Description
Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies assist individuals and groups of clients to identify, understand and overcome personal problems and achieve personal objectives. They can be specialized to work on specific problems and they may practice psychotherapy. They are employed by counselling centres, social service agencies, group homes, government agencies, family therapy centres, and educational, health care and rehabilitation facilities, or they may work in private practice.
Job Titles
- Addictions counsellor
- Art therapist
- Bereavement counsellor
- Child and youth counsellor
- Drama therapist
- Family counsellor
- Marriage counsellor
- Movement therapist
- Music therapist
- Psychotherapist
- Registered clinical counsellor
- Registered dance therapist
- Registered marriage and family therapist
- Sexologist
Main Duties
- Interview clients, prepare case histories and assess problems
- Develop and implement counselling and intervention programs to assist clients in determining goals and means of attaining them
- Counsel clients, provide therapy and mediation services, and facilitate group sessions
- Liaise with community agencies or partners, and identify additional or alternative services and provide referrals
- Evaluate the effectiveness of counselling programs and interventions, and clients’ progress in resolving identified problems and movement toward defined objectives
- Follow up on results of counselling programs and clients’ adjustments
- Prepare assessment, progress, follow-up and court reports
- May supervise other counsellors, social service staff and assistants
- May provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counselling services, issues and methods
- May provide witness testimony in court proceedings
- May conduct research, publish research papers, educational texts and articles and deliver presentations at conferences
- May collaborate with employee assistance programs or with government organizations in health and safety or with victims of crime
- May participate in fundraising activities.
Workplaces
- Counselling centres
- Family therapy centres
- Government agencies
- Group homes
- Health care and rehabilitation clinics
- Hospitals
- Radio stations
- Social service agencies
Skills
- Oral Communication: Active Listening
- Persuading
- Social Perceptiveness
- Critical Thinking
- Decision Making
Abilities
- Speech Recognition
- Deductive Reasoning
- Fluency of Ideas
- Inductive Reasoning
- Problem Identification
Personal Attributes
- Collaboration
- Concern for Others
- Service Orientation
- Social Orientation
- Stress Tolerance
Similar Occupations
- Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment (31204)
- Managers in social, community and correctional services (40030)
- Educational counsellors (41320)
- Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) (41321)
- Social workers (41300)
- Social and community service workers (42201)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be good for Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies (41301) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Demand for this occupation influenced by a growing and ageing population. The majority of family, marriage and other related counsellors are employed in healthcare or social assistance. They work in hospitals, nursing and residential facilities and out-patient care centres. Demand for mental health services is growing alongside public awareness of mental health and wellness issues, which will likely increase the demand for workers in this occupational group.
Here are some key facts about Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 250 people work in this occupation.
- Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies mainly work in the following sectors:
- Social assistance (NAICS 624): 52%
- Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): 31%
- Provincial and territorial public administration (NAICS 912): 15%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 76% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 24% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 71% of therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies work all year, while 28% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 46 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- 24% of therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 24% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 76% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: n/a
- high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: n/a
- bachelor’s degree: 44% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 56% compared to 8% for all occupations
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $20.00 | $30.15 | $52.82 |
| Canada | $20.00 | $31.00 | $48.00 |
Training
There are no known training programs for this occupation in PEI. If you are aware of a local training program, please contact us.