Did You Know?
A study of nearly 20,000 people in England found that spending at least two hours a week in nature was linked to better health and wellbeing. It didn’t matter whether those two hours came all at once or in several short visits.
How to Get Started
Getting started in mental health counseling begins with building your ability to listen, care, and understand the people around you. Every conversation where you truly listen to how someone feels, every conflict you help resolve, and every time you reflect on your own emotions build the foundation for this career. The path to becoming a licensed counselor includes college, graduate school, and supervised experience, but the skills you can start building those skills now.
Explore the Basics
Learning about feelings and how to talk about them is the first step toward understanding what counselors do. Notice how different emotions feel in your body and practice naming them: nervous, excited, frustrated, proud. Books and shows about characters dealing with big feelings help you build your feelings vocabulary and learn to understand others. Remember that everyone has hard feelings sometimes, and talking about them with someone you trust is healthy and brave.
Try It Out
Practice being a good listener with a friend or family member. Ask about their day and focus on what they say without interrupting or giving advice right away. Start a feelings journal where you write or draw about one emotion you felt each day and what caused it. These activities build the self-awareness and kindness counselors use every day.
Join the Community
Some schools have buddy programs, kindness clubs, or morning meeting circles where students practice listening and supporting each other, so ask your teacher what your school offers. Your school counselor is a great person to ask about what counselors do. Public libraries also have free books about emotions, friendship, and getting through tough times.