<p>Finishing up 1st Yr and find that Student Affairs Counseling at my school is Mental Health Counseling. That’s not what the description of the course was, but all my professors are Mental Health Counselors and so it goes - now what? Never mind that SAC is a rare field selection and offered by less than a hand full of colleges. I’ve spoken to my professors a number of times and they sympathies with me, understand and all that but…Even the Chair understands my concern and the concerns of thee other three people in my classes who are not looking to be Mental Health Counselors , My career focus is EOP.,HEOP Fin Aid that kind of track - now what? </p>
<p>I am not sure what it is you’re asking about. It sounds like you are in a graduate program that you thought was student affairs counseling, but is actually mental health counseling. First of all, I am really curious as to how that happened.</p>
<p>Second of all, if your focus is to work with students, there are a variety of routes you can go. Actually a lot of people who work in higher ed/student affairs have mental health counseling degrees. My former boss, an associate director in residential life, had an MHC master’s. Her boss’s boss had an MSW. Also, several of the advising deans at my university have degrees in mental health counseling. Lots of positions for student affairs workers (including in HEOP programs) would accept someone with a mental health counseling degree, so you could stay where you are.</p>
<p>However, the traditional degree for someone who wants to do what you want is the master’s in higher education.</p>
<p>I work in financial aid … there is no particular degree that prepares a person to work in the field. I am also in charge of student services at my school. Again, there is no particular degree that would prepare a person for the many things thrown their way in this field. Actually, having a background in mental health counseling would be a bonus, IMHO.</p>