Community Counselor Careers

Overview

One can say that a community counselor is a type of psychologist but one that addresses and treats a much larger audience. Community counselors are not exactly professional psychologists but serve a very similar purpose as they are trained and qualified with the principle psychological methods and techniques.

The job of a community is quite simple – as the name suggests someone who is qualified to give guidance, support, and advice to a community after a calamity or catastrophe is called a community counselor. The counseling could also be for an individual or groups of people who are linked to communities. Helping communities deal and cope with challenges and large scale issues comes under the expertise and scope of a community counselor.

If you feel you have what it takes to direct and control a herd of people in order to give them support, semblance and hope, you should become a community counselor. Perhaps you could effectively counsel and support a community in case of natural disasters or other calamities. As a matter of fact, the services and expertise of community counselors are most required during natural disasters or acts of terrorism.

Job Duties

The job duties of a community counselor can greatly vary depending on the society, the extent of the societal issue, the number of people involved, the time frame and the seriousness of the issue. Broadly speaking, the community counselor must bring peace, direction, support and hope to the table when dealing with disturbed communities.

Listed below you will find a number of different job duties that are expected of a community counselor. As listed above, the type of duties may vary but the list below will you a general idea of what is to be expected should you wish to purse this line of work.

• You will need to be quick at assessing situations when it comes to reading the community morale and psyche. Your initial assessment should help pave the plan of action
• Conduct as much primary research as possible so as to determine the nature of the catastrophe or calamity at hand. Talk to people, read past and present reports and consult with authorities to learn as much as you can about the situation.
• Consult and collaborate with community leaders, forces and higher-ups to gain their trust and support in initiating damage control
• You will need to be quick at mobilizing as many resources and volunteers as possible in order to contain the damage. Damage may be in the form of fear, unrest, unpleasant information and so on
• Train community volunteers by guiding them how to manage smaller groups. Volunteers under you will need your instruction so you should be able to command them effectively
• Gather the audience attention so as to address them properly. It is important to first get audience attention
• You must be able to get people to openly and freely express their fears, concerns or apprehensions to you
• You should also be able to identify those victims who may need extra or additional attention as a form of therapy and coping
• You must conduct follow-up sessions to gauge and monitor the progress of the audience or groups you are currently addressing

Career Outlook

With the changing dynamics of the Earth, the atmosphere and the seas, it is uncertain when calamity strikes – and when it does it grips communities and nations with fear, apprehension and uncertainty. The world has witnessed an increased trend in natural disasters over the past few years. Furthermore, acts of terrorism have also increased around the world.

The aforementioned reasons have caused many interested candidates to pursue community counseling education. Societies and community health centers have also opened up to enlist the services of a community counselor.

Salary Prospects

The average annual salary for community counselors is $41,000 (indeed.com). This figure may witness growth once you gain significant experience working on a number of cases. The more experience you have at successfully dealing with communities, the greater could be your market value and bargaining position.

Education Requirements

Psychology, sociology, family counseling, cultural diversity and, human behavior are some of the main courses you will have to study during your community counseling education. Industry standards expect the candidate to have a master’s in community counseling to be able to enter the industry.

Certification is the next step and the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) can shed some light on this area. A certified community counseling may have greater market value and may be preferred by employers.

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