Couples & Divorce Counselor

A couples and divorce counselor provides support services to individual clients as well as to couples and families who are experiencing stress related to their family or relationships. A divorce counselor will specifically shepherd couples through the divorce process, and encourage them to work through and consider issues, which may affect their ability to successfully co-parent (if children are involved) or go on to have other healthy relationships.

There are many environments in which a couples and divorce counselor can work, including schools, outpatient care facilities, substance abuse treatment centers, domestic violence shelters, and in their own private practices or group practices. They can work with people who are trying to save their marriages or those who have already decided to divorce and are seeking help with the decision-making involved in that process.

Counselors in this field may treat couples with a variety of issues, such as those related to religion or sexuality. Whatever the issue, a couples counselor should be dedicated to helping people overcome obstacles preventing them from developing healthy relationships. To enter this field, the first step is to earn a master’s degree in a counseling-related field. There are also many specialties available, including a focus on Christian counseling, counseling those who are LGBTQ, and counseling multicultural relationships, among others.

When a relationship ends, it can take a surprising emotional and psychological toll on both the couple and any children that may be part of the union. Regardless of how the relationship ends, working through the process of divorcing and restarting a new life on different terms can be one of the most challenging events of a person’s life. If the relationship ends due to some trauma such as infidelity or another breach of trust issue, it can be devastating indeed.

A qualified and skillful couples and divorce counselor will have many of the same qualifications of a licensed marriage and family therapist, and in fact, the educational requirements are very much the same.

Similar to other mental health and therapy careers, a successful career as a couples and divorce counselor starts with an interest in psychology, counseling, or social work. While in high school, students who already know that they wish to work in the field of therapy may plan to take classes that support their future baccalaureate education by taking human development classes, biology and anatomy classes, psychology or sociology, and classes related to humanities and social sciences.

Students in high school may also prepare themselves by finding related volunteer work. This could involve starting support groups. Volunteer experience could involve working as a local social services agency, such as a domestic abuse shelter or soup kitchen. There can be a great deal of competition to get into a four-year college, so any advocacy or experience that sets one student apart from another could make a difference on the student getting into the college of their choice.

Completing high school with a high grade point average would also be advised, as for many social science degrees, a minimum GPA of at least 3.00 is often required.

While the licensing phase of becoming a couples and divorce counselor takes place after the master’s degree, many educational requirements start at the baccalaureate level. Usually, individuals seeking to become a couples and divorce counselor or marriage and family therapist will start by earning a bachelor’s degree in a counseling-related field. This typically means psychology, sociology, social work, counseling, nursing, pastoral counseling, or education, although students from any major can apply to become a marriage and family or couples and divorce therapist.

When planning volunteer, research, or coursework, it is advised to focus on topics related to marriage and/or family situations. Being accepted in a graduate program typically requires completing a bachelor’s…