Was browsing the job boards and saw a post seeking an LPC or similarly licensed counselor with a masters degree which paid only $20 an hour. I laughed.
On average, that means you wouldn't even make 40k a year. The average length of a masters program is 2 years, and the average cost is about $37k…. so imagine making $20 an hour. To make it worse, it's in the Austin area where most of the rent starts at 1500 a month.
There is no “job shortage” anywhere. There really is a shortage of employers willing to pay their employees fair wages. Also most counseling sessions cost at minimum of $50 a session (with insurance covering the rest) and go up. Consider the student loan payments that an average counselor will have to make considering the masters (average 37k cost) and undergrad debt (average is about 35k to 40k)…