Okay, so I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I could actually do with my Master’s in Counseling Psychology. I mean, I loved the program, learned a ton, but then…what? So, I decided to really dig in and figure out some concrete job options. Here’s how I went about it.
Brainstorming and Googling (Seriously!)
First, I just sat down and brainstormed. Like, literally just wrote down every job title I could think of that might be related. “Counselor,” obviously, but also things like “therapist,” “case manager,” “program coordinator”… you get the idea. I even threw in some wild cards, just in case.
Then, I hit up Google. I started with simple searches like “jobs with a masters in counseling psychology” (yeah, the same as my title – keeping it basic!). I also tried variations like “careers for counseling psychology graduates” and “what can I do with a counseling psychology degree?”.
Diving into Job Boards
Next, I spent some time on job boards. I looked at general ones like Indeed, Monster, and GlassDoor. I also found some more specialized boards for mental health professionals, but honestly, the big ones had plenty to look through.
The key here was to experiment with keywords. I didn’t just search for “counselor.” I tried:
- “Mental Health Counselor”
- “Licensed Professional Counselor” (once I figured out the licensing requirements in my state)
- “Clinical Therapist”
- “Substance Abuse Counselor”
- “Rehabilitation Counselor”
- “Career Counselor”
And a bunch more!
I also started noticing job titles that I hadn’t thought of before, like “Behavioral Health Specialist” and “Clinical Case Manager.” So I added those to my search list, too.
Reading Job Descriptions (Carefully!)
This part was crucial. I didn’t just skim the job postings. I read the descriptions carefully, paying attention to:
- Required education and experience: Did they specifically want a Master’s in Counseling Psychology? Or would a related field work?
- Required skills: Did I have the skills they were looking for? (Things like assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, crisis intervention, etc.)
- Job duties: What would I actually be doing on a day-to-day basis? Did it sound interesting and fulfilling?
- Salary range: Let’s be real, this matters!
- Location: Was the job in a place I’d actually want to live?
Making a Spreadsheet (Because I’m Organized Like That)
I am very happy to use a spreadsheet, I used it to keep track of all the jobs I found that seemed like a good fit. I included columns for:
- Job Title
- Company
- Location
- Salary Range
- Required Education
- Required Skills
- A brief summary of the job duties
- A “Notes” section where I could jot down my thoughts about the job (e.g., “Sounds interesting, but the commute would be awful”)
The Results
After all that digging, I actually found some really promising options. I realized that my Master’s degree opened up a lot more doors than I initially thought. I discovered it would takes a lot of work and persistence, and I’m ready to keep going! It’s not magic, but it’s definitely doable.
