How To Become a Counselor

• Discover which graduate counseling programs can help you launch your career as there are many counseling specialties and add-on certifications.
• Explore a master’s level education offered online or on campus by CACREP accredited graduate programs.
• Research the counseling curricula and related career pursuits such as therapy, social work and clinical psychology.
• Find out how you can specialize your study and focus on a concentration or specific population you would prefer to work with, i.e. adolescents, geriatric, urban, LGBTQIA, or couples - to name a few.
• Learn about admission requirements, application processes, tuition, financial aid and scholarships.

2. Complete Practicum and/or Internship Hours

In order to obtain licensure or certification, counselors are required to participate for a minimum number of documented hours in supervised clinical fieldwork. Accredited master’s programs require an on-site practicum or internship for graduation. These hours may be counted toward your state requirement, but depending on your state, you will likely need to complete additional fieldwork hours to become a licensed or certified counselor. This also depends on your concentration.

• Practicum: Required practicum hours range from 100 to 300 hours. Students have the opportunity to work alongside licensed or certified counselors during sessions both supervised and independently. They also attend meetings, participate in trainings, write reports and clinical notes, review tapes, engage in professional development, and more.
• Internship: Required internship hours calculate to about 600 hours. Students work under supervision and independently both in and out of sessions with clients. Counseling interns are held to the same standards as other practicing professionals at the clinical site. Interns must keep clinical records, engage in professional development, collaborate and interact with other counselors and family members as well as meeting with their assigned clients.

3. Obtain Counseling Licensure and/or Certification

Without a license or certificate, most states will not allow you to practice or accept health insurance from clients. To meet state practice requirements, counseling licensure/certification is necessary. A valid state counseling license/certification serves as proof that a counseling professional has met state-determined qualification standards, including a minimum level of education and requisite hours of supervised clinical experience.

• Research the licensing or certification requirements in your state.
• Learn how many supervision and fieldwork hours are necessary in your state of interest and how/where you can fulfill them.
• Find out the details about licensing or certification exam to include costs, study guides and registration.

4. Choose a Counseling Career Path

With a state license/certification and a master’s degree, you’ll find counseling career opportunities in hospitals, mental health clinics, private practices, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, schools, nursing homes, and government and community agencies. Continue to visit this website for guidance and as a resource as you work toward your educational and career goals.

• Explore the many counseling specialties and the types of clients you can help.
• Research where the counseling jobs are in your state.
• Learn about employer requirements and job expectations as well as responsibilities, as they correlate with your lived and learned experiences.

5. Advance your practice through continued learning

A successful counselor stays ahead of the curve and continues to expand their knowledge as their career progresses. The counseling field is continually evolving through research and new findings. There may be a new way to apply a counseling technique to a previously unexplored mental health concern. As a professional counselor in any specialty or field, you may even be required by licensure and certification to complete continuing education credits and engage in research. You may also wish to explore additional professional certifications and doctoral programs for counselors.

• Become a member of professional counseling organizations.
• Explore PhD counseling programs.
• Understand the value of additional certifications and learn how to obtain it.
• Research different ways to obtain continuing education or professional development credits for licensure, certification, or renewal.

More Information on How to Become a Counselor

How Long Does It Take to Become a Counselor?

Counselors typically complete a four-year bachelor’s degree and pursue a master’s degree in counseling before they begin their practice. Some counselors earn a counseling undergraduate degree, but those interested in pursuing a master’s degree may have a bachelor’s degree in a different or related field such as sociology, cultural anthropology or psychology.

There are different types of graduate counseling degrees, depending on what the school offers and what topics interest you the most. Some schools offer a Master of Arts in Counseling while others offer more specialized degrees that include mental health, clinical counseling, school counseling, and family and marriage therapy.

The time it takes to complete a graduate degree depends on the program you choose. If you are interested in pursuing a full-time program, two-year master’s degrees are available. If you would like to continue working and need more flexibility, there are part-time and online options that may take between two and three years to complete, depending on your level of commitment.

A master’s degree requires a supervised practicum, which allows students to practice counseling in real-world settings. Depending on the program, a practicum can range from 500 to 1,000 hours.

What Do Counselors Do?

Professional counselors address the mental, emotional, and behavioral needs of individuals, families, students, and communities. After their counseling education, professional counselors go on to earn post-graduate hours in working with a variety of people under the supervision of an already licensed counselor. Through the use of different approaches, therapies, and skills, many different counselors treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Counselors will also often work with other mental health professionals and community resources to ensure that their clients receive holistic care.

Check out our reasons to become a counselor, from our interviews with professional and licensed counselors.

What Career Options Are Available in Counseling?

There are at least 10 different careers in counseling you can pursue. As a counselor, you can work with students as a school counselor or assist those getting back to work as a rehabilitation counselor. The majority of counseling careers require a master’s degree in either counseling or a specialized field like substance abuse counseling. While there are sometimes options for alternative pathways to licensure, be sure to check with your state’s licensing board first.

• Mental Health Counselor
• School Counselor
• Career Counselor
• Child Counselor
• College Counselor
• Grief Counselor
• Military Counselor
• Pastoral Counselor
• Rehabilitation Counselor
• Substance Abuse Counselor

Check out our careers in counseling guide for more details on the different pathways.

Counseling Licensure

Becoming a licensed professional counselor will require you to pursue licensure standards set forth by your state of practice. Some states offer reciprocity licensure paths, but it is important to understand your initial licensure pathway first. Most states require the following: accredited graduate degree program completion, practicum and/or internship hours during graduate coursework, post-graduate supervised hours of practice and sometimes a submission of a state of national exam.

• Learn how to become a counselor in California
• Learn how to become a counselor in Texas
• Learn how to become a counselor in New York
• Learn how to become a counselor in Florida

Jump back to the Steps on How to Become a Counselor

Information regarding salary, licensure, coursework, certifications, and internships was updated as of March 2026.