Guidance Counselor: Career Outlook for Guidance Counselors

Published Sep 02, 2009

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Guidance Counselors work in a variety of professional environments including government job services agencies, private career counseling offices and public and private schools. Guidance Counselors work as rehabilitation counselors, vocational counselors or high school counselors.

Rehabilitation Counselors: Career Outlook

Rehabilitation counselors work with people who have barriers to employment due to disabilities such as birth defects, sickness, accidents and mental disorders. A rehabilitation counselor works with this population to develop a rehabilitation program that meets the client's special needs. Counselors confer with physicians, psychologists, employers and therapists to determine the best rehabilitation program for the client, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov. Vocational rehabilitation counselors earned an average annual salary of $38,820, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Vocational Counselors: Career Outlook

A vocational counselor often works with claim managers to determine if an injured worker is capable of returning to work. Counselors help injured workers develop rehabilitation plans that will allow them to return to the workforce, and they help clients access resources that will help them return to work. Vocational counselors work with doctors and employers to consider job options that will meet the needs of an injured worker, according to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, www.lni.wa.gov. Vocational counselors in private industries have lower average annual salaries than school or government agency vocational counselors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

High School Guidance Counselor: Career Outlook

A high school guidance counselor works with students to help them decide on areas of study and vocational interests. High school guidance counselors advise college-bound students about college majors, financial aid and preparations for college admission examinations. For students looking for alternatives to college, high school guidance counselors may advise about apprenticeship programs or vocational and technical institutes. High school guidance counselors also work with students at a personal level, helping them with social and behavioral issues, drug and alcohol prevention programs and social integration, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Educational, vocational and school counselors are the largest segment of employment in counseling, employing 260,000 workers in 2006, but this is expected to have the slowest growth of any segment of Counseling with only 13% growth between 2006 and 2016.

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