For those specialized in mental health...tell me, what is your job like?!
Question: If you are a counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist, etc...
Basically, what is your job like for you?
Tell me what you like and dislike, what sorts of things you typically do, how you feel about it with regards to time/scheduling, how much stress you put up with, what qualities it takes to be in your sort of job (and how that relates to you)...and ANYTHING else you think ought to be put. This is an open-ended question... I just want to get opinions and observations so I can get an idea of what it's like -- from someone who has been there. And remember, 10 pts to the best, most informative answer ;)
I must emhasize that, if you are answering this question, you MUST have job experience related to the human brain and/or human behavior. If you answer this question acting like you know about everything when you do NOT, you will have caused me a disservice...and I'll make fun of you for bein' a turd and crapping all over my question.
Answers: If you are a counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist, etc...
Basically, what is your job like for you?
Tell me what you like and dislike, what sorts of things you typically do, how you feel about it with regards to time/scheduling, how much stress you put up with, what qualities it takes to be in your sort of job (and how that relates to you)...and ANYTHING else you think ought to be put. This is an open-ended question... I just want to get opinions and observations so I can get an idea of what it's like -- from someone who has been there. And remember, 10 pts to the best, most informative answer ;)
I must emhasize that, if you are answering this question, you MUST have job experience related to the human brain and/or human behavior. If you answer this question acting like you know about everything when you do NOT, you will have caused me a disservice...and I'll make fun of you for bein' a turd and crapping all over my question.
First, I think it's great that you're doing informational interviews.
I love working with the people - especially seeing them improve and move on with their lives. This is so huge that it makes the entire educational commitment worth it.
I also like helping people work through a crisis. Not that they have the crisis in the first place, of course but part of my job was being on call for the ER when there are patients who have mental issues. I enjoyed helping them.
Challenges are patients who get a prescription but then will not take medications that could truly help them. Also, working with psychiatrists who feel they're better than therapists can be a pain.
HMO's are a gigantic pain. If you do the paperwork yourself, your hourly drops through the floor as some insurance companies want an extensive report every 3 visits. If you hire someone your hourly drops too. Plus there are a million different programs to keep track of. I hate paperwork!
I always have worked with a staff of other therapists, but friends who do not sometimes feel isolated.
I also enjoy group learning with other therapists and consults with my mentors. I like the continuing education.
I did not enjoy trying to find my niche. I worked with a lot of different types of people before finding that I do best with young adults. It was a painful process because I started with chronically mentally ill people and nearly quit. It was discouraging because I felt I couldn't help them.
The pay isn't great, but I've found that most therapists like to live fairly simply. There is a "enough is as good as a feast" philosophy and I certainly make enough to put food on the table.
Hope this helped.