Corporate Careers for Professionals with a Human Services Degree
| 6 Min Read
Trauma is an unfortunate but persistent presence in American life. Research shows that 7 in 10 adults have lived through traumatic events, and the effects ripple across society — including in the workplace.
The common experience of trauma raises the need for trauma-informed professionals in private-sector organizations. As affirmed in an article by Harvard Business Review, people facing crises often seek support from institutions they trust, such as their employers. By offering support to these workers, organizations can ease the repercussions of unexpected hardships and establish paths to recovery.
Professionals with backgrounds in trauma and resilience can play a central role in organizations wanting to assist employees impacted by trauma. Let’s explore some of the corporate career paths for people versed in trauma-informed practice.
Career Path 1: Human Resources
Human resources professionals are integral to creating safe spaces for workers who have experienced trauma. As presented by HR Dive, a workplace news organization, human resources teams have a responsibility to understand how trauma affects employees and ensure the workplace does not exacerbate the impact of those experiences.
Fostering psychological safety is an important step for HR teams to take. Doing so will avoid having workplace conditions that could trigger the effects of trauma, which could lead to further harm. It’s also vital for HR professionals to ensure workers have access to counselors trained in aiding the recovery process.
Human Resources Career Paths
- Human resources specialists are generalists with an array of responsibilities, including employee relations. Through this work, HR specialists might coordinate programs that support employee well-being and mental health. In May 2024, the median annual salary for this role was $72,910.
- DEI specialists contribute to organizational efforts to achieve diversity and inclusion goals by coordinating new initiatives and measuring their effectiveness. Entry-level roles in this area paid an average salary of $62,733 per year in May 2025.
- Health and benefits consultants partner with organizations to identify and manage health care insurance plans, financial services, options for mental health counseling, and other employee benefits. These roles offered an average salary of $69,234 in April 2025.
Career Path 2: Corporate Wellness
Corporate wellness programs play a central role in workplace health, connecting employees with exercise programs, fitness challenges, ways to track health metrics, and more. Considering the prevalence of trauma, it makes sense for professionals in this field to learn how it affects workers and company cultures.
Corporate Wellness Magazine explored the commonality of stress and pressure at work, including how employees need help in crafting strategies for recovering from related trauma. Human services professionals who transition to this field can foster wellness in various ways, such as providing tutorials on self-care practices, tips for building resilience, and establishing support groups.
Corporate Wellness Career Paths
- Corporate wellness specialists seek to improve workforce well-being via health education and promotion programs, according to the International Sports Sciences Association. Also known as corporate wellness coordinators, these professionals impart skills for preventing negative health outcomes while helping employees engage in healthy behavior. In April 2025, the average salary for this role was $91,000 per year.
- Employee assistance program (EAP) coordinators administer workplace programs that connect employees with a variety of counseling options. SHRM has outlined this role’s daily job responsibilities, which include collaborating with human resources teams to assist workers and measuring the scope of an organization’s counseling needs. The total median annual pay for EAP coordinators was $64,000 in April 2025.
Career Path 3: Corporate Social Responsibility Jobs
While many business roles prioritize maximizing revenue, jobs in corporate social responsibility (CSR) focus on the triple bottom line: profits, people, and the planet. Addressing all three concerns requires companies to operate in ways that are sustainable for communities and the environment, as detailed by Harvard Business Review.
Understanding how trauma affects workers and customers can enhance the performance of people working in corporate social responsibility jobs. After all, CSR tenets include an ethical responsibility to better society, and fostering resilience for people impacted by traumatic events fits into that mission.
Corporate Social Responsibility Career Paths
- CSR managers collaborate with company stakeholders to address organizational challenges relating to society and the environment, according to LinkedIn Talent Solutions. The median CSR manager salary was $108,300 per year in May 2025.
- Community engagement specialists work on behalf of companies to strengthen ties with people in local communities, often with an emphasis on improving well-being and brand awareness. The average annual salary for these roles was $97,985 in May 2025.
Career Path 4: Leadership Development
Becoming a trauma-informed leader can pay dividends for the people who oversee teams and entire organizations. After all, many workers and customers have traumatic events in their histories, so it’s crucial for leaders to understand the effects of those experiences when establishing internal communications and consumer outreach.
According to the World Peace Institute, organizational leaders should work to understand how trauma impacts employees to create cultures rooted in safety and security. In addition to promoting workplace well-being, addressing trauma’s effects can boost employee satisfaction and strengthen engagement.
Leadership Development Career Paths
- Executive coaches provide professional development guidance to accelerate the advancement of organizational leaders, according to SHRM. These executive-level corporate trainers impart leadership skills during one-on-one sessions to spotlight areas of improvement and strategies for career advancement. As of April 2025, the average salary for executive coaches was $122,120 per year.
- Resilience educators impart coping strategies and endurance to individuals impacted by hardships. The average salary for resilience education was $77,907 in May 2025.
Career Path 5: Crisis Intervention and Risk Management
Through crisis intervention, organizations provide rapid support to people after traumatic events. As explored by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, interventions begin soon after a crisis has occurred to mitigate long-term effects that could take hold if left unaddressed.
Conversely, risk management focuses on identifying potential problems to avoid. As documented by TechTarget, organizational risk management involves the examination of threats that could stand in the way of an organization’s operations and goals. Taking steps to limit risk exposure can decrease the chances of monetary loss and injury — as well as the trauma left in the wake of those circumstances.
Crisis Intervention and Risk Management Careers
- Crisis intervention specialists take action to assist people who have survived natural disasters, crime, and other traumatic events, according to NASW. These professionals specialize in helping people steady their situations and improve their mental health. The average salary for this role was $53,410 per year in April 2025.
- Risk management specialists lead efforts to identify risks while assessing ways to avoid organizational impacts, according to the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education. Entering this field opens doors to roles with an average annual salary of $86,534.
- Mediators specialize in conflict resolution, helping parties find mutually satisfactory compromises. In some states, additional training, licensure, or certification is required to work in this field. The average mediator salary was $87,671 per year in April 2025.
Build Trauma-Informed Expertise for the Next Phase of Your Career
Engaging in trauma-informed practice requires considerable professional development. With the career-aligned online M.A. in Human Services from CSP Global, you can acquire the skills needed to make a difference in specialized roles in human services and beyond.
CSP Global’s online program includes an emphasis in Trauma, Resilience, and Self-Care Strategies, deepening your understanding of how trauma impacts individuals, families, and communities. Students with transfer credits can complete the program in less than two years, prepared to thrive in careers that focus on empowering people to build resilience after living through traumatic events.