To be a counselor, it takes a certain amount of empathy to make patients feel comfortable in sharing their inner thoughts and fears. Because of this need, those who are interested in counseling careers must go through a certain amount of training that will allow their patients to connect on an emotional level.

In an effort to learn about what it may be like for less fortunate students, school counselors from New Hanover County, North Carolina, got to experience what it would be like to live in poverty through a simulated program, according to StarNewsOnline.com.

Counselors, nurses and social workers from the area participated in the program, which put the professionals in the role of someone going through some sort of financial crisis. The roles were based off of real citizens' problems.

"[The training] explains a lot of the real personal struggles of day-to-day life for some of our students," Karen Vaughn, a school counselor who played a child care provider, told the news source. "As a provider, it's painful when you have to turn people away."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, counseling careers are expected to increase by 18% by 2018.