Counselors work with a wide range of people to create the life skills necessary for dealing with an even wider range of needs.

Ashley Smith, a counselor who specializes in psychosocial rehabilitation, told the Sequoyah County Times that the role of a counselor is to provide individuals with the skills to deal with the issues in their life, from anger management to coping with family break up.

Ms Smith, who works for People Inc - a free, nationwide service that provides counseling and rehabilitation services to under-18s, said these skills are developed through individual and sometimes group interaction.

Among the abilities counselors aim to foster are communication skills, life skills and social skills, as well as coping and anger management skills, to help their clients deal with problems on their own.

"I hope to teach kids the skills they need to better cope with their issues," Ms Smith said.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, some of the areas counselors commonly work in include schools, rehabilitation, career guidance, mental health and family relationships.

In 2006, there were 635,000 counseling jobs in the US and this is forecast to increase by 21% by 2016.