Saskatchewan JobFutures

Nature of Work

Counsellors assist individuals and groups of clients to identify, understand and overcome personal problems and achieve personal objectives. They are employed by social service agencies and hospitals, or may work in private practice.

Nature of Work

Counsellors assist individuals and groups of clients to identify, understand and overcome personal problems and achieve personal objectives. They are employed by social service agencies and hospitals, or may work in private practice.

Duties

Family, marriage and other counsellors often specialize in dealing with a specific client group, such as injured workers, or with specific problems, such as drug and alcohol addiction, marital difficulties or behavioural disorders. There are, however, numerous general duties which apply to most counsellors. For example, most counsellors interview, counsel, and provide therapy to clients, and prepare case histories and assess problems. They also develop and implement counselling and intervention programs to assist clients in determining both the goals and the means of attaining them.

Family, marriage and other counsellors are also responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of their own counselling programs. This means both assessing a client's ability to resolve identified problems and noticing improvement as that client struggles to realize his/her objectives. It also means following up on the results of counselling programs and clients' adjustments. In addition to their regular counselling duties, some family, marriage and other counsellors supervise other counsellors, social service staff and assistants. They may also provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counselling services, issues and methods.

Example Titles

• bereavement counsellor
• family counsellor
• vocational rehabilitation counsellor
• sex therapist
• addictions counsellor
• youth counsellor
• marriage counsellor
• rehabilitation counsellor

Training Paths

U of R and FNUiv offer Bachelor's and Master's of Social Work degree programs in Saskatchewan. However, students can complete 60 credit units of this program at U of S. Individuals interested in social work may also wish to study Psychology. Various degree programs in Psychology are available at U of R and U of S. U of R also offers a Bachelor's degree program in Human Justice. This program may be particularly useful to social workers who work in the corrections field. SIAST offers related training for workers in the fields of Youth Care, Addictions,, and Corrections. The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) offers community service programs in such areas as Addictions and Health.

Trends and Outlooks

The employment prospects for this occupation are: good

Employment for family, marriage and related counsellors in Saskatchewan dropped in the late nineties but increased steadily between 2000 and 2005, by 17% according to Statistics Canada. There is hope for those looking for work, however. This is an aging work force. Nearly 55% of all family, marriage and related counsellors were at least 45 years of age in 2006. Employment opportunities will arise as many older counsellors retire or move to other positions. Not surprisingly, most of the new and replacement jobs that become available will be in the health care and social assistance and public administration industries.

Family, marriage and other related counsellors are not highly paid in Saskatchewan. In 2005, the average full-time income in this field of work was $40,700 per year. This is below the average provincial full-time income for all occupations ($42,300 per year). Annual incomes for full-time family, marriage and other related counsellors in the province ranged from $17,200 to $60,200 in 2005. On average, incomes in this field are higher in or around Regina and Saskatoon than elsewhere in the province.

While not unheard of, self-employment is rare among counsellors in Saskatchewan. Nearly 60% of all family, marriage and other related counsellors in the province worked full time, full year in 2005. The following year (2006), 43% of all counsellors in the province were employed in or around Regina or Saskatoon. The majority of these counsellors (77%) were female. Employment in this field is neither seasonal nor very sensitive to overall economic conditions.

Employment for family, marriage and other related counsellors is often tied to government funding. If spending restraints continue in health care at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, the best employment opportunities for counsellors may come in the private sector.

Professional Associations

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