Becoming a counselor can take significant time, with many counselors attending school for six years or more. After schooling, counselors must partake in supervised clinical experience, which may take one to two more years. When you’re first starting out in the field, knowing how to get comfortable with the process of counseling, supervision, and scheduling can be challenging. For this reason, several mental health resources have been put in place that may assist new counselors, social workers, and therapists in their clinical work. Keep reading to explore how these resources can help set you up for a successful and rewarding long-term career.
How To Succeed In Your First Few Years As A New Counselor
As you enter the counseling world, there are a few steps you may want to take to ensure you get the most out of your new career, including but not limited to the following.
- Continue Learning
After college, taking a break from classes, workshops, or seminars may be tempting. However, continued learning can be essential to remain current on your knowledge of best treatment practices. Schools can teach theories, modalities, and practices but may not be able to teach the experience you can gain from working directly with colleagues, clients, and experts.
Although continued education units (CEUs) are a requirement to keep your license updated every few years, there are other ways to remain educated, such as by attending classes, certification courses, or specialty seminars. Some classes offer certification or specialization in a modality or area of support, giving you more credentials to share with potential clients.
- Ask For Support From Your Colleagues And Supervisor
If you’re still working in supervision, you may consider frequently checking in with your colleagues and supervisor to receive feedback. They may be able to give you a report of what you’re doing well and which areas you could grow in. Once you have this information, you may be able to utilize continuing education resources to expand your skills and knowledge.
When questions arise during your time in practice, such as when treating a client, double-check with another professional to ensure the validity of your approach. Psychology is often a collaborative industry, so learning can mean being open to feedback and sharing your own experiences with others.
- Check In With Clients Frequently
Although checking in with your clients throughout your career can be crucial, in your first few years as a counselor, asking for feedback on your methods and letting your clients know if you are working with a supervisor can also be vital. Being open with them about this process can ensure informed consent and guide you if your methods don’t suit their unique needs.
Resources For Professionals And New Counselors
Below are several resources for new and established professional counselors that may be beneficial.
Counseling And Therapy In Video
The Counseling & Therapy in Video Library by Alexander Street offers videos of actual therapy sessions, trainings, and reenactments of therapy sessions for students, graduates, and professionals. This resource provides over 2,000 hours of videos to review on your own time. Learning about therapy modalities or specific diagnoses from a textbook can be helpful, but watching videos can allow you to see it in real-time and take notes as you go. It may also offer ideas for treating rarer mental illnesses and symptoms like factitious disorders or severe psychosis.
The DSM-5 And ICD-11
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 11th Edition (ICD-11) are manuals for diagnosing mental illness. Both can also be used to understand a mental illness’s official symptoms and may offer providers treatment notes. In cases where you may be working with a client with insurance, you can use the ICD codes to submit claims.
Therapy Workshops And Seminars
As you start your career, you might consider signing up for workshops, seminars, and classes surrounding topics you’d like to understand on a deeper level. You may not have learned about a certain subject in school, or you could want more information on a topic that was only briefly covered. Some of these classes offer certification or notable titles that you can use to show clients what conditions, symptoms, or mental health disorders you commonly treat. Below are a few options for organizations that offer post-graduate training and certification.
- The Attachment-Focused Treatment Institute
- Imago Relationships International
- The International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT)
- The Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute
- The Gottman Institute
- The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)
- The Somatic Therapy Center
- The Association for Play Therapy
Counseling Books For New Counselors
Books are another resource for continuing your education throughout the first few years of your career, and in the years thereafter. Below are a few books written for therapists that may be beneficial for new providers:
- The Making of a Therapist by Louis Cozolino
- The Gift of Therapy by Irvin D. Yalom, MD
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Basics and Beyond by Judith S. Beck
- Learning to Counsel by William Stewart and Jan Sutton
- Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
- Bearing the Unbearable by Joanne Cacciatore
- The DBT Workbook by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D.
- The RO-DBT Workbook by Thomas Lynch, Ph.D.
PACEs Connection
PACEs Connection, previously ACEs Connection, is a group of providers aiming to spread awareness of positive and adverse childhood experiences (PACEs) and how adverse experiences can lead to trauma-related disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). New therapists can join PACEs Connection’s social network, which allows trauma-informed providers to connect with other mental health providers and share practices with one another. There are over 40,000 members in this social network, allowing you to find professionals from all over the world with whom to discuss treatment strategies and other areas of interest.
Practice Management Software
If you’re starting your own private practice or contracting position as a counselor, it may be challenging to get accustomed to organizing billing, client notes, record filing, and other organizational aspects of offering therapy. In these cases, project management software programs, like SimplePractice, allow therapists to combine all aspects of managing a business in one location. These platforms allow you to message clients, send documents, and bill clients without spending hours organizing the files. You may also be able to hold teletherapy using these platforms.
Some of the most popular platforms for this purpose include the following:
- TheraNest
- Rethink
- TherapyNotes
- Psyquel
- Power Diary
- TherapyAppointment
- Luminello
- AdvancedMD for Mental Health In Medical Treatment
- CounSol
The American Counseling Association’s Knowledge Center
The American Counseling Association (ACA) offers a knowledge center on its website for counselors seeking more information on specific mental illnesses, licensure requirements, and ways to find support for a behavioral health challenge. The ACA also offers membership to counselors who apply. By becoming a member of the ACA, you can receive updated tools and free resources, access to specialized newsletters, and free or discounted learning opportunities. The ACA membership also offers the following:
- Discounted liability insurance
- Opportunities to discuss policy challenges
- Subscriptions to several journals and newsletters
- Access to the ACA’s career portal with job opportunities
- Network connections with other mental health professionals
- Information on treating common mental illnesses like anxiety disorders and substance use disorders
- Information on suicide prevention tactics
- Guidance on eating disorder recovery programs
Online Support Options For Professionals
Outside of the resources above, being a new professional in the mental health field can come with challenges. If you’re considering seeing a therapist yourself, it may be beneficial to consider working with a provider online through a platform like BetterHelp. Here, you can pick between phone, video, or live chat sessions with your provider and select a time slot that fits within your professional schedule.
You can also work for an online platform as a contractor if you’re interested in setting your own hours and getting the hang of counseling before taking on more clients. Likewise, online platforms tend to cater to a wide variety of clients, which could allow you to increase your experience at a greater rate by meeting with diverse individuals. If you go this route, it may be useful to know that the platform takes care of all your client information, billing, and scheduling. This can give you more time to focus on your client’s treatment plans, goals, and messages.
Research shows that online therapy can be just as, if not more, effective than in-person interventions. In one study, researchers interviewed hundreds of clients of an internet-based platform and found that 71% of the participants reported finding online treatment more effective than in-person options. Many participants also reported that online interventions were more cost-effective and 100% of them found it more convenient.
Takeaway
New counselors can take advantage of several educational resources designed to support mental health professionals throughout all stages of their careers. Continued learning units, platform management software, books, diagnostic manuals, and therapist organizations are all resources that can help you increase your knowledge of current mental health treatment procedures.
If you need support during your journey as a counselor, you might consider contacting a professional therapist for guidance and advice. Additionally, online platforms may be an option for contracting if you want to connect with more clients as you build your experience.
