Those who choose a career in counseling know they will be working with some of the most vulnerable populations in the country. The deft touch and sensitivity needed for such work is demanding, but found by most who do it to be tremendously rewarding.

Patsy's House Children's Advocacy Center in Wichita Falls, Texas, works to reduce the trauma suffered by child abuse victims and their non-offending family members and also get them the legal help they need. It just recently hired Keri Goins as its new executive director, who will help coordinate the dedicated counselors who work at the center.

"Therapy and counseling like what is offered here is one of the first steps toward not only ending the abuse, but preventing a variety of social and even criminal problems a young person may have later," Goins told the Wichita Falls Time Record News.

Mental health counselors will see a 30% rise in the number of jobs available from 2006-2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with approximately 130,000 jobs by the end of that time frame.