Cheapest online counseling program

[EcuaJudoka]

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Howdy all, first post, would appreciate some feedback.

In short, I'm a non trad student (just turned 40) and would like my last career to be mental health counseling. This stems from me overcoming anxiety, depression, and self doubt myself and I would now like to help others do the same. I enjoy listening to people and believe I am naturally empathetic and would excel as a counselor.

The thing is, I'm in kind of a unique situation. Currently I'm a digital nomad residing in South America and would like to stay here for the forseeable future. I would like to complete a counseling program online and then start practicing with most of my clients being remote. Can anyone suggest an inexpensive accredited (CACREP) online counseling program that I could complete? What are your overall thoughts on my plan?

 

[feelings]

Hi there, still in grad school myself so not an expert by any means. Here are my initial thoughts:

I highly doubt you'll be able to find a CACREP-accredited program that is 100% online, as all psychotherapy-qualifying graduate programs require a certain number of hands-on clinical hours as part of the educational experience. You will then need to accrue additional clinical hours, usually thousands, to be able to acquire your clinical license and practice independently. I believe all of these hours must take place within the U.S. While there are accredited online programs, I just don't see any that would allow you to do your field work outside the country- it's way too much liability and complexity for everyone. (Also check out some of the threads here re: online counseling programs, such as this one).

I would also look into the laws for remote services as governed by CACREP and individual U.S. states. Telehealth can be really complicated and each state is unique in its requirements. Some require you to only be licensed at the originating site (where the client is located), others only at the distant site (where you are located). But ultimately, many clinicians agree that it's best practice to be licensed in both places as well as the place you hold your licensure (if different from your Telehealth site), as well as permission from your licensing board, so you're covering all your bases and practicing legally & within your scope. In that case it would mean getting permission from your state's licensing board, the permission of place you render services from, the U.S. state you are licensed in, and the state your client is located in.

When you google this topic, information can be really mixed and it seems like the answer depends on a lot of variables. Here is a thread I found googling the topic that is discouraging, and this one seems a bit more promising. I'm sure there are many more you can find that could give you an idea of how complicated this can get. You would really need to do a lot of research to make sure your program is eligible for licensure, your clinical hours count, and then that you're covering all your bases and being legal & ethical in your practice abroad.

Honestly I don't know if there's a way around being physically in the U.S. while earning your hours for school and for post-graduate licensure, so the easiest solution might be to come back for the time that process takes, get independently licensed, and then get your ducks lined up in a row to move where you want to move and do Telehealth from there. But this is just from what I know and understand about the hard & fast requirements for psychotherapy licensure in the U.S., and maybe someone here will know something I don't.

As far as actual Telehealth requirements go... there's a push now for better portability of therapy licenses across states especially with increased need for care during COVID-19, including some legislature and inter-state agreements that hopefully will take effect in the near future. I believe the counseling compact would apply to the licensure you're looking to earn. While the future of license portability between states in the U.S. looks promising, it's anyone's guess whether that will translate to any changes in out-of-country portability. I definitely wouldn't count on it though. It may help to do some reading up on some of the many considerations that go into conducting therapy from abroad, such as this blog post.

That's all I got!

 

[EcuaJudoka]

OK thanks, that's super helpful. I was thinking along the same lines, and definitely wouldn't mind coming back for a bit and doing the practicum/clinical part in the U.S.

 

[foreverbull]

A lot of folks come into this forum interested in convenient programs, but these are often the lowest quality compared to brick-and-mortar programs that you attend in person and where you will receive on-site training.

You might want to ask yourself: would you want to see a medical doctor who wanted the easiest and most convenient education option (that usually translates to lowest quality training)?

The second concern is practicing out of the country with a master's degree. At the doctoral level, it is a huge barrier, and I don't think it's any easier with less education and training than those with doctorates. We've discussed practicing out of the country at length in the doctoral forum.

I'm being very blunt--no offense meant here, just trying to challenge you a bit because a lot of folks want "convenient" "cheap," grad school with a low entrance bar. And unfortunately, there are online programs like that out there that have terrible training standards but cater to folks seeking an easy and convenient path that won't take as much time, preparation, or energy or money as a traditional path. The vast majority of us discourage them due to the potential damage to our field and to protect the public.

Edit: My suggestion is to decide whether you want to practice in the United States or practice in South America, and seek training and a good program in either place.

 

[summerbabe]

Glad you've been able to take positive personal steps and are thinking about next steps in life.

I enjoy listening to people and believe I am naturally empathetic and would excel as a counselor.

To add onto the training points shared by others, these foundational characteristics are a fantastic base for being a counselor.

But without the technical expertise regarding how change may actually happen, skills/strategies for facilitating that change for a wide range of people/problems, diagnostic skills, professional ethics, and more that one is introduced to through good training (and hopefully continues to develop once training is finished), our chances of actively helping patients is significantly reduced.

A good training program will provide intros to all of the above, as well as help us figure out our own limitations. Otherwise, one's ceiling as a counselor is likely just providing a form of paid human interaction.

Yes, some people only want that type of supportive therapy but many others use therapy to fix complex problems with significant functional impairment like PTSD or panic attacks, which will require a whole lot more from the therapist than just a kind ear and boundless empathy. I don't have any direct experiences with online-only programs but this is really hard to do even at good brick and mortar ones so I have to imagine a lot would be sacrificed if done purely online. Good luck!

 

[foreverbull]

As discussed, therapy is not a profession that is transferable, whereas IT, digital stuff, etc. are easily done from outside of the country.

Are you sure that you want to change careers to get a master's and lose income for several years and then do an internship after graduating and slowly build up income as you jump into learning about how to build your own pratice (which is owning a business, and not an easy task)? Is this exactly what you want? Some folks don't know how many years it takes until you are licensed. At the master's level, it's 3-4 years (two or so years of classes/practice, 1-2 years post-graduation internship practice hours for state boards to allow licensure). During that period, you'll be paid nothing or very little for providing therapy, and you may accrue quite a bit in loans unless you have it all saved up. It's a big sacrifice in time, income, and energy, to say the least.

Just food for thought.

 

[Lukewarm Counselor]

Edit: My suggestion is to decide whether you want to practice in the United States or practice in South America, and seek training and a good program in either place.

^^This

Edit/Addition: I would take it a step farther and suggest identifying the exact state/province within the country you intend to practice and seek quality training that meets the licensure standards in this specific region.