I want to be a counselor for sexually abused teen girls, what kind of education

[digitalbath369]

is needed for this? I'm currently in high school and I was told that doing an internship at a mental hospital would benefit me. I'm not quite sure I understand what an internship really is? Also, some other options I'm looking at are addiction counseling, social work, pregnant teens, school counselor, things like that. I also don't understand how the schooling process works, like what's needed for a bachelors, masters, etc. Any help would be great, thanks

[Jimmy]

In additional to psycology studies, you need general social science, anthropology, even theological studies, etc., ....
It is best for see your career guidance teacher.

Internship generally means a period of "hands on" training with academic studies.

[Tanya W]

To do any kind of counseling, you need a state license. Sometimes you can get one with just a bachelor's degree, but most of them, you need a master's or doctorate. The ones you can get with a bachelor's would be if you have a degree in social work. i have my bachelor's in psychology and can't do jack squat yet. i'm getting my master's in counseling, so i can get my license as a professional counselor. you can also get licensed as a social worker (need a master's), marriage and family therapist (need a master's), school counselor (master's), addiction counselor (bachelor's i think), psychologist (doctorate) or psychiatrist (doctorate - med school). every state has different requirements, but they always require a degree, then you have a sit a test, and then do supervised hours (usually 2000-4000) before you get your actual license. pretty complicated, i know.
an internship at a mental hospital would probably be really interesting, and might get you into some other jobs doing direct care, but you can't be someone's therapist or counselor without that piece of paper. most likely, plan on a master's degree at least. specializations like adolescent and child therapy, you can do in your master's program by just taking a few courses, or in continuing education classes (you have to keep taking classes after you get your license to keep it). hope that's helpful and not too overwhelming.