Popular Careers in Counseling

Do you enjoy counseling others, listening to them and hearing what they have to say about their life and the decisions, joys and struggles within it? Do you often wonder how you might help during these crossroads of choice or ultimate healing?

If you decide to take classes online via Walden University, there is a list of popular careers in counseling to get you started:

  • Guidance and Career Counselors visit students who are struggling in life or are interested in finding out where their interests will be most appreciated in the realm of future careers. If you can connect with teens, and have a feel for their concerns, consider the guidance and career counselor field.
  • Marriage and Family Counselors focus on all avenues of family relationships including: problems with children, death, depression, violence, infertility, infidelity, and physical and emotional abuse. If you are most concerned with family harmony and helping others to find it, this may be your arena of choice.
  • Mental Health Counselors help others with their personal concerns so that the patients, in turn, can take better care of themselves, both physically and emotionally. If you have concerns for those who are clinically depressed, suicidal, and are sensitive to others’ feelings, becoming a mental health counselor may be right for you.
  • Substance Abuse Counselors deal with alcohol and drug abuse issues that have interfered with an individual’s personal life and those the individual associates with. Often called, “Behavior Abuse Counselors,” substance abuse counselors takes on a heavy load. Patience and understanding is needed here more than in any other counseling arena.

 

Filed Under: Society Tagged With: , ,

Charity Email Scams

The scam truck

Image by jepoirrier via Flickr

Before the internet, we didn’t have to worry too much about scams landing in our home. These days, email scams are a common fact of life on the internet. Unfortunately many people still fall victim to a seemingly innocent email.

Many people are good natured and willing to give to charities. So when an email lands in his or her inbox claiming to be from a particular charity this good natured person does not think ill of it and, wanting to donate money, gets caught out in an email scam. Charity scams are designed to take advantage of such generous and good natured people. They prey on those who may not know that such things can exist as emails.

Charity scammers obtain cash from people by sending out a spam email to thousands of people. This email may seem legit. It may even have a link to an even more legitimate looking website. On this website a person will generally be asked to donate money with a credit card, and thus the scam begins. Many people have had thousands of dollars stolen this way.

If you receive any email from anyone you do not know it is a good idea to treat it with great caution. Even going as far as deleting emails from anyone you don’t know is not as silly as you think. Sometimes even just opening and email from an unknown sender will execute something called malware on your computer. This malware can track your internet usage and even collect personal data for the scammers. This includes internet banking passwords and other type of information.

 

Filed Under: Charities, Charity Scams Tagged With: , ,

Finding a volunteer opportunity

Volunteering is a prefect way to get involved in finding solutions for problems you care about. Giving your time to a worthy cause, even if it is just a brief amount, is worth the commitment involved.

Here are some tips on how to find the right volunteer opportunity for you:

  • Tackle a problem or issue important to you.

Sometimes, the best volunteer opportunity is the one that deals with a problem or issue close to your heart. Do you want to help abused animals? Are you concerned with mentoring children? Whatever is your passion, getting involved in dealing with that issue can lay the groundwork for a great volunteer experience. Contact organizations that deal with those issues you care about and ask if they have openings for volunteers.

  • Factor time into volunteering.

Choosing when and where to volunteer comes down to how much time you are able to devote. There are volunteer opportunities that fit within any time commitment. You can do something as simple as volunteer at a charity event for a few hours or spend each week mentoring at-risk teens. Nonprofit organizations are good at tailoring opportunities to fit the demands of modern society.

  • Look for a fulfilling opportunity.

Volunteer work should not be entirely selfless. You should enjoy what you are doing. Think about what you like to do. If you are a person who likes to be in charge, take on a leadership role. This could include anything from fundraising to organizing events. If you are looking for a way to simply contribute, you could help clean up a park or highway or sign up participants for a charity 5K.

  • Find something that fits your skills.

Jot down a list of the things you are talented at doing and share them with volunteer coordinators you speak with. This will give them and you a better idea where you can be a useful volunteer. How and where you volunteer will be directly impacted by your preexisting talents and abilities. You will be best served by using your strengths to enhance your volunteer work.

Filed Under: Charities, Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

signs of a charity scam

It happens any time there are a group of people who need outside help. From cancer patients to victims of natural disasters, scam artists will use any available group afflicted by misfortune as a front for running bogus charities. Such activities are both illegal and unethical.

You can avoid being taken in by their scams by paying attention to the following warning signs when these bogus charities contact you asking for donations:

1. The charity provides no written information about its mission, its operating costs or how donations will be used. If it is legitimate, it will have no trouble providing such information to potential donors.

2. The charity offers you no evidence that your donation will be tax-deductible on your next tax return.

3. The charity in question tries to breed confusion by choosing a name closely resembling a legitimate charity that already exists.

4. You get pushed to make donations through applying high pressure tactics designed to increase guilt if you attempt to decline making a donation.

5. You are asked for bank account information or a credit card number before you even agree to make a donation or you are asked to make a large cash only donation.

6. You get a phone call or letter thanking you for a donation you never made and you are quickly asked to contribute even more funds.

7. If you donate a large sum, you are promised you will be entered in to win a sweepstakes.

It is unfortunate that bad people come out of the woodwork when disaster strikes. But you can be certain your donations will go to the right place if you exercise caution. Always ask questions and get answers before donating.

Filed Under: Charity Scams, Donations Tagged With: , ,
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