Preparation

For this assignment, you will explore an area of counseling that you find interesting and that you may want to pursue as a career. It is a chance for you to become familiar with the type of job listings and titles associated with the specialization and its educational and skill requirements.

Begin with a search of job postings for a current counseling job of interest to you. In can be in any area of counseling, such as mental health, social work, marriage and family therapy, addictions, school counseling, career counseling, et cetera.

Based on your interest, you may choose to use your Kottler and Shepard text to read one or more of the following chapters to complete your assignment:

• Kottler, J. A., & Shepard, D. S. (2015). Introduction to counseling: Voices from the field (8th ed.). Cengage.
  • Chapter 10, “Family, Couples, and Sex Counseling” (for those interested in marriage, couples, and family counseling).
  • Chapter 11, “Career Counseling” (for those interested in incorporating career counseling into a specialization of interest).
  • Chapter 12, “Neuroscience, Addictions, and Psychopharmacology” (for those interested in addictions counseling).

The Occupational Outlook HandbookLinks to an external site. from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics may also be helpful. Other resources may be found in the Capella University LibraryLinks to an external site. or on the Internet under organizations that support the specialization.

Instructions

Complete and submit the Roadmap to a Professional Counseling Career [DOCX] Download Roadmap to a Professional Counseling Career [DOCX]worksheet.

You may use any search engine that lists counseling jobs, such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and CareerBuilder. If you have another search engine you prefer, you can use that for your search. Just be sure to find a recent job posting. It is a good idea to check for jobs in your geographic area so that you can see what types of opportunities there might be for you in the future. If you cannot find one of interest to you in your area, you can use another geographic area.

In your worksheet, complete the following:

• Summarize the key aspects of the counseling specialization you have chosen. Think about how it is different from other specializations.
• Describe the job requirements, including the skills and credentials needed (for example, the type of bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree). If licensure is required, provide a brief overview of your state’s requirements (such as clinical hours, supervision required, licensure exam, et cetera).
• Describe the settings in which the professional in this specialization might work, and the populations they might serve. For example, does this type of professional work in clinics, hospitals, schools, universities, private practice, social service agencies, et cetera, or a combination of settings? Who are their clientele? Do they serve a specific population or a variety of populations?
• Describe how your personal as well as professional goals are aligned with this career choice. Be sure to provide examples. Note: This portion can be written in first person since you are discussing your own personal and professional goals.
• Use professional or scholarly sources to support your findings and descriptions. The sources can help you validate the job requirements, develop your explanation of what specialists in the chosen area of counseling do, what types of settings they may work in, and what populations they may serve.

Additional Requirements

Your assignment should also meet the following requirements:

• Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: References and in-text citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting. See the Evidence and APALinks to an external site. section of the Writing Center for more information.
• Length: Complete the worksheet, approximately three pages.
• References: Use credible sources, such as your textbook and government or state credentialing sites, to support your worksheet.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.