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trauma counseling

A program that focuses on understanding elements of traumatic exposure, trauma-sensitive care, and crisis intervention. Includes instruction in disaster response, grief and loss counseling, crisis intervention and management, trauma counseling, neurobiology of trauma, PTSD and combat-related trauma, relational trauma and treatment of trauma-related disorders.

Types of Degrees trauma counseling Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing trauma counseling have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	8
Master’s Degree	153

What trauma counseling Majors Need to Know

Programs in trauma counseling develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that trauma counseling graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing trauma counseling emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 5 / 5; level 7.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 5.0 / 5; level 6.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a trauma counseling program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 5 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 5 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to trauma counseling careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, trauma counseling graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.2 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by trauma counseling professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Client information database systems	Medical software	—
Test interpretation software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Office suite software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Management information systems MIS	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Oracle PeopleSoft	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for trauma counseling graduates include:

• Licensed Counselor
• Licensed Therapist
• Treatment Coordinator
• Clinician
• Bereavement Counselor
• Telehealth Therapist
• Grief Counselor
• Outpatient Mental Health Therapist
• Mental Health Program Specialist
• Mental Health Case Manager
• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
• Licensed Mental Health Therapist
• Residential Child Care Counselor
• Mental Health Professional
• Corrections Caseworker

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to trauma counseling graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	89.3%
Post-master’s certificate	7.1%
First professional degree	3.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in trauma counseling?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 88.8% of trauma counseling degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	143	88.8%
Men	18	11.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of trauma counseling graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	109	67.7%
Asian	3	1.9%
Hispanic or Latino	14	8.7%
Black or African American	21	13.0%
Two or More Races	8	5.0%
Race Unknown	2	1.2%
International Students	4	2.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do trauma counseling Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of trauma counseling graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$46,066
4 years	$46,824
5 years	$52,641

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,641 — roughly 14% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in trauma counseling Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, trauma counseling graduates earn a median of $46,824 four years after completion — roughly 23% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Mental Health Counseling/Counselor	10,855
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling	6,135
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling	4,476
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other	3,545
Clinical/Medical Social Work	3,296
Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician	2,601
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling	2,298
Genetic Counseling/Counselor	378
Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling	187
Medical Family Therapy/Therapist	6
Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy	5

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.