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Types of Counseling Degrees and Mental Health Counseling Salary Ranges
Students interested in mental health counselor jobs must choose between a variety of academic and professional licensure options. Here is a quick overview of your counseling degree choices and how they may affect your future mental health counselor salary.
Five Mental Health or Counseling Degree Options
Are you wondering how to become a mental health counselor? Fundamentally, in choosing a mental health career path, you’ll need to decide between a medical or nursing focus, or a counseling focus.
Nursing Mental Health Degrees and Salaries
The medical side of mental health includes nurses with additional education required to work as nurse psychotherapists or psychiatric or mental health nurse practitioners. A licensing exam is required. In the past, registered nurses could become nurse practitioners through a master of science in nursing degree program. However, a doctoral level degree, called a doctor of nursing practice, is often now required. DNP degree programs are significantly more expensive than other types of mental health graduate degrees.
Mental Health Degrees and Mental Health Counselor Salary Ranges
Those not interested in taking the nursing route into mental health counselor jobs can choose from several other options, depending on prior academic degrees, work experience, and clinical interests. In most cases, your bachelor’s degree does not need to be in a related field such as psychology, human services, or social work. Typically, the more expensive and lengthier the graduate degree program, the higher mental health career salary you can expect.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist Degree and Salary
While a master’s degree in psychology is an option, many people pursue a doctorate degree in psychology (PhD) if they want to become a psychologist.
Source: ZipRecruiter.com
Licensed Clinical Social Worker Degree and Salary
To become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) requires a master of social work degree and the completion of other licensing eligibility requirements. Social workers often work inside hospitals and other medical organizations, including long-term care facilities, for example. Social workers also have career options in local government, such as criminal justice and child protective services.
Source: ZipRecruiter.com
Licensed Mental Health Counselor Degree and Salary
To become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor requires a master’s in mental health counseling or similar degree as well as the completion of required clinical field experience hours.
Source: ZipRecruiter.com
See mental health counselor salary details for Boston and Massachusetts.
The master’s in mental health counseling degree program at Cambridge College provides structured preparation so that its graduate degree graduates are eligible for the Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) exam. The degree program includes required practicum and internship hours and several elective concentrations.
Get full details about the master’s in mental health counseling from Cambridge College.
Request Additional Information from Cambridge College
If you’re looking for an affordable, flexible, and respected graduate degree in mental health counseling, then Cambridge College is the school for you. We invite you to request additional information. A member of the admissions team would be pleased to provide you details about the application process, financial aid, curriculum specifics, and more. We’d be honored to get you started on a career as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).
