I am thinking of going back to school to become a registered nurse to work in health promotion/education/coaching. However, I would like to be a counselor later on in life (I'm 22 now). A friend of mine going for a Psy-D said that nurses are also sometimes hired to work as counselors. Does anyone here have any more information on that? If I were to get my RN, would I also have to get another certification to also work as a counselor?
Nurses working as counselors?
- Thread starter rennur505
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No, you are certified as a nurse. That is all.
However, nurses who work in-patient psychiatry often talk with patients extensively and help guiding them and comfort them during emotionally difficult times. This makes you an empathetic human being who is doing his/her job...not a "counselor", therapist, or psychologist.
However, nurses who work in-patient psychiatry often talk with patients extensively and help guiding them and comfort them during emotionally difficult times. This makes you an empathetic human being who is doing his/her job...not a "counselor", therapist, or psychologist.
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Neither receives any/sufficient training, yet that does stop either profession from trying....
It depends on what you mean by "counselor." I've been looking into getting a job for the next year or so, in between finishing up some prereqs this spring and starting OT masters programs next summer or fall. I have an unrelated masters, and a bachelors degree in psychology. I have been looking for jobs in a human services field... just something to occupy me and bring in a little money since I quit my "real" (professional) job to change careers... and there are "counselor" positions which only require a bachelors degree in psychology. I was actually offered such a job straight out of undergrad 12 years ago, too. Some of these positions even say that experience working in a mental health field can stand in for the educational requirement. "Counselor" is a vague term. It can indeed refer to someone who simply guides and comforts a patient and presumably a RN working in a psychiatric setting picks up a lot of knowledge on the job and could be a "mental health counselor" though NOT a licensed psychotherapist.
