Expand in page Navigation

Compare Popular Online Counseling Programs

What is Counseling?

Texas, home to a diverse and world-leading economy, ranks as the 10th largest economy globally. While manufacturing leads, the state's top industries include professional services, real estate, oil and gas, wholesale trade, and social services, which encompasses education and healthcare. Counseling plays a significant role in mental healthcare, making it a vital sector within Texas' economy.

Counseling involves providing guidance and support to individuals facing personal, emotional, or psychological challenges. Counselors help clients understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and develop coping strategies for issues like stress, anxiety, grief, or relationship problems. Counseling occurs in settings such as private practices, schools, hospitals, or community centers, and can involve individuals, couples, or groups.

Counselors use various techniques, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, or humanistic counseling, based on clients' needs. The goal is to improve mental well-being, provide insight, and support positive changes. Counseling offers a safe, confidential space for individuals to explore challenges and work toward a healthier, more fulfilling life, whether through short-term support or long-term therapy.

Get Matched With Counseling Programs

Search Programs

Best Texas Online Schools

Online Counseling Education in Texas

Texas values the role of counselors in its economy, with colleges and universities offering counseling degree programs in fields like psychology and social work. These programs are regularly updated, with public funding ensuring their quality. Regulatory bodies collaborate with these institutions to ensure students receive accredited degrees, preparing them for state licensure as psychologists or addiction counseling professionals.

Students benefit when counseling degree programs recruit top academic experts in the field. Texas' programs often hire local counseling professionals as instructors, giving students insight into state regulations and the specific psychological issues facing Texans. Practicing professionals also bring real-world knowledge, complementing the academic material.

Find Your Online Counseling Program

Online Associate Degree in Counseling (AS)

There are very few counseling professionals who can work with only an associate degree, though in some states addiction counselors are able to earn licensure with this degree. However, earning an associate degree could help you decide if counseling is the profession for you and help you get your foot in the door.

While these professionals may not be able to work one-on-one in therapy sessions, they can begin earning experience and, once they are a licensed chemical dependency counselor (LCDC), they can work in rehabilitation centers where they educate and work with patients as a group. Substance abuse counselors in this state are licensed by Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC).

Even if you choose not to work as a dependency counselor, an associate counseling degree can be valuable in many ways. It can help you decide if counseling is the right field for you, it can help you complete half your bachelor’s degree at a much lower cost if you find a school with a transfer agreement, and it will prepare you for a bachelor’s even if you don’t. Since community colleges charge far less per credit hour, a community college is a great place to start one's path to higher education. Further, since counseling can be an intense profession, students who launch a career with an associate degree can gain valuable experience prior to investing their time and money in a bachelor’s or master’s.

Online Bachelor's Degree in Counseling (BS)

A bachelor’s counseling degree is a more robust way to start a counseling career. Unfortunately, counselors are nearly universally required to hold a master’s degree, except for substance abuse counselors. So, though vital for your continuing education, a bachelor’s degree will not earn you licensure. However, this degree will allow students the opportunity to dive deeper the subjects and help you choose a specialty.

Students with a bachelor’s degree in counseling may also have an easier time landing an entry-level position, tend to start work with higher salaries, and generally launch their career on stronger footing if you choose to earn an income outside the field of counseling. During the course of a bachelor’s counseling degree, students may complete internships and might even find some options for work in the field. Furthermore, students at this level will be exposed to both the counseling and the research side of the field. This exposure will help them make a better-informed decision when it comes time to find a graduate counseling degree program.

Online Master's Degree in Counseling (MS)

A master’s counseling degree is the most commonly required degree for most counseling positions. Those who earn a master’s counseling degree can apply for licensure to work as an independent therapist and have their own private practice or work with an existing provider. There are two general degrees that satisfy state licensing boards: an MA in clinical psychology or a master of social work (MSW). State regulators will then need to see that licensure candidates have completed the requisite number of supervised hours, passed an examination, and satisfied all other requirements.

For those who study clinical psychology, a master’s degree is often a first stage along the way to earning a doctorate. Those who are practicing with a master’s degree may be able to transfer their hours and examination scores when they earn their doctorate degree. Those who study social work earn the title of licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and they may also pursue a PhD, though that is less common.

Online PhD Degree in Counseling (PhD)

A PhD or doctorate in counseling psychology places the practitioner at the top of their profession. Where master’s degree level counselors can be counselors or therapists, you’ll need a doctorate to be a psychologist. A doctorate in counseling also comes with higher esteem in the counseling community and many PhDs are able to lead their own counseling practices or rise into administrative positions, if desired.

A doctorate also opens up more opportunities in academia. With a PhD, a counselor can teach at undergraduate and graduate levels and are eligible for tenure track positions. Some may even decide during their school years that they are more interested in research psychology than clinical practice. These professionals may then either pursue work as a professor or as research faculty for a university.

Find Online Counseling Schools

Become a Counselor in Texas

Counseling is a rewarding career for those driven to help others overcome struggles and lead happier lives, especially individuals who have experienced and recovered from trauma through therapy. For those interested, here are steps to become a counselor in Texas.

The path to becoming a counselor in Texas starts with education. Earning a bachelor’s and master’s counseling degree typically takes about six years. While a bachelor’s offers similar opportunities as an associate degree, it often leads to higher pay due to the increased academic credentials.

Most counseling professionals need a master’s degree, which enables licensure and greater professional autonomy, including private practice and individual therapy. In graduate school, some may shift focus to research, but those who continue in counseling can pursue careers in private practice, higher education, or mental health facilities like hospitals or rehab centers.

There are two main options for a master’s counseling degree: a master of clinical psychology or a master of social work (MSW). An MSW can lead to Texas licensure as an LCSW (licensed clinical social worker), enabling private practice or other counseling roles. LCSWs can also work in social services agencies, where their advanced degree often results in higher pay.

Careers for Counseling Graduates

  • Substance Abuse/Addiction Counselor:
    These counseling professionals work with those who are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. The licensure levels can begin with as little as a high school diploma but can go as high as a doctorate. Substance abuse counselors typically work in rehabilitation clinics, but they may also choose to work in private practice. Independent practitioners in the substance abuse field may also create careers as interventionists who help addicts and alcoholics take the first steps towards recovery.
  • Counselor (Private Practice):
    This licensed career requires a master’s counseling degree either in clinical psychology or social work, satisfactory scores on an examination, and a period of supervised counseling. Counselors in private practice have all the freedoms but also the responsibilities of an independent business owner. They can choose the sorts of clients they want to work with, but they must also balance those desires against the financial realities of business ownership.
  • Community Health Worker:
    This field requires a degree in allied health and a desire to help one's community become healthier. These workers perform outreach to their community to spread knowledge about various health matters. For instance, they may conduct trainings on proper dental health or help young mothers ensure their children enjoy optimal health.
  • Clinical Therapist:
    These mental health workers need a master’s degree and a current Texas state license to practice therapy. These counseling professionals help clients overcome their personal psychological problems. Clinical therapists may work exclusively with individuals, but they can also work with groups or families.
  • Social Worker:
    This profession is found working with a wide range of demographics. There are social workers who function as caregivers and other social workers help hospital patients navigate the healthcare system. Social workers who earn a master of social work degree may choose to become licensed to conduct therapy with individuals or groups.

    Search Programs Offering Counseling Majors

  • School Counselor:
    To earn this status, students need a master of education with a concentration in counseling. School counselors also need to pass the same qualifying examination as teachers in their state. They work primarily in schools, where they help students overcome barriers to growth and learning.
  • Psychiatrist:
    This profession requires a medical degree and a residency in psychiatry. These doctors typically pursue careers that focus on psychological drugs such as anti-depressants, lithium, or anti-psychotic medications. Psychiatrists may work in tandem with clinical psychologists or counselors whose patients may need medications to help with their therapeutic journey.
  • Psychometrist:
    These psychological professionals specialize in psychological testing and evaluation. They conduct testing for a psychologist and then score the results. This helps the therapist with a more in-depth picture of their patients' needs, thus helping them formulate an effective treatment plan.
  • Family and Marriage Therapist:
    This is a specialty within clinical psychology that focuses on the family unit. These therapists may work with couples who are having difficulty communicating or they may work with the whole family. They may also work in drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers where they help addicts heal their familial wounds.

Sources:

Search All Programs