How To Become A Social Services Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a social services counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Virginia Schwindt

Social services counselors provide psychological diagnoses and therapy sessions for individuals, groups, and families. They work for hospitals or other healthcare facilities, usually under the supervision of a clinical professional. They prepare treatment plans and programs to care for patients after their therapy is over. They are responsible for intervening in crisis situations and provide emergency services if necessary.

You will interview patients and collect data on their case histories and previous psychological tests. You will manage your clients' casework, assess their background, and arrange their placement or discharge from healthcare facilities or assisted living facilities. You will arrange interventions for serious cases and follow up with clients regularly after their treatment.

You will need a master's degree in social work or counseling to be considered for this position. Having experience in the field or a completed internship will increase your chances of getting hired. You will need to acquire certification and licensure to perform this role as well. An insight into mental health resources and intervention techniques will be essential skills on the job, as well as a compassionate attitude and outstanding interpersonal skills.

What general advice would you give to a social services counselor?

Virginia Schwindt

MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University

Take the licensing test as soon as you are able to, and be open to where you work. It is great to want a specific population or employer, but being open to other experiences may be where God wants you to be. Don't limit yourself because, as a social worker, you can do so many different things.

ScoreSocial Services CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,514

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.51%

Asian 2.67%

Black or African American 13.37%

Hispanic or Latino 15.12%

Unknown 4.19%

White 63.14%

Gender

female 73.42%

male 26.58%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a social services counselor

Explore social services counselor education requirements

Most common social services counselor degrees

Bachelor's

63.0 %

Master's

26.0 %

Associate

7.0 %

Start to develop specific social services counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	37.87%
Patients	12.45%
Social Services	6.30%
Financial Assistance	5.76%
Scheduling Appointments	4.00%

Complete relevant social services counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New social services counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a social services counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real social services counselor resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed social services counselor usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed social services counselor in most of states. 32 states require social services counselors to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Kansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Master Social Worker
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW)
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Certified Social Worker
Hawaii	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Social Worker
Idaho	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Social Workers

Research social services counselor duties and responsibilities

Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
Serve as liaison/advocate between patients and/or families/caregivers and community agencies, other companies as deemed need.
Develop and write the IRP with the client and Treatment/rehabilitation team.
Administer first aid/ CPR as well as handled emergency situations when necessary in the aquatics area and the workout facility.

Prepare your social services counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your social services counselor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a social services counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable social services counselor resume templates

Build a professional social services counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your social services counselor resume.