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Correctional Counseling Career Requirements
Both rewarding and challenging, correctional counseling is a career field that deals with rehabilitating, advising, and guiding individuals in the criminal justice system. Whether to rid individuals of narcotic dependencies, teach them marketable skills, or help them acclimate to the outside world, professionals in this field should possess sufficient backgrounds in psychology, counseling, mentoring, and safety. Specific correctional counseling career requirements vary from state to state, but having a bachelors degree or higher in psychology, criminal justice, or social work is usually recommended. Licensing requirements also vary from region to region with some states requiring certification before you can begin practicing professionally.
Specific Correctional Counseling Career Requirements
Throughout your bachelors training, expect the focus to be on various aspects of parole services, corrections, social work, counseling, substance abuse treatment, psychology, probation, pretrial services, and statistics. Keep in mind that many public service positions require a master's degree in addition to standard baccalaureate training in the field. Master's programs typically include up to 60 semester hours of graduate coursework plus supervised clinical experience in counseling. This additional training focuses on areas such as career development, rehabilitation counseling, substance abuse training, and related fields. And of course, be prepared to receive safety training since many of your patients will be at various stages of the criminal justice system. Understanding how to diffuse emotionally and physically volatile situations is an important aspect of this profession. Many jurisdictions include an oral, written, and physical examination for correctional counseling positions.
Additional Correctional Counseling Career Requirements
In addition to academic training and licensing, you must also possess tremendous patience and understanding. Counseling is often an involved process that doesn't always yield immediate results. You must be able to work at a pace suitable for all parties. In addition, having thick skin and an affable demeanor can help make the job easier and more enjoyable.
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