in as few as 21 mos. GRE not req. 

• Prepare to become a mental health counselor
• Accredited by the MPCAC
• As few as 21 months to complete
• GRE not required 

Professional and mental health counselors that work with children and adolescent populations are experienced and educated from many different backgrounds. Some may be licensed professional counselors, others clinical mental health counselors or even child psychologists. Child and adolescent counselors may take a holistic approach to treating their clients that may include counseling with the young client’s parent(s) or relevant family members. The counselor evaluates a young client’s frame of mind, while exploring their family dynamic, social circle and schooling to understand how their everyday environment impacts their mental health. 

School counselors provide similar support to children but focus more on how their social, personal, and academic development affect their experience with education.  School counselors should obtain their master’s degree in school counseling rather than specialize in child and adolescent counseling/therapy. While both careers address the same populations, each approach concerns in a different manner.

Some of the concerns that children and adolescents may present in counseling sessions may include:

Child and adolescent counselors encourage clients to discuss their daily experiences and emotions and help them process their reactions and adjust to major life changes, such as divorce or death. A skilled and successful practitioner will teach their clients to develop skills to change their behavior, cope with life’s challenges, and make good decisions. Often a child and family counselor will coordinate treatment with other practitioners, such as a psychiatrist and/or social worker. As appropriate, they will refer young clients to treatment facilities or community programs.

Step 1: Complete a bachelor’s degree in a behavioral, social science, psychology field, or another field.

Earning your bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, or another behavioral field is typically the first step. Some students may enroll in counseling or psychology courses to learn about child development theories, counseling skills, human development, and approaches to child therapy and counseling.

Step 2: Earn a master’s degree in counseling with a focus on child and adolescent development.

Child and adolescent counselors earn their master’s degree in counseling or a related field to fine tune their education with regards to child development theories, counseling techniques with children, review of mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders, educational and psychological testing and measurement, and individual, group, and family therapy.

Step 3: Complete graduate and postgraduate internship experience for certification/licensure requirements.

As a crucial aspect of CACREP-accredited counseling degrees, graduate supervised counseling experience allows students to dive into their future licensed role as a child counselor. This experience with postgraduate clinical hours provides crucial insight into work with children postgraduate.

Step 4: Pass any required exams for certification/licensure and apply for licensure.

Some states and/or counseling programs require the passing of a counselor examination for graduation or certification/licensure such as the National Counselor Examination (NCE) and/or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). Check the available licenses and required examinations for counselors in your state through the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).

Step 5: Apply for and earn additional certifications.

In working with children and adolescents, some universities and organizations offer additional certifications, specifically in child psychology, grief counseling, child life, and trauma-informed treatment.

Step 6: Continue your education and stay up to date on child and adolescent counseling trends and changes.

To both maintain state licensure and be relevant in changes and trends, counselors specializing in child and adolescent populations are required to obtain continuing education hours from various formats. The Society for Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology and the American Psychological Association offer ways for child and adolescent counseling professionals to expand their practice and work with children.

Requirements for a state license typically include completion of a counseling master’s degree program from an accredited university, two years of supervised postgraduate clinical experience and a passing score on a state -administered licensing exam. Additionally, practicing counselors may be required to take continuing education to maintain their license. Specific licensure requirements vary by state. See state license requirements.

Child and adolescent counselors work in a variety of settings, including private practice, mental health centers, public and private schools, residential care facilities, outpatient care centers, psychiatric hospitals and more. Counseling children and adolescence may be viewed more as a population/demographic preference for counselor’s, therefore, sessions may occur with marriage and family therapists, licensed professional counselors, clinical social workers, or child psychologists. Counseling with this population can also occur in schools with school counselors or psychologists.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors is projected to grow 23 percent from 2020 to 2030. The BLS  also reports that the median annual salary for mental health counselors is about $48,520 and the median salary for marriage and family therapists is about $49,880 as of May 2021.

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Bellevue University

Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Bellevue, Nebraska

Lock Haven University

Department of Social Work and Counseling

Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

Last updated: May 2022

Psychology studies in the USA with Allterra Education

Read this article:

• Associate's Degree in Psychology
• Bachelor's Degree in Psychology
• Master's and Ph. D. The cost of studying to be a psychologist
• Obtaining a profession of a psychologist in the USA with Allterra Education

Development of psychology for the benefit of society. The development of psychology for the improvement of every human life" is the slogan of the American Psychological Association (AAP). Psychology really occupies an important place in the life of American society. At the moment, the AARP distinguishes over 50 different professions in its field, and among the 15 best universities in the world in the Psychology program, ten (according to the international QS ranking) are American.

If you want to study the characteristics of the human personality, help people solve their problems and understand themselves, then studying in the USA as a psychologist will be the right step towards realizing yourself in this profession. nine0003

Associate's Degree in Psychology

Create your own social projects, work as a volunteer, assistant psychologist or staff in a hospital, centers, kindergartens and schools for psychological assistance - all these low-level positions can be filled by graduates with an associate's degree, which they receive in two-year colleges. At this level of education, students are not given professional training and specialization, they receive only a general idea of ​​the chosen field. After completing a two-year college, young professionals usually continue their studies at a four-year college or university. nine0003

Bachelor's Degree in Psychology

A full-fledged psychological education in the United States begins with a bachelor's degree.

You can study for a bachelor's degree at a four-year college, institute or university. For the first 2 years, universities show all the diversity and versatility of the profession, often introducing classes of a similar profile.

The curriculum includes general education disciplines and subjects related to psychology, such as research methods and statistics. nine0003

From the third year, specialization begins: teaching, abnormal psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, physiological or comparative psychology, etc.

Upon completion of the course, the student can become a social worker, laboratory assistant, staff member in rehabilitation centers and mental health clinics. He may also be allowed, under the guidance of a more experienced professional, to help people solve problems. nine0003

Master's and PhD degrees in psychology

Clinical psychology, counseling, forensic psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, and many other narrow specialties that require in-depth analysis during work will be closed to you in the USA if your level of education is below the master's level. Most master's and doctoral programs are focused on working with statistical data, various research methods and computer technologies. This is the training of specialists with a narrow profile, but a wide range of knowledge. nine0003

Find out more about studying psychology in America

To start a career as a highly specialized specialist, in most cases a master's degree is sufficient. In America, it can be obtained from universities and professional schools. The former focus on the research side of the profession, the latter on the practical side.

Many graduates can provide psychological assistance, but only doctoral graduates can call themselves a professional psychologist in the United States. It doesn't matter if you're only interested in practical work. However, for teaching in higher educational institutions, writing research papers and scientific articles, a doctorate degree is of fundamental importance. nine0003

Therefore, if you want to become a professional psychologist, you must complete a doctoral degree, or complete a one-year internship as part of a doctoral research in a specific field of psychology. In the latter case, you immediately get a specialization, for example, clinical or school psychologist.

Admission to the psychological direction of the university

The selection of applicants for the psychological department is stricter than is usually accepted in the United States. And the higher the level of education, the more demanding the commission becomes. But at the same time, the conditions for entering the faculty of psychology in all American universities are approximately the same, which greatly facilitates the process. nine0003

Basic documents for admission

• Online application on the website of the university
• High school diploma / bachelor's or master's degree diploma
• Report card
• List of passed subjects
• GPA (Graduate Grade Point Average) and GRE (Standardized Test) for Masters
• Undergraduate ACT or SAT
nine0005 TOEFL or IELTS tests
• Motivational letter
• Letters of recommendation from teachers
• Work experience for master's degree

Tuition for a psychologist

In the US, the cost of education is always influenced by the ranking of the university. A year of study at one of the most reputable universities in the country - Harvard, Stanford, the University of Berkeley - will cost 40-60 thousand dollars. Less prestigious universities cost about 35-40 thousand dollars. The average cost of education in American colleges is 30 thousand dollars a year. nine0003

Obtaining the profession of a psychologist in the USA with Allterra Education

There are a lot of universities and schools where you can get a psychological education in the United States. What's more, each state has its own top colleges and universities for this specialty, which opens up many options for shaping your personal educational and professional path.

Allterra Education specialists will help you find these options, start preparing and successfully enroll. If you have any questions about getting a psychological (as well as theatrical, pedagogical or any other) education in the USA, we will answer them at a free consultation. nine0003

Get advice on studying to become a psychologist in the USA

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Universities to study psychology in the USA

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The American Psychological Association (APA) believes that the development of psychology has a positive effect on the society of the country. It is able to improve the quality of life of each citizen in particular, which means that life will become better in all States. Such words even became the slogan of the association.