Counselors must participate in graduate studies, workshops, institutes, and personal studies to maintain their certificates and licenses. Persons interested in counseling should have a strong interest in helping others and the ability to inspire respect, trust, and confidence. They should be able to work independently or as part of a team. Prospects for advancement vary by counseling field. Rehabilitation, mental health, and employment counselors may become supervisors or administrators in their agencies.
Some counselors move into research, consulting, or college teaching, or go into private practice.
Overall employment of counselors is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2000. In addition, replacement needs will increase significantly by the end of the decade as the large number of counselors now in their 40's reach retirement age. Faster then average growth is also expected for rehabilitation and mental health counselors. Insurance companies are increasingly allowing for reimbursement of counselors, enabling many counselors to move from government agencies to private practice. The number of people who need rehabilitation services will rise as advanced in medical technology continue to save lives that only a few years ago would have been lost.