What college training is required to become a Victim's Advocate?

Question

Want to be a Victim's Advocate. My guess is I need to major in social work with a minor in counseling. But I need to know for sure.

I want to hear from someone who does this for a living, knows someone who does or is going to school for it themself:

What all does it entail, including stuff I wouldn't have thought would be included in that job.

What schooling/credentials will I need to have before trying to find a job to start this career?

And last, can I specialize in just one kind of advocacy? Or do I get all kinds of cases? I'm most interested in helping rape victims.

Answer 1

Minimum Training and Experience:

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work/Psychology or related field and a minimum of two years experience in the criminal justice system, one year of which must have involved direct services with victims.

http://www.azinfo.org/jobs/BilingualAdvocate.pdf

http://www.coj.net/Departments/State+Attorneys+Office+/PosDescrip+VicAdv.htm?wbc_purpose=Basic%3Foldheadlines

If I were you I'd minor in criminal justice because a background in criminal justice seems to be needed.