Human Services Education in Kentucky
For a well-educated human services worker, there are many career opportunities in the state of Kentucky. Whether you want to work as an eligibility worker in the states department of human services, or as a vocational counselor in one of Kentucky’s high schools, there are many human services opportunities available. From its hospitals to its universities and government agencies, Kentucky has a wide variety of human services positions in search of quality workers.
When planning for your future, few choices are as important as determining your career path. When you are making such a far reaching decision it is always wise to be well informed. We here at Humanservicesedu.org we are committed to providing an excellent resource to help you make this important life decision. We have aggregated a database of career overviews, state-by-state licensure regulations, salaries ranges and educational requirements for some of the most common human services jobs. We have created a list below of some of the jobs you can find in Kentucky and their related educational requirements.
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Once you have finished school and been awarded your Bachelor’s degree from a Kentucky university or college human services course of study, you will be able choose from one of the following careers:
- Kentucky Substance Abuse Counselor (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work or Psychology)
- Every state has its own laws regarding certification for Substance Abuse Counselors; Kentucky does not appear to require certification like most other states. You can find an excellent resource for National Addiction Specialists here:
- Community Outreach Worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- A wide variety of agencies and organizations have need of Community Outreach Workers from non-profits to corporations, here is a resource for workers in Kentucky:
- Case management aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- The Kentucky Cabinet of for Health and Family Services is the biggest employer of those who work in the Case Management sphere of jobs. The Case Management Aide is the entry level position which then learns how to do the job of Case Management or Eligibility Worker. Here is the excellent resource of the website for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
- Juvenile Court Liason
- Behavioral Management Aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- Working with children to help them deal with their emotional issues so they can succeed at school is a deeply fulfilling profession and one that is usually under the auspices of the Kentucky Department of Education
- Probation officer (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work, Psychology or Criminal Justice)
- The Probation officer works within the Department of Corrections to ensure the convicts meet their legal obligations. Here is a video discussing job descriptions with the Kentucky Department of Corrections
- Rehabilitation case worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- A great resource to tap as you investigate this career is the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
- Child Life Specialist (Bachelor of Science, Child Life Specialist)
- The Child Life Specialist will almost always be working on behalf of one of Kentucky’s 100+ major hospitals such as the Kentucky Children’s Hospital:
- Gerontology Specialist (Bachelor of Science, Gerontology)
- liaison (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology or Criminal Justice)
If you decide to continue your education and earn your Master’s degree from a Kentucky college or university you will be able to add the following career options to those presented above:
- Certified Social Worker (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited)
- You can find info on licensure in Kentucky here:
- Marriage and Family Therapist (Master’s in Counseling, Psychology or Marriage and Family Therapy)
- Child Welfare Case Manager (Masters in Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology or Sociology)
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school + field experience)
- Social and community service manager (Masters in Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology or Sociology)
If you want to make sure you have the maximum number of career options, the highest potential pay and expert status in your field you will want to continue school until you have earned your doctorate. With a Ph.D. your options will include everything from leading research teams in clinical studies to teaching future generations of human services workers at a university. You will also be able to move directly into a management position in a human services agency if a leadership role is something you feel called to do. You also will be able to open up your own private mental health practice once you have your advanced licensure. The sky is the limit once you have your Ph.D.
In order to understand your first steps towards your educational goals, you must have an idea of your end career goals. By browsing our content on career overviews you will be able to make an informed decision around some of the many career possibilities for a human services worker. Not only will you find job descriptions that include day to day duties and your impact on the community, but also salary ranges, educational and licensure requirements. Using this valuable resource of information, you will be able to glean which career paths play to your personal strengths and talents. You can then take advantage of our database of schools that include both online and schools based in Kentucky to find an accredited program that meets your educational needs. Once you have found a school that is a fit, you will want to contact that school directly to get up to date information on their application process. If you find yourself intrigued by a career that involves advanced licensure you will also want to think about post-graduate employment to gain the requisite field experience.