Which job would you prefer, mental health counselor for a social service program or school counselor?

Which job would you prefer, mental health counselor for a social service program or school counselor?I am thinking of getting a Master's Degree in either Pyschology or Counseling. I graduated this past December with a B.A in Psychology. I'm wondering what's a better route, social service counselor for mental health or school counselor? I think school counselor makes less because they work less but I wonder how much stress do you experience from either?

Answer by Ren - - -
I have never been either of these, but I would say personally I would prefer the first option, mental health counselor for social services programs. You can still specialize in a certain age group. Personally for me this would be a better option because I imagine you would get alot of teenage girls coming in claiming depression because their boyfriend broke up with them, and that just drives me up the wall due to past experiences with my ex best friend who was way over-dramatic about her relationship as many teenage girls are. It would also allow you to study a specific area, eg eating disorders or bullying, whereas school counselors have to work within a very general area, everything from bullying, to depression to an inability to keep up with homework.
My only suggestion to you is base your decision more on what interests you and who you want to help rather than the pay level or stress levels related to the job.
Good luck with your decision

Answer by WriterChic
As a social services counselor you will have a lot of responsibility as if you call out sick or take off your clients will flip out and act as if the world is coming to an end. However, I personally think this job offers the most job satisfaction.

A school social worker or guidance counselor doesn't have nearly as much stress but often isn't a walk in the park either. It's not just teenage depression you have to deal with. Today several students have mental health issues or special education needs that you will have to address as part of a students IEP (Individual Education Plan). You will spend most of your day administering psychological tests to students and will spend a lot of time reporting families to Child Protective Services. Also in a lot of poor school districts they may have one counselor that is shared between more than one school and they work at different locations on different days and often deal with so many children they never learn their names. But you do get a month off for summer vacation and get to stay home on snow days.

However, get the Master's in psychology as its more flexible with other jobs in the mental health field where as counseling is more restrictive. You can still be a school counselor with a Master's in Psychology.

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