Studying to Be a Counselor or Therapist? Find the Right Scholarship Sources
Students studying to be a counselor or therapist may pursue degrees at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. Professional opportunities are limited with an undergraduate degree, but many certainly find a niche in various public health counselors, counselors in addiction centers and in some social work arenas.
The Masters degrees, however, provide students with real career juice—opportunities for professional practice with a wide range of clients/patients and in as wide a variety of patient settings, including private practice.
Scholarships are often awarded at the graduate or post-graduate study level in Psychology and Counseling.
Types of counseling scholarships and career pathways:
- Rehab counselor
- Addiction counselor
- Mental health counselor
- School counselor
- Family counselor/therapist
- Pediatric counselor/therapist
- Private practice clinical psychologist
Scholarships
The following is a list of various types of scholarships for psychology and counseling students. It is by no means exhaustive, but illustrative of the diversity of programs you’ll find.
Your best strategy is to search first with your college or university, sharpen your educational and career goals, then choose scholarships that closely match those goals.
- The American Psychological Association maintains a current list of scholarships and fellowships for students pursuing careers in the counseling and therapy field. The Foundation scholarships include those for students pursuing child psychology, neuro-psychology, and general psychology. Awards range from $1,000 to $25,000.
- The American Psychological Association also sponsors the popular Minority Fellowship Program. The purpose is to increase ethnic diversity in the field of counseling and therapy. Eligible candidates must be pre-doctoral and pursuing either mental health and substance abuse or neuroscience.
- The American School Counselor Association promotes the education of next generation school counselors. To those ends the organization offers multiple $1,000 scholarships to students specifically aiming for careers in this very challenging field.
- The New York State School Counselor Association awards annual Graduate Student Scholarship Awards to member students pursuing Masters or Doctoral degrees related to school counseling. Awards are $500.
- The University of South Carolina’s Rehabilitation Counseling Program sponsors scholarships for department Masters students. Awards are full-tuition scholarships, plus living expenses stipend. This is a scholarship for service, so recipients must be willing to work within the state vocational rehabilitation program in exchange for these funds.