{"id":109135,"date":"2019-12-20T13:36:30","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T19:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/?p=109135"},"modified":"2025-07-31T10:44:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T15:44:31","slug":"what-is-counseling-psychology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/career-development\/what-is-counseling-psychology\/","title":{"rendered":"What to expect when pursuing a counseling psychology degree"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"clearfix\"><h3>What is counseling psychology?<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/ed\/graduate\/specialize\/counseling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Counseling psychology<\/a>, as described by the American Psychological Association, is \u201ca general practice and health service provider specialty in professional psychology. It focuses on how people function both personally and in their relationships at all ages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More broadly defined, counseling psychology aims to help individuals, at any stage in their lives, overcome mental health challenges and improve their quality of life. Counseling psychologists may focus on interpersonal and environmental interactions as well as different aspects of people\u2019s personal and professional lives.<\/p>\n<h3>Counseling vs. clinical psychology<\/h3>\n<p>Clinical and counseling psychologists are two disciplines with several similarities. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.div17.org\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Society of Counseling<\/a> explains that counseling and clinical psychologists perform roles and duties in settings that often overlap with one another, including academic institutions, hospitals, community mental health centers, independent practices, and counseling centers.<\/p>\n<p>Today the differences between these two fields are slim. The main difference is observed in their names: clinical and counseling. A \u201cclinician\u201d or clinical psychologist might work more with those who are suffering from mental health issues. A \u201ccounselor\u201d works more with patients\u2019 well-being over the course of their lives rather than focusing on conditions associated with a mental illness.<\/p>\n<h3>Becoming a counseling psychologist<\/h3>\n<p>As mentioned previously, counseling psychologists work to improve the well-being and quality of life of their patients. Much of this entails identifying emotional issues and behavioral patterns that create challenges in patients\u2019 home, work, and community life. In order to best serve your patients, your education will focus on skills such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Diagnosis of psychological disorders<\/li>\n<li>Treatment and therapy<\/li>\n<li>Consulting<\/li>\n<li>Communication<\/li>\n<li>Diversity and cultural issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are just a few of the skills you\u2019ll develop during your counseling psychology education.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Learn more about The Chicago School<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Interested in starting your career in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/psychology-programs\/counseling-psychology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">counseling psychology<\/a>? The Chicago School is dedicated to providing you with an exceptional education rooted in innovation, service, and community. Learn about more than 30 academic programs by filling out the form below.<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Interested in the field of counseling psychology? Discover what you can expect while pursuing your graduate-level degree and preparing for a career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":109141,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1062],"class_list":["post-109135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What To Expect When Pursuing A Counseling Psychology Degree | Insight<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Interested in the field of counseling psychology? Discover what you can expect while pursuing your graduate-level degree and preparing for a career.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/career-development\/what-is-counseling-psychology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What To Expect When Pursuing A Counseling Psychology Degree | Insight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Interested in the field of counseling psychology? 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