What is the best and quickest option to get a useful counseling degree?
Jill asked:
I am 40 years old and want to go to school online or otherwise to get a counseling degree of some sort. I have no prior college credits. What would the quickest route be to get a degree that would actually be useful for getting a job counseling and providing therapy for people? When I look at information online it just makes my head spin and I’m really not sure where to start! Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks!
I am 40 years old and want to go to school online or otherwise to get a counseling degree of some sort. I have no prior college credits. What would the quickest route be to get a degree that would actually be useful for getting a job counseling and providing therapy for people? When I look at information online it just makes my head spin and I’m really not sure where to start! Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks!
June 19th, 2011 at 6:45 am
You’re wasting your time. Pick something else.
The ONLY people they hire for that anymore have a MASTER’S DEGREE. That’s about 6 years of school, just to qualify.
Social work is an MSW, and they won’t even talk to you if you don’t have it. Hospitals don’t even use them. It’s all druggie/drunk therapy, and there’s NO money in it.
Druggies and drunks don’t have insurance, and 1/2 the time they don’t show up for their court appointed therapy… and when they don’t show up, the therapist Does Not get paid for the time she sits there twiddling her thumbs.
I have a friend in Michigan with an MSW… she works 3 jobs just to pay her bills, works 7 days/week (for the last 8 years) without a break, and is BROKE.
Don’t make the same mistake.
June 20th, 2011 at 2:24 am
If you want to earn a regionally accredited degree at a reasonable price, in a reasonable amount of time, then Baker College might be the right choice for you. Baker College has been around since 1911 and they have an extremely high post-graduation employment rate (like 98%)
That said, some traditional schools with online programs may have a higher level of prestige. For example, earning a degree from schools like UMass, Boston University, Penn State, Cornell, Columbia University, Tulane, etc. might look a little better on your resume.
The majority of brick-and-mortar universities offering online degrees make no distinction whatsoever on your transcript that you earned your degree online. That said, if you are worried about perception, it might look fishy if you live/work in Michigan while attending school in Boston. I attended Columbia College Online (Missouri) while living/working in Texas and had no problems getting into grad school.
Here are a few other colleges with online bachelor programs in Psychology:
- University of Massachusetts
- Penn State University
- LeTourneau University
- Columbia College
- University of Wyoming
- Ashford University
- City University of Seattle
- Southern New Hampshire University
- Utah State University
As a previous person mentioned, you will need to get a master’s degree in counseling after you get your bachelor’s degree.
Depending on what field you want to get into, you can earn your master’s in counseling or psychology.
Online MA in Counseling
Seton Hall University
University of Massachusetts
University of West Alabama
Kansas State University
Regions University
University of Alabama
Capella University
Goddard College
Liberty University
Nova Southeastern University
Pacifica Graduate Institute
Prescott College
Regent University
Abilene Christian University
Online MA in Psychology:
Antioch University
Austin Peay State University
Saybrook Graduate School
Northcentral University
Walden University
Capella University
Goddard College
Prescott College
I hope that helps! You can narrow down the choices a little using a degree search tool–