Day in the Life

A Day in the Life is a series of short descriptions of a typical day in the professional lives of various types of counselors. Enjoy discovering what others have experienced and then brainstorm about possible career directions for you in the field of counseling.

A Career Counselor

I am a treasure hunter. That’s right—I have a very sacred job. I have to find each client’s career gifts, aptitudes and desires – and produce life-changing results in usually one hour or less.
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A College Counselor

It was not too long ago that I was sitting in class in my Master’s program, listening to a staff counselor from the local university counseling center. He was there to make his pitch for the UCC as a possible internship site. What I remember most from that class was my reaction: “Yeah, I think it would be interesting to work with college age students, but I want to be challenged.
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A Community College Counselor and Sex Addiction Therapist

There’s no such thing as a “typical” day in my life as a counselor in the community college. My official title is Career Counselor and Drug Education Coordinator. My duties include personal counseling, career counseling, academic advising, facilitating groups for personal development, and teaching curriculum classes if my schedule permits.
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A Correctional Facility Clinical Counselor

I have been a clinical mental health counselor for thirty-three years; fifteen years of that have been spent working with prison inmates. I work as a member of the mental health team at a maximum security institution housing 1200 male inmates in southwestern Virginia. Our mission is to provide our inmates with outpatient-level mental health services that are congruent with community standards.
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A New School Counselor

In order to give you an accurate account of my experiences, I want to give a brief overview of my first four weeks as a school counselor. As you can imagine, the first week was spent in training and meetings. The school system where I work planned a three-day induction for employees who were new to the county.
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An Army Substance Abuse Clinical Counselor

I am an NCC working for the US Government. Actually, I want to talk about three of us, all NCCs, who work at a medical clinic component of the Army Substance Abuse Program. One of us is a DMin in Pastoral Care and Counseling and is soon to complete his PhD in Human Services with Specialization in Professional Counseling; one holds an MS in Marriage and Family Therapy; the last holds an MA in Counseling and has obtained a MAC (Master Addictions Counselor) as well.
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