Ten Reasons Why You May Consider Counselling as a Profession – Becoming a Counsellor

Do you feel like you’re staring at the clock all day just watching the minutes tick by? Are you seeking a career with more flexibility and a greater work/life balance? Whatever the reason, if you don’t feel like you’re doing work you love anymore it could be time for a career change. To help you out, we’ve gathered ten reasons why you may consider Counselling as a profession.

Ten reasons why you may consider Counselling as a profession

1. You want to create positive change.

A career in counselling can create positive change in both the counsellors’ life and in the lives of others. This in itself is extremely rewarding.

2. You seek meaningful work; you want to make a difference.

Everyone has problems that they need to learn to overcome in their everyday lives, and counsellors provide a valuable assistance to those in emotional need. When stress occurs in life, people often elect to speak to a counsellor to give them direction, support and guidance.  You will be doing meaningful work and given real tools, to help real people in a real world.

3. You seek flexibility in your career.

A career as a counsellor can be extremely flexible.  With the average weekly hours worked by a counsellor being just over 34 hours a week, Counselling is a great option for those looking for flexibility in their career as they can schedule their clients around their existing commitments or desired work / life balance.

4. There are strong job prospects for the industry.

Employment for counsellors is expected to grow very strongly – about 25,000 counsellors are predicting to be working in 2020, up from 15,000 in 2005 (Health Times).

5. It’s an industry where life experience is valued.

Counsellor age groups are split into two main categories.; 25-34 years and 45-54 years, providing a diverse mix of youth and experience on the job depending on which area of counselling you want to chase.

6. You need to balance study with your existing commitments.

There are a variety of Counselling qualifications, study duration and options– The Diploma of Counselling is the entry level, and can provide the first step towards a career in counselling, or provide formal learning for professionals who use counselling skills in their current role.  You may choose to diversify into a higher qualification such as an Advanced Diploma of (Holistic) Counselling or a Bachelor level or diversify into a Graduate Diploma of Arts Psychotherapy. (pre-requisites may apply, so always check with the relevant training organisation for eligibility criteria as well any credit)

7. You have a strong desire to help others.

One of the most common reasons people decide to enter the field of counseling is because they have a strong desire to help others and to assist people with the challenges of daily living.

8. You are a good listener.

You find that others often seem to feel comfortable confiding in you. You have a natural ability or desire to empathise with people and understand the importance of confidentiality.  However, you are not expected to know what to say.  A good counseling course will teach you what to say and when to say it, that is teach you HOW to be a Counsellor.

9. You want to experience a feeling of purpose and fulfillment in your career.

Some people simply feel that they were “called” to the field. They may have a desire to be a part of something larger than themselves. David Hutchinson, a counseling professor says “Many people decide to become counselors during the second parts of their lives, because they are searching for a sense of meaning that, perhaps, their previous careers were unable to offer. By connecting to others and helping them through the tough times, you might find the intrinsic sense of reward and meaning that you’ve been seeking.”

10. You want to formally recognise your existing skills or acquire counseling skills as an adjunct to your core profession.

You may be currently working in a profession that requires counseling skills – such as (such as teachers, nurses, ministers of religion, corrective services officers, human resource professions, allied health professionals etc.) and a new qualification may provide you with the additional skills you need to feel supported (and open up new opportunities) in your existing career. A counselling qualification can add value to the lives of people from all sorts of backgrounds.

Do you think that these ten reasons why you may consider counselling as a profession speak to you? At Ikon Institute of Australia, we are determined to propel individuals toward life-altering futures. We do this by fostering curiosity and self-development through meaningful learning experiences with our courses in Counselling, Arts Therapy, and Early Childhood Education.