Presented to

Shannon Coyle
Professor, Communications
St. Lawrence College

Prepared by
Nisha Toora
General Arts & Science Program
St. Lawrence College

November 27, 2014

iv

DATE:

November, 27, 2014

TO:

Leslie Casson, Instructor, COMM 13

FROM:

Nisha Toora, Student, General Arts & Science

SUBJECT:

REPORT ON Becoming a Counsellor

This report is requested by Professor Shannon Coyle on November 27, 2014. The content
of this report includes the background and summary of what it takes to be a counselor and
to work in such a field.
It may include the following information:
Salary
Job Opportunities
Educational Requirements
Much more
I would like to thank Professor Shannon Coyle and Counselor Heather Oaksmith (who
has requested to stay anonymous and therefore the name is changed) for providing me
with the informations in order to complete this report.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at the following student
email address: NToora22@Student.sl.on.ca

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Purpose of the Report

This report is the outline of what I have summed up from my research and a one
on one interview as to what it takes to be a counselor.
The research conduct is from the internet and a professional who is currently
working in the field of counseling. These methods give a better and thorough
understanding of this career and everything that comes with this demanding occupation.
Although not every type of counseling will be covered in this report College/Student
Counselling will be the focus of this report. Here, you will see what it takes to become,
what other jobs can come from this and as well as salary which is important.
Also, an interview with a professional counsellor is also included to give some insight
and more of experience of what is expected from someone entering this career.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TRANSMITTAL MEMORANDUM*ii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARYiii
INTRODUCTION...1

THE PROCESS OF BEING A COUNSELOR

Day-to-Day......5
Training & Background...6
Drawbacks & Benefits.6
Long Term Planning.6
Salary...7
CONCLUSION AND/OR RECOMMENDATIONS..7
REFERENCES....8
APPENDIX OR APPENDICES
Appendix A: Interview.....................................................................................9

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Average Annual Employment Income8

BEING A COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY COUNSELOR

INTRODUCTION
This report outlines all about being a Counsellor at College/University level. It
will explain what it takes and expectations of this job. Though the process is not easy and
may seem tedious it is rewarding field which can take you beyond just
College/University. With this it can bring lots of other opportunities as well. You will also
read about salary rates and vacations and much more. If you are someone who likes to
help out others and understands the depends that we come across in life especially when
going to school since most of already have so much going on, then this is for you. Not
only, that but this job has many further opportunities for you. For example being a
counselor or moving further up to a school psychologist. There is nothing more satisfying
knowing that you can make a positive change in someones life and help them get there
when working in this occupation.

The Process of Being a Counselor (College/University Level)

Daily Routine of a Counselor
A typical day for a counselor working in or with college/university level students
would be getting prepared for a client. First you would have to read over the file to
determine what the topic of discussion is and how you are able to assist this person with
what the problem they are facing. Next you would have to understand if this person is
regularly having issues and sees you on a regular basis and pick up from there. Also, look
for way you would help them, for instance what advice you are going to give them and
prepare some resources to suggest. If this is someone you would see regularly, see what
you have talked about before and see if they have followed through with the plan.
Planning is a huge part when having to meet with a client. For instance if someone is
unable to make it to the appointment, you have to prepared to have other things set in
place, as in taking a break and finishing paper work. Decision making is something that
has to thought out first. This means, knowing when to intervene when a problem arises
and what are the guidelines you must follow. Most the time a Counsellor working at
College/University will be in one on one appointments. With this the work tends to be
fairly constant since there is enough things to do in one day and people to meet.

Training and Background

The most common training one can have is in social work. Since this is a great
way to learn the basis of hoe to interact with students and adults it is for figuring out what
specific field you are interested in. Typically social work would take 2-4 years with
placement training. What is great about this is one can stay in this program and become a
social worker rather to go further, again it is what the person prefers. Next, one would
have to take courses in psychology, sociology and general topics of social health.
Counselling is a very broad field to go into and many jobs are available in this
occupation. The easiest way to determine what is right for you would be to actually meet
with a counsellor and discuss your options. For a school setting there many opportunities
such as a guidance counselor who is someone that can help with many problems just like
a counselor at College/University level.

Drawbacks and Benefits

Most people become a counselor to see people succeed and some say that is the
best reward they can get from their job but it does come with some disadvantages. First,
one that everyone can relate to is keeping yourself becoming emotionally detached. Some
days are easy, your client goes over everything as expected and other days they may feel
to not talk at all, which cannot force them to do since it is there choice to see you or not.
Furthermore, some days may become hectic, for instance cancellations or over booking
although this is rare. However, there are many advantages to being a counselor. Such as,
helping others reach their goals which is the main reason people choice this profession.
Also, reasonable workload, nothing too overwhelming and vacations are a plus too, with
lots of time to relax from all the hard work done.

Long Term Planning

To get to the College/University level of Counselling one must obtain a lot of
experience. For example working in such environments as an office or even a prison
setting where it is not about where you are rather who you are helping. This helps you
grasp an understanding of what issues people may be facing since just like these setting
there is all kinds of people from different age groups, backgrounds, etc, that is close to
what a College/University would have. Once you get settled into this particular field of
employment you should feel secure enough that this is where you belong. It is also easy
to hold a long term job.

Salary
Salary depends on experience and as to where you are being employed. The
average starting pay can go from $65,000 to $100,000.
Figure 1: Average Annual Employment Income
Average Annual
Employment
Income

College/University
Counsellor

All Occupations

Full-time, fullyear
Average income
0-19999$
20000-49999$
50000$ and over

62.9%

53.2%

$39,896
5.4%
77.9%
16.7%

$45,157
16.5%
52.4%
13.1%

This table shows the average annual rate of wages between College and University
Counselling versus all other occupations in the field in Canada.

CONCLUSIONS AND/OR RECOMMENDATIONS

In Conclusion, Counselling is a great field to work in since it guarantees varies job
opportunities, college/university counsellor being one. Although it may take a lot of
school and practice is rewarding job. From the interview, I feel as if once you get into the
field you are more confident and would not want to leave. This career is a stable one
where finding a job is easy since there are hundreds of colleges and universities around
the country with students can feel more confident and happy knowing they have the
support by talking to someone to help keep them or get them on the right path. High
demanding job since school will never be out of business.

REFERENCES
Counselling Programs at Ontario Colleges. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2014,
from http://www.ontariocolleges.ca/SearchResults/EDUCATIONCOMMUNITY-SOCIAL-SERVICES-COUNSELLING-SOCIAL/_/No-20/Nll1x
Figure 1: Employment Counsellors. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2014, from
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/4213.shtml#outlook
The Advantages of Being a School Guidance Counselor. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27,
2014, from http://work.chron.com/advantages-being-school-guidance-counselor22925.html
The Disadvantages of Being a Counselor. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2014, from
http://work.chron.com/disadvantages-being-counselor-4551.html
The Disadvantages of Being a Counselor. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2014, from
http://work.chron.com/disadvantages-being-counselor-4551.html

Appendix A: Interviewing a College/University Counsellor

Q: How did you get started in the field?
A: Through working social work. Then University for Masters-Degree in psychology, altogether
9-10 years of study.
Q: How many hours do you work in a week?
A: We typically work for 40 hours a week.
Q: What do you find the most difficult part of the program?
A:
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: it has been 2-3 years now.
Q: Favorite part of the career?
A: Seeing people change difficult parts of their life for the better.
Q: Least favorite part of the job?
A: Some people may have to wait 3 to 4 weeks to see a counsellor.
Q: How confident did you feel after graduation?
A: Pretty confident because placement and work like that makes it easier and quicker to find a job
since you know where to look.
Q: What is the process of getting your job?
A: It was easy for me because of the job I was doing before tied into this.
Q: What character traits are useful for this job?
A: There are many: Empathy, Flexibility, acceptance, confidence and Punctuality.
Q: How are the holidays?
A: Pretty good, 9 weeks out of the year.
Q: How are the ergonomics of the job?
A: Well, physically, not much expect when someone is intimidating, emotionally, you yourself
have to aware of your own emotions and stressors balancing everything can be tricky.
Q: What made you want this job in the first place?
A: The fact I get to help people with all kinds of problems.
Q: Examples of what you do in the field?
A: Conference calls.
Q: Work/life balance?
A: Hard to balance when you have a family, for example travelling to other cities for work is hard
making adjustments in schedules, missing your kids, and staying healthy getting a cold is the
worse. Must plan weeks ahead and have back up plans.
Q: How do you see yourself in this profession?
A: Staying put.