Counselor: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a counsellor?

A counsellor will help individuals with emotional issues or mental health problems, allowing them to cope with their difficulties. Counsellors have a lot of training in mental health problems and are a great asset to any health care team.

Contributions of a great counsellor:

• Will listen attentively to client’s problems
• Can suggest coping strategies
• Can create a safe space for patients

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance counsellor

A counsellor will often work for a health care facility, school or community centre where they are in charge of helping patients with any problems they might be facing. These types of positions are full-time permanent positions, and the counsellor will work for the facility itself.

Other counsellors will work independently, seeing patients in their own private office or an office associated with a health clinic. These positions mean that the counsellor will be working independently and will be paid directly by the client.

What are the different types of counsellors?

A counsellor will help people with their mental health issues and will work in a variety of different settings. When being trained, a counsellor will learn various techniques to help people with their problems, meaning they can choose what type of population they are most interested in working with. The following is a list of different types of common counsellors:

• Guidance counsellor: Work in schools providing counselling to students.
• Community centre counsellor: Work with patients in the local community centre.
• Addictions counsellor: Help people struggling with addictions.
• Marriage counsellor: Help married people with relationship issues.
• Private counsellor: Work in their own private practice helping anyone who comes to them for help with mental health issues.

Where to find a counsellor

To find the right counsellor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Professional association: There are professional associations for counsellors at the local and national levels. These associations can help you find a counsellor with the proper training and who works with the population you serve.
• Not-for-profit job websites: If you are looking for a counsellor who will work within the community, you might want to post the opening on a not-for-profit job website. That way, you know that the candidates who reply to the job will know about working within the community.
• Freelance networking sites: If you are looking to hire a counsellor to work within your health care facility, you can try looking at freelance networking sites. These sites will have listings of counsellors who work independently and might be open to working out of your facility.
• Referrals: Asking friends, family, and colleagues for recommendations is another great way to find a counsellor. This way, you can be sure of finding a candidate who has the type of experience you are looking for.

Post your job online: Try posting your counsellor job on Indeed to find and attract quality counsellor candidates.

Skills to look for in a great counsellor

A great counsellor candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Active listening skills
• Knowledge of how to treat mental health issues
• High organizational skills
• Time management skills
• Ability to create a safe space for patients
• Ability to handle high-pressure situations calmly

Writing a counsellor job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified counsellor candidates. A counsellor job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your counsellor job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on counsellor jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Counsellor
• Social worker
• Counselling
• Mental health

Interviewing counsellor candidates

Strong candidates for counsellor positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Experience assessing and treating common mental health issues
• Continuous learning of current developments and research on mental health issues
• Experience with calming down someone in distress
• Experience making clinical notes
• Ability to create a trusting relationship with patients

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of interview questions for examples (with sample answers).