Due to educational requirements and payment structures, the counseling field often perpetuates classist systems that determine who gets counseling and who can become a counselor. First of all, and the most obvious one is that receiving counseling can be expensive. Average rates for private pay tend to be 150-180 dollars an hour, this varies depending on counseling licensure. That is a lot of money for someone to spend, especially if they are doing weekly sessions. Some people may have to do biweekly or monthly sessions due to the rate. The impasse is that counselors also deserve to get paid fairly and make enough money to thrive. Counselors go through extensive training and work to provide their services.The work is hard and counselors deserve to get paid fairly to match how hard the work is.
So how do we find the balance between counselors getting paid a fair and well deserved wage, and also making counseling accessible? Accepting insurance is a simple way to increase accessibility to counseling. Yes, some copays can still be expensive and the amount the client pays can vary depending on their plan. But, it can make sessions a lot cheaper and at the very least cheaper than most private pay rates. So, why don’t a lot of counselors take insurance? Insurance basically creates extra work for sometimes less money than private pay. How much you make per session can also vary depending on the insurance company. Insurance has documentation requirements and requires a counselor to provide someone with a diagnosis. Extra documentation means more unpaid work, as most counselors do not get paid for documentation. Depending on your private pay rate and what insurance you bill, sometimes you will be making more from your private pay rate. Another option for accessibility in counseling is sliding scale options or reduced rate slots. Not every counselor can afford to have every client on a sliding scale or reduced rate, but counselors may be able to open a few lower cost slots to allow for more accessibility.
A major way classism is perpetuated through the counseling field is the process of becoming a counselor and specifically a licensed counselor. A master’s degree is required, so to become a counselor you have to have the means to attend higher education. It is normally a 2-3 year degree depending on the program and how quickly you finish course work. It is often hard to work a job while you are in your counseling program because you will be required to do coursework and internship. A lot of programs also require coursework throughout the summer. After your counseling program you are not automatically a licensed counselor. You have to go through 2-3 years of post-master’s work where you get supervision to meet hour requirements. Post-masters counselors are often paid less than licensed counselors. Some jobs even justify paying post-master’s counselors less by offering free supervision. If your supervision is not free, then that is an extra bill. Most states require 100-150 hours of supervision and most supervision rates are $50-$100 hourly. So if you are paying 100 dollars and need to get 150 hours of supervision, supervision alone would cost $15,000. My first job out of my master’s program, I had free supervision, but due to having free supervision I was told I would get paid less. The process of applying for licensure even costs money. When you put in an application with a counseling board it is normally hundreds of dollars, and can vary per state. Testing that is required for licensure costs money. Some states require two different licensure tests with each test sometimes costing 100-300 dollars, with counselors also spending around 100-200 dollars on study materials. If the counselor fails the test there is still another fee to pay to retake it. These fees are not a one time process either, and being an unlicensed counselor is not always a one time status. Every state has different qualifications and requirements for licensure. This means if you move to another state that has stricter requirements you have to be unlicensed again until you meet the requirements. This means lower pay, possibly paying for supervision, fewer job opportunities, paying fees for applications, and, depending on the state, taking another test. All these financial and time requirements limit the amount of people who can become fully licensed counselors, which means that the only people who can become counselors are the ones who have the financial resources and time to go through the process. If you get lucky and do everything on time it still takes four years to get fully licensed, including two years of your masters and two years of postmasters. Even access to training in counseling perpetuates the classist systems and has limited accessibility. IFS (Internal Family Systems) Level 1 training costs between $3,900-$5,300. EMDR basic training costs between $1,400-$2,000. These are very popular and sought after counseling modalities. This also means only certain counselors who have access to the resources can get these trainings, and limits access for counselors who do not have access to those resources.
The counseling field is supposed to be championing accessibility and awareness of these systems, but the classism that is embedded in the counseling field is rarely discussed. This system is embedded so deeply into our field that it even determines who is allowed to be a counselor. The work of being a counselor is hard enough without the extra stress of the financial barriers. I believe if the process of becoming a counselor was more accessible that it would be a major improvement to the counseling field and allow for more counselors of different backgrounds. If there were less financial barriers it would maybe even make it easier for counselors to provide more accessible ser vices to their clients.