In recent years, mental health problems and illnesses are rising exponentially. The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting social distancing regulations further exacerbated challenges by denying patients the care they need. However, as we explore alarming and troubling odds, we must also appreciate that mental health awareness is rising swiftly.
People are more aware of their mental wellbeing and eager to explore information resources and consult mental health experts. Discussions on depression, anxiety, and severe mental health illnesses are taking off. The stigmas associated with therapy and treatments are also disappearing, creating an encouraging and inclusive environment. These developments have also triggered an increase in opportunities in the field of mental health.
Are you mulling about a career in mental health and psychology? Keep reading to decide if this is the right career path for your talents and inclinations.
PSYCHOLOGY FASCINATES YOU ENDLESSLY
While growing up, our career prospects changed every week, starting from playing doctor to idolizing astronauts and police officers in swanky uniforms. However, as we grow older and progress towards high school and college, we come across subjects that fascinate us endlessly. It’s wise to build a career in a discipline that doesn’t make you struggle to focus and pay attention.
Do you believe that you can devote your life’s work to psychological research, clinical work, and helping mentally ill patients? If the study of the human mind fascinates you and inspires you to create and contribute, it’s the right career path. However, suppose you’re compelling yourself to pursue a mental health career because your parents are respected psychologists. In that case, you will feel unrewarded and out-of-place despite garnering success.
Are you passionate about helping people, uplifting their suffering, dissecting their fears, and restoring their confidence? You can achieve this goal by pursuing an online master’s in counseling or undertaking a psychiatric degree to prescribe medications. You can also seek medical and non-medical career paths in mental health to achieve your goals. Nevertheless, you are maybe aiming at taking the AP Psychology test in College. The right preparation for the exam may kick-start your career in mental health even more.
MOTIVATIONS & DRIVES
Our motivations and drives define the success we enjoy as they inspire dedication and commitment to a career path. Does a career in mental health drive you and motivate you intrinsically? Do you associate a higher sense of self and self-esteem by visualizing yourself as a counselor or a psychologist?
It’s crucial to discover your motivations and enthusiasms while making career choices. You can explore multiple mental health careers that satisfy your ambitions and your intrinsic needs. For instance, you can work with mental health policymakers, governmental organizations, research organizations, mental health facilities, NGOs, or private practice.
Do you feel motivated to pursue a career in mental health because of the perceived rewards associated with this career path? Make no mistake; mental health professionals have challenging, complex, and exhausting work lives and an enormous responsibility to help. It’s crucial to choose this career path only if it motivates you and inspires you to actualize your true potential.
MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS TO YOU
Do you understand the significance of mental health and wish to make contributions to improve patient care quality? People who choose mental health careers possess several inherent qualities that make them ideal for such careers. What are these qualities? Mental health professionals are patient, compassionate, supportive, empathetic, and natural caregivers.
They are motivated by the desire to care and absorb the negative energies of those struggling with mental health problems. This career path demands resilience and the ability to spring into action and follow your instincts to help your patients.
FLEXIBILITY & HIGH TOLERANCE
Do you consider yourself a flexible, holistic, and open-minded person? As a counselor or psychologist, you will come across multiple people narrating their struggles, mistakes, life events, and circumstances. It’s crucial to avoid judgments and keep your ideologies and opinions aside to make a constructive impact.
Psychologists must look beyond their patients and explore socio-economic, cultural, biological, and psychological factors to understand their behaviors and experiences. You cannot help patients by sharing your opinions or handing out judgments that cripple their already sinking self-esteem. Mental health careers are ideal for people who are holistic, open-minded, and capable of maintaining objectivity.
STRONG TEAM PLAYERS
Are you a reliable team player? Mental health is a field that requires extensive collaborations between multidisciplinary teams of professionals. Psychologists and counselors routinely collaborate with nurses, psychiatrists, physicians, and social workers to deliver the right resources and treatments.
Aspirants should work to improve their communication and collaboration skills. Coordinating with team members is crucial to maintain quality patient care and improve treatment outcomes.
COMPASSION & EMPATHY
Empathy and compassion come naturally, and while we can cultivate these qualities, we cannot change our nature entirely. Empathy allows professionals to understand events from their perspectives truly. Professionals need to decipher the context of the negative feelings and dissect the thoughts and emotions to find answers.
Showing compassion and kindness inspires trust in patients, allowing them to open up without inhibitions. Patients who enjoy healthy communication with their counselors have a higher recovery rate.
CONCLUSION
Are you able to reserve judgments, or do you feel overpowered by the urge to stereotype and criticize? As a counselor, you will deal with patients who will have made morally incorrect choices and critical decisions. It’s your job to help them restore their lives, find a healthy balance and move away from unhealthy patterns. If you’re prepared to work hard and stay committed, mental health offers many rewarding career paths.
