Online and Distance Learning

Are you interested in taking a counseling psychology degree online or on campus, and possibly working as a psychology counselor or similar? 

Do you already have a first degree and now want to take a masters in counseling psychology? 

Or perhaps you want to take a course or two at pre-degree level? 

This page provides more information about the field, and about the contents of the degree.  It also has information and links to where to study it, an outline of the career prospects, the salaries, and more ...

What is counseling psychology?

Many students are attracted to take on campus and online counseling and clinical psychology degrees.  But what is counseling psychology and how does it differ from clinical psychology? 

Counseling psychology is the application of pschology to the solving of the problems of everyday stresses, e.g, career planning, marriage guidance and family difficulties.  This can be contrasted with clinical psychology, which deals wih analysis, research and treatment of severe mental health disorders, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

You can study psychology counseling programs at the associate and bachelor level, but you really need a graduate degree in order to practice as a professional counselor so it is more often taken at the masters and doctoral levels.  Although the information about the field is relevant to all students, this page mainly provides links to schools for students who wish to study their counseling psychology degree online. If you wish to explore the on campus psychology programs available, go to the on campus programs page

Where can you take a counseling psychology degree online?

The following are selected schools where you can take programs in counseling psychology and related disciplines.

At the pre-degree level:

• Uk Open Learning Ltd
  • Addiction Counselling Course
  • Advanced Counselling Level 4
  • Child and Adolescent Counselling
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Course
  • Counselling and Psychotherapy Home Study Course
  • Introduction to Counselling Skills
  • Life Coaching Distance Learning Diploma
  • Working with Survivors of Rape & Sexual Violence

• Stonebridge Associated Colleges
  • Child Psychology Level 4
  • Counselling Skills
  • Life Skills Coaching

At the Associate and Bachelor's levels:

• Grand Canyon University Online
  • BS in Addiction Counseling

• Liberty University
  • AA in Psychology - Christian Counseling
  • BS in Psychology - Christian Counseling

At the masters and doctoral levels:

• Walden University

• Capella University

• Argosy University Online

• Grand Canyon University Online

• Liberty University

• The University of the Rockies Online

For further details of the programs available, go to the masters and the doctoral pages.

You can also find more counseling psychology degree online programs using the search box in the right-hand column.

For schools in Canada

Click here for a page that links to campus universities and campus colleges in Canada. It also provides some advice on choosing a suitable campus.

Click here to search for counseling psychology programs at Canadian college or university campuses.  You will need to then enter your Canadian postal code.

Other specializations relevant to counseling psychology

You may find it useful to consider the programs available in the following areas:

• clinical psychology;
• developmental psychology (infant, child, adolescent, adult and elderly);
• educational psychology (including school psychology);
• general psychology;

Other schools and programs relevant to counseling can be found by using the search box.

What do you study in a counseling psychology degree online?

Counseling psychologists help people to solve interpersonal problems. To do this they use many techniques, including one-on-one interviews, group sessions and hypnosis. These are all skills that need to be learned. A good rapport between the counselor and the patient is essential for counseling sessions to be successful, so good interpersonal and communication skills are very important.

A typical counseling psychology degree online would include:

• Assessment
• Career development
• Human growth and development
• Interpersonal communications and relationships
• Group work
• Social and cultural diversity
• Research and program evaluation
• Professional identity

Counseling psychology career requirements

For most counseling careers you need to have a relevant first degree (e.g., psychology, sociology, or education), and have successfully completed graduate level courses or a graduate degree in counseling psychology. You also need a minimum of 600 hours of supervised clinical counseling experience. This will allow you to work as a Careers Counselor, Executive Coach, Family and Marriage Counselor, or similar.

But to be licensed to practice as a counselor in the US you also need to have a master's degree (or PhD) in counseling and up to 2,000 hours of supervised clinical internship, in addition to taking a state-administered exam.

The American Psychological Association (APA) accredits doctoral training programs in counseling, as well as institutions that provide internships for doctoral students in counseling psychology.

What jobs can a graduate of a counseling psychology degree online get?

As a graduate of an online counseling psychology program you would advise people on how to deal with problems of everyday living, including career or work problems and problems faced in different stages of life.  You might be helping people overcome addictions and substance abuse, marriage and domestic issues. As a graduate of a counseling psychology degree online you might work in K-12 education settings, hospitals, and  non-profit organizations.  Make sure the program you take is accredited by an accrediting body appropriate for the profession you wish to enter, such as the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), or the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE).

The demand for psychology counselors seems to be increasing. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, employment of counseling professionals should grow rapidly until at least 2018.  Employment for behavioral disorder counseling should increase dramatically.  The greater enrollment in schools will lead to a rapid growth in numbers of school counselors.

Do you want more information about a counseling psychology degree online?

Use this link to find programs and schools near you.

Use the search facility on this site to find a suitable counseling psychology degree online.

Remember to compare the admission requirements and course content of several schools before you choose a program.

Campus Programs

For those students who want to take counseling psychology but feel that online learning and distance education is not for them, the web site also has a section on campus programs. 

You can also search for a program or a school near you.