Hello! My name is Darrian and I moved 3,000 miles across the country to attend The University of Arizona, where I earned my Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Master's degree in Counseling. I'm now a Licensed Associate Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and certified School Counselor. I created this channel in hopes of helping others who are going through the challenging and often confusing process of applying to graduate programs in counseling & related fields, as well as to share some of my own experiences. Thanks so much for visiting my channel. :)
For advising pertaining to graduate school applications, please visit the following link to schedule a Zoom meeting with me: calendly.com/darriancorey
Don’t you think MPCAC accreditation is almost of the same value as CACREP and its accreditation in Mental health counselling programs prepares you for licensure exams; varies from state to state.
HI hope all is well. question if you don't mind how is the appointments working? Do you get a good amount of appointments? Is receiving payments difficult?
Thanks for sharing! You have a great spirit. I could relate to things you shared because I'm like you - I need my personal time to recharge and am not the most outgoing person. I am moving out to college this next semester and really appreciate you sharing your advice!
220 day work year seems like almost year-round…. in your state, our school counselors, part of the administrative union? It’s about 188 days in California, but the pay is on teachers, salary, and part of the teachers union. The line between being a school counselor, versus a school, therapist, versus a district social worker, that is stationed at a school site can be blurred at times …. But no matter what, having a supportive site, administration and district administration, makes all the difference in a school counseling job.
I am doing a complete career change. I have my bachelors in nutrition and an associates in culinary arts. I am currently a caterer, but I really want to be a therapist for those with depression, anxiety, and trauma-based mental illness and want to implement cooking therapy. I am wanting to start school in 2025 because of financial reasons, but this video has helped
Thanks so much for watching :) Cooking therapy sounds like a really neat idea. Also, I'm not sure if you have any interest in working with clients who suffer with eating disorders, but having a degree in nutrition can often be a nice complement to that type of work. Best of luck throughout your career transition!
Hi! Sorry for any confusion - The 60 hours mentioned is in terms of credit hours/the credits you earn for courses taken during your Master's program, rather than clinical hours. For most programs, you earn both course credit & clinical hours during your program. Just as an example - In the program I attended, we'd earn 3.00 course credits for completing 100 clinical hours in our practicum (We completed 2 total) and then would earn 12.00 course credits for completing 600 clinical hours for our internship. So just that alone gave us 18.00 course credits toward the 60.00 credit hours needed for graduation, and we all graduated with at least 800 clinical hours completed. In a typical program, you are able to apply for/earn your associate-level license (LAC) right after graduation. However, the 800 clinical hours you earned during your Master's program unfortunately do not count toward the hours you need to accrue to apply for your independent level license/LPC. This is because the hours you count toward your independent licensure must be completed post-Master's degree. The hours needed for an independent license can differ by state, but is usually around 3,200 hours you need to accrue while under supervision as an associate-level counselor. I hope this helps!
Hi there! The school I'm appliying for is CACREP accredited for clinical mental health counseling and school counseling. It is not accredited for APA. I'm wanting to apply for Masters in clinical psychology would this accreditation not be suficient to get licenced for LPC. Thank you in advance.
Great information. I just switched my degree program to get my school counseling degree as well, BUT I hate limitations. I hate that I would have to keep on the surface level when I can CLEARLY see that the student is going through something serious. At least on the Mental Health Counseling level, you can address those situations.
Hi Nia! I sadly am not working at the moment due to some ongoing health issues I've been having (will likely be posting a video about this at some point!) But at the time of this video, I had just begun working remotely as a mental health therapist specializing in treating trauma. Prior to that, I worked in a school as a high school counselor.
I have been a school counselor for 24 years now. This is my advice for people getting in a school counseling program or thinking about it...have a Plan B. The career will be draining and at some point you will get burned out. Have a backup career in mind, and work towards that over time before you tap out. I finally have hit my wall and struggle with going to work every day. So now, I'm looking to get out of education altogether. There's a myriad of reasons but at the end, you have to take care of yourself. That means emotionally, mentally, AND financially. The way our culture is now, as an employee in the education system, you will not be valued.
This breaks my heart to read, I'm so sorry that you're experiencing that feeling of dreading going to work - That's such an awful feeling. Unfortunately, you're right in that I think many in the education system feel undervalued right now. Especially since the pandemic, it seems that the treatment of school staff by parents, students, and sometimes even admin has taken a nosedive. You're totally right that you have to make yourself a priority too, and having a plan B never hurts. I hope and pray that you find a great fit for you, one where you know and feel you are valued!
I found it more difficult to practice self-care as a mental health counselor. For me personally, it's mostly due to the later work hours, and a much higher percentage of cases involving trauma. But both types of counseling have their own individual challenges for sure!
Great question! It is very rare to have summers off as a mental health counselor. As for weekly work schedule/hours as a mental health counselor, it entirely depends on your workplace and the average age of your clientele at the practice. For me personally, I prefer to work with children and adolescents. However this often leads to a later work schedule, like holding sessions until 7:00 PM, in order to accommodate afterschool sessions for kids. Then when you add in finishing up notes/documentation, and sometimes having to make additional calls or reports in emergency situations, I could be in my office up to 8/8:30 PM. However in my experience, most companies understand that later hours can make maintaining a good work/life balance difficult, and will only require you to offer late sessions 2-3 days out of the week.
Do you have any information on the average GPA of students actually admitted to counseling masters programs? I know 3.0 is the minimum to apply but what kind of GPA do you need to actually get in?
Thank you! I appreciate your taking the time to share on your experiences. I am in the middle of deciding if school counseling is the route I want to go, but I am also highly interested in the mental health aspect too. This helped to give me more insight on the position, thank you again.
May I ask if you are still working in a school session as a mental health specialist? Did you receive a masters in mental health as well as a masters in school counseling?
Hi we are thinking of going to the same resort for a destination wedding, what did you think of their service? Can we connect with you some how? Because we really like this place.. thank you!
Hi! Their service was nothing short of phenomenal! I'll admit we were a bit nervous and didn't feel super prepared leading up to it as we'd never seen the resort in person before and weren't sure what to expect, but as soon as we got there our wedding planner put all of our worries at ease and was fantastic. My personal email is darriancorey@gmail.com please feel free to email me with any specific questions you might have and my husband & I will do our best to answer!
Just curious if you can be supervised by someone in private practice or teletherapy once you get your degree? Would that count towards becoming an LPC or LMHC?
Yes, as long as the person has the necessary qualifications to provide clinical supervision, then that counts! Just be sure to be aware of your particular state's supervision rules, as some have important caveats to be aware of when it comes to supervision. (For example, here in Arizona, as an LAC, I cannot get supervision from a substance abuse counselor - It must be an LPC, LCSW, LMFT, or a licensed psychologist.) Another thing to keep in mind is that agencies that you are employed by often provide supervision for you for free. However if you choose to pursue supervision from a professional outside of the agency, the individual often charges per hour for their supervision. Just something to keep in mind!
Thank you for mentioning how important accreditation is. It took me awhile to differentiate the difference between APA, CACREP, CAEP and MFT. As a first-gen college student and hopefully soon to be first gen masters student I found it so hard to determine if a school was accredited or not until I used their databases. I am thankful I found out about it otherwise I fear that I wouldn't have known. I am applying to 6-7 schools after taking a gap year for fall 2024. I graduated undergrad in Dec 2022 but needed a break for my mental health and I graduated in three years. It was useful and plan to share how my gap year prepared me to give my masters degree my full attention.
Thanks for watching, and for sharing your experience! It is unfortunate how accreditation and accreditation databases aren't talked about more often and more directly, but sadly, many of the programs that are not accredited prey on others not knowing about it. I totally agree with you that a gap year can be much needed and so helpful! Congratulations and best of luck on your application journey!
@@DarrianCorey Thank you! 😊 And certainly I really think there are people that can be certainly vulnerable to not knowing about the importance of accreditation. But thankfully there are people like you willing to share and help others. 💕
I understand your decision to leave but I did the reverse. I stayed. I did internship at all 3 levels and high school was my worst experience. Now I am a high school counselors going on 4 years. I started in 2020 and was in the Army before grad school. The best way to reach administrators is to build rapport EARLY I've built rapport with the superintendent and other district leaders. Despite a combative school board and parents. Everyone has my back when issues arise. As a black man with liberal views in a conservative area I use my diplomatic skills to build consensus. I went from 45k to 64k from where I started and though I had additional duties my principal loves his counselors and I feel like I can speak up and it will be received. I hope things get better and stay in this profession for a long time but I respect you for make a move that is best for you.
Hi Stephen, thank you so much for sharing your experience. It's definitely just as important, if not more important, to share the positive experiences that people have had in the field too. You're right that having the support of administrators makes a HUGE difference!! I'm happy to hear that you have that where you are. Wishing you much success for years to come!
@@galactalgeneral7420 I would! I will say that I didn't get the full "traditional" experience of the program, because the pandemic happened when my cohort was about halfway through the program. But even with the latter half being virtual/taught over Zoom, there were lots of opportunities to learn and practice counseling skills!
Hi Darrian! I am actually right about to send in my application for the graduate counseling program at UOFA! I’m really battling between choosing the mental health emphasis or school counselor emphasis. Even though you’ve switched into the mental health field, did you face any challenges due to having majority of the internship hours being in a school setting? I’m worried I may also find school counseling to not be my favorite, but I enjoy the option of having versatility for both fields.
Hi Daniel! Congratulations, that's exciting! That's a great question. When I was about to make the switch, I was initially worried about that too. Luckily, I didn't run into any issues. It was often one of the first questions I was asked in interviews once they saw my resume, but as long as you are honest in your explanation of why you are interested in making the switch, everyone I interviewed with was very understanding. In fact, I ran into quite a few interviewers who had initially started in a school setting and had made the switch themselves too. Best of luck!
I want to do counselling but I am not in the major. I am doing Conflict Analysis as my masters and I had my Global affairs as my undergrad. What would be a tip on how to become a counselor? (Im also an international student) are there any tips on this too ...?
Hi 👋 I just came across your channel. I’m in the last year of my B.A for Psychology and have been researching a lot of the topics you are covering. I want to go into Forensic Psychology. I’m currently studying online at University Arizona Global Campus (formally Ashford U). Is that where you earned your degree? I saw the ‘A’ on your mask and was thinking it’s the same institution. Or did you earn your degree from University Arizona? I’m not sure if I want to continue at UAGC or to start my M.A at St Mary’s here in TX where I reside, or if staying on track at my current University will benefit? Thank you and sorry for multiple questions. 1 year will fly by and I want to be prepared. - Kristen
Hi Kristen! I earned both my Bachelor's and my Master's degrees from The University of Arizona in Tucson. 😊 I always suggest going with whichever grad program is accredited by CACREP, and will allow you to pursue licensure after graduating if you choose to go down that path. Here's where you can search all of the CACREP-accredited programs: www.cacrep.org/directory/ Hope this helps!
Hi Darrien, I’m thinking about becoming a school counselor but plan to study communication studies (interpersonal and organizational) with a double minor in Sociology and Political science (Civic Engagement and Leadership). I’ve taken General Psychology and I plan to work on campus in advising, orientation, social justice education and advocacy training, cultural studies, and peer academics. After college and if I decided to apply for grad school writing a strong essay about my experiences related to school counseling will that help me, or do you advise the traditional psychology or teacher education majors? My school counselors in the past have said to can major in anything and get your masters in counseling.
Hi Jordan, I think the path you are on sounds like a great fit (I also minored in Sociology)! Your past school counselors are correct - Of course it never hurts to take the traditional routes, but you can major in just about anything in undergrad and still pursue a Master's in Counseling in the future. I will say however that some graduate programs are more strict than others in which pre-requisites/general psychology classes they require an applicant to complete prior to admission, so I would recommend looking up each program's requirements as soon as you have an idea of where you would like to attend for graduate school. With your description of what you've been studying, I don't think you will have any issues relating that to counseling in your essay. I've met fantastic counselors who majored in things as seemingly unrelated as Accounting, though honestly, you could even argue that that is related, especially if you're looking into running your own business/private practice. Best of luck with everything!
I'm not sure where you are located, but in the DMV area, school counselors are now required to obtain clinical mental health training. I'm thinking that the role of the school counselor may change soon.
Honestly, that may not be a bad idea! I'm located in Arizona, and agree with you that a lot of other areas will likely start adopting that same point of view. Especially with events such as school shootings becoming more and more prevalent unfortunately, having more clinical mental health training definitely would not hurt.
Thanks for sharing this. I am a recent graduate with a ba in psychology (December ‘22) This video confirms what I’ve been told about school counseling and why I don’t want to do it. I’ve been having trouble finding a job/internship since graduating and my dad recently sent me an application for school counseling despite me asking him and my mom not to try and help me because they know relatively nothing about the field or my goals (to be a clinical therpaist and instructor at the college/ university level.) The ironic thing is I’m not even qualified to do school counseling because i have none of the teaching certificates that fit just the minimum qualifications lmao
Congrats on graduating with your BA! Thanks for watching, and I'm glad it might have helped you to feel more validated in your feelings toward school counseling. You are right that some states do require certain teacher certifications for school counseling positions, while others don't. I also agree with you that it can be difficult navigating job opportunities at times when others step in, but don't fully know all of the different aspects of each role. I will say though, in my opinion, even if you have to temporarily take a job that you know is not the one you want forever, it can still be a great learning experience! I worked a couple of jobs in between my BA and grad school - A Case Manager position, and a Behavioral Health Tech position working with kids in the foster care system. I knew that neither of those were what I planned to do long-term, but I learned things in both roles that served me well in my role as a Clinical Therapist after grad school. I actually found myself missing the kids I had worked with in the Behavioral Health Tech position! Even if you're in those roles a relatively short time, you can still have the potential to make a big impact. :) Best of luck finding the right job or internship for you!
I'm glad I checked that CACREP website. I was freaking out for a second, cause the school that I literally have an interview with tomorrow, doesn't say anything about being CACREP accredited. But according to the website it is.
Thank you so much for this video! I am currently in my Master's for counseling and am trying to decide between school vs. mental health counseling. This video was really helpful!
Ok so I’m in my last internship with Capella and I feel the way you do. How did you switch to LPC? What education or method did you use to gain the proper necessities to practice therapy? I am worried I have to start over.
Hi Geoff! The graduate program I attended (University of Arizona's M.A. in Counseling program) was very up front from the start that students who chose the School Counseling specialty would be eligible to pursue licensure if they chose to after graduation. This is because they required School Counseling students to take the minimum Clinical Mental Health/Rehabilitation Counseling courses required for licensure (classes like Diagnosis and Assessment, for example) and also required us School Counseling students to complete Mental Health clinical hours in addition to our School Counseling hours. Because of this, I'm fortunate that my transition was very smooth - I did not have to do anything extra aside from apply for my LAC (associate licensure since I am not qualified to be independently licensed yet!). I in fact could have applied for my LAC when I was a school counselor too, but didn't see the need to at the time. It may not hurt to talk with your state's licensure board and/or your advisor in your graduate program to let them know how you're feeling. It's likely the case that this is not the first time they have heard this, and they may be able to give you clear steps to get you where you want to be. Best of luck!!
@@remmycaste2352thank you for getting back with me. I graduated and am currently finishing my onboarding with Centerstone as a school based therapist. Thank you for the information! I will definitely follow your instructions. Capella was 72 credits. Took me about 2 1/2 years with 2 classes full time.
Don't be afraid to ask - That's what they're there for! Every school seems to be different. Some counseling departments have a counseling secretary you can talk to for scheduling an appointment with your counselor, while others just prefer that you email your counselor directly for setting up an appointment. Some counseling departments have calendar links that you can schedule an appointment in as well. At a minimum, it doesn't hurt to email your counselor and ask! You can usually find their email address on your school's website if you are not sure of it. Of course, if it's an emergency of some sort, just walk to the counseling office (and ask your teacher first, depending on if you're in class or not. ☺)
I like both programs, but what more attracts me to school counseling (and I just got accepted to that program), is more free summers and spending less time with big traumas. Also, helping kids about the future and not too much about the past. Past is important to deal with, just I think what ever is the past, we should work on future because that is in front of us. Therapist help with the past, and school counselors help with future. Both are important. Honestly, if I can, I would study both in the same time. I like more school counseling classes - after my work so I can have life-work balance. Unfortunately therapist classes would be all day long. I don’t believe in messing up my whole life, but building career around our lifestyle, as for example above mentioned free (or almost free summers etc). Great video! You are appreciated and I support you in doing what makes you happy! 😊
Same here…. Summer vacation is just just under 2 months long in California (you’ll have to get used to people trying to say it’s three months long when it isn’t lol.) but it’s still a HUGE blessing and worth the reduced $$$ especially if you have a family or prioritize free time :)
Hello, I am enrolled in a Counseling Psychology MA that is accredited by MPCAC. I believe there are only 5 states that I can not work as an LPC vs if I got CACREP. Is this correct? Thank you
It is completely optional as a school counselor! Where I am in Arizona, all you need is the Master's degree related to School Counseling & your Arizona school counselor certification from the Department of Education - Some states require passing a test as well. I encountered a few school counselors who also happened to be licensed, but they were definitely in the minority. It's a bit harder to acquire your clinical hours needed to go from being an LAC to an LPC if you're in the school counseling field vs. clinical mental health. Hope that helps! :)
