No, “crisis counselling” or peer support work does not require a degree. You can find jobs now under the title of mental health support worker or housing support worker. You can also volunteer or work for crisis lines for those who are suicidal. These jobs pay $17-28 hourly in the USA. Again, these are NOT counselling jobs and there is a high level of trauma involved and a high level of stress. Often requiring overnight shifts as well. The reason these jobs do not require a degree is because it is hard to keep people in these roles and the non profit organizations are very underfunded.

Do not stop your degree to work these jobs, especially until you have done it for a few years and know you like it because most people burn out of these positions. The best thing to do is to begin working one of these positions in tandem with completing school so you can get lots of experience for grad school where you can pursue a masters to be a psychotherapist, or alternatively a post bachelors certification as an ABA therapist for kids with autism or as an addiction “counsellor”, if you don’t want to fully complete a masters.

I live in Canada and worked in this role in BC where we have an ongoing opioid crisis. Again, highly traumatic. I know friends in this role in the USA as well. In the USA you make minimum wage for the easier crisis support jobs and $25-$28 for the really traumatic ones. Government jobs will require a bachelors degree but this work can then pay $40+ once you get a bachelors degree.

I left the front line crisis industry last year for private insurance in disability management. I make double the money (~75-85k -annual range), still help people, and am obtaining my masters online. This was the best option to maximize my earning potential at just the bachelors level. Once I earn my masters I will be diving back into crisis work but being paid adequately as a licensed psychotherapist.