A master's degree in social work or counseling is required to become an assisted living hospice counselor. Assisted living hospice counselors must be Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), Licensed Social Workers (LSW), or Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC), depending on the state.
People who want to work as a hospice counselor specialize in gerontology, death and dying, or mental health. Their area of concentration involves providing support and dealing with special concerns of the elderly and their families.
While hospice counselors must be licensed, each state necessitates different licensure requirements. Most states require counselors to complete continuing education classes every two years.
Medicaid, Medicare, and the majority of private insurance companies pay for assisted living hospice counseling. Consequently, the number of jobs is expected to exceed the number of qualified graduates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hospice counselors earned an average of $51,000 a year as of 2008.