Your Career in Depression Counseling

Depression counseling is a branch of counseling that helps patients with depressive states identify the cause of the depression and cope with it. Depression counseling is not as it is portrayed in movies and print media where a patient lies on a coach and the counselor takes notes on his/her pad. It is more of an informal set-up where the patient is on comfortable terms with the counselor. Having a trusting relationship provides an avenue for the patient to freely voice out whatever is troubling him/her so that the counselor can identify the problem and present methods to resolve it.

Depression counselors possess traits that make them ideal for the counseling job. They have also received formal education and undergone trainings to possess the required skills to perform counseling tasks. If you plan to enter the field of depression counseling, you should have these traits and meet these educational requirements.

Essential Qualities of a Depression Counselor

Depression counseling is a professional career that is not for everyone. Only qualified individuals with the following basic traits can last long in the field.

Professionalism and Ethics. Counseling is an interactive profession. Counselors constantly converse with their patients to deliver care and therapeutic interventions. As such, aspiring depression counselors possess professional people interaction skills and abide by a code of ethics. Professional depression counselors respect and accept their patients as they are. They follow standard procedures to ensure efficiency in delivering care.

Confidentiality. Information that is disclosed by patients to their counselors can be sensitive. Depression counselors therefore keep all patient details and information to their own. They do not divulge these details to others to preserve their patient’s integrity.

Detachment. Depression counselors separate personal feelings when dealing with their clients. Although personal disclosure is needed to establish rapport, depression counselors do not fully attach themselves to their patients. Doing so maintains the integrity of the counselor-client relationship and ensures efficiency in delivering care.

Empathy. Effective depression counselors are able to place themselves in their client’s shoes. They identify and acknowledge the dispositions of their clients. Being empathic helps them to identify the problem and the solution.

Passion for Helping Others. Counselors dealing with depressed clients are dedicated to resolving their problems. They place their clients’ needs in high regard.

Education and Training for Depression Counseling

A professional depression counselor needs adequate education, training, and experience to be effective. As an aspiring depression counselor, you should first take a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Having this degree helps you find good counselor opportunities, like being a counseling aid or a counseling research assistant. If you like, you can take up a master’s degree or a PhD in psychology. Doing so provides you with better work options like handling actual depression counseling sessions. You may want to consider taking other non-related course subjects but are otherwise helpful in understanding and performing counseling tasks. Examples include psychiatry, leadership, management, organization, and education principles.

After obtaining a formal education, you can opt to enroll in short courses on counseling. These courses are provided for by universities and colleges of psychology. You should also aim to acquire related work experience. These can be obtained from internship programs from schools you have studied in or from hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitative institutions.

Finally, you should obtain certification from counseling and anti-depression organizations. Being an affiliate of professional organizations is a good addition to your resume and list of credentials.