Any counselors, psychologists on the board?

[amberlyrose]

I'm looking into a career change and have been toying with the idea of getting my counseling psychology masters. I think I like the idea of working in marriage counseling or with the military, but I would love to hear from people who actually work in the field.

My biggest (and DH's) concern is that I'm one of those people who takes on all the world's problems, though I have been 10000% better about this in the last 2 years. Stress wise, how do feel? Do you think it is easy to step away once your sessions are over?

How is the job market? We live in the Denver area, but have dreams of moving to LA, NYC, or overseas (England most likely).

Anything you wish someone would have told you before you headed down this career path?

[gretchenindisguise]

Check the types of jobs you want, and licensure requirements and make sure you can do what you want to do with a masters. To be licensed as a psychologist, you need a PhD, but there may be some jobs where you just need a masters.

Also check into how much it will cost you in student loans vs. salary afterwards to make sure it's worth it financially.

[Deleted]

My master's is in counseling and I ultimately went on to law school instead of trying to get licensed. The drama/stress issue is why I went a different direction. (Good thing, huh, cuz there is certainly no counseling type stress and drama now that I'm a child welfare defesne attorney. Right? ^o))  Anyway, jobs right out of an MA program don't pay so well and it's a fairly saturated field but, that said, once you get licensed you can go out into private practice, set your own hours, and pay more.

I could easily see you working in that field and having the motivation to get out on your own.

[coribelle26]

I am going to be completely honest and advise against it based on how you describe yourself. I think you would be great at it, but it would not be good for you. I left the field because it consumed me to the point where I didn't have a personal life anymore. My professional experience was school counseling, but I did my practicum in a clinical (one-on-one therapy) setting and that was not a good fit either.

I highly recommend talking to a LOT of people in the field and volunteering if at all possible to see how you handle it before investing the time and money in the degree. I think you'll find that the people who are successful in the field long-term are innately able to separate themselves from their work, and those that aren't burn out and leave.

[fuckyourcouch]

my h has 2 psych degrees and now works in organizational psych (HR).
most of the time a master's isn't going to cut it for what you want to do.
the schooling is expensive and a PITA.
he ended up in org psych after working as a counselor at a youth detention center and it fucked him pretty bad for a long time, to be blunt. it's not easy and if you are the type to take on others' issues (cough my h cough) it will be very hard on you.

[booknerd]

I lurk here but I'm working on a master's in marriage and family therapy. I'm currently doing clinical work to get 500 hours for my degree. I don't know much about you but I recommend being very sure before you start. Look at the pay in the area you live? How much will it cost to get the degree? How long it will take to get the degree? Which schools you would consider going to? Are they accredited schools? What are the requirements/costs for licensure? What about private practice? etc. I won't make much when I graduate but once I'm licensed and in private practice the pay will be better.

A lot of the advice I was given was to really take care of yourself and to watch your school/clinic time. It can be hard after a long day of working with people who are struggling so much and have gone through horrific things. It's hard to just walk away and go home, especially when you are dealing with clients who are suicidal or you had to have them hospitalized for psychosis/suicide/etc. Once you are in the field you have more choice about which clients you work with though.

I am currently not getting enough hours for the clinical part of my program and there isn't much I can do about it. Classes require a lot of reading (some classes had three textbooks) and writing papers. So there is a lot of stress involved in actually getting the degree.

Also, and this is minor, but a lot of people will make fun of your career choice/degree. They make jokes about the pay and say that I am getting paid to "just sit and talk". It's frustrating, especially when you are worried about some of the people you see each week.

[booknerd]

Forgot to add: I love what I'm doing though. Even when I want to rip my hair out I know this is what I want to do and it's right for me.

[cst2cst]

I have my MSW and am one test away (after completing 3200 supervised hours, 8 additional courses, and the first licensing exam) from being licensed in CA.

I knew that I did not want to do counseling 8 hours a day everyday, but do like clinical work that involves some therapy so Social Work was a great fit for me. I work in a hospital so there is a wide variety of issues that focus around increasing coping with the medical problem.

You can be a counselor with a Masters, but you would need a license to practice independently. License requirements vary by state and your degree.

It does take some work to separate yourself from your clients' struggles and it can be a weird feeling when you are able to do it. I worried in the beginning that I was heartless because I was able to be present during incredibly sad situations and not "feel" the sadness. I can intellectually acknowledge situations as terribly sad, but I don't always feel the sadness. Of course there are times when it gets to me, providers are human and have human feelings, but usually I am able to separate myself and my reactions to the situation. I think that is key in continuing to do the work.

Have you done any volunteering in the areas you think you might enjoy? That was huge for me deciding to pursue my masters. I volunteered at a counseling center and a DV shelter and loved the work and was able to get a feel for how I process those situations. I highly recommend volunteering to anyone considering this type of career.

[amberlyrose]

Jul 23, 2013 11:28:22 GMT -5 @gypsy said:

I could see you doing this job. I think you may be more limited with just a master's?

Tagging pugz and @blessed as they previously have done stuff in the social work area (I think).

My counselor was a PsyD. It might be something else you can look into?

I'd probably go for a Doctorate at some point if I go down this path.

[amberlyrose]

Jul 23, 2013 11:16:32 GMT -5 @wonderred said:

My master's is in counseling and I ultimately went on to law school instead of trying to get licensed. The drama/stress issue is why I went a different direction. (Good thing, huh, cuz there is certainly no counseling type stress and drama now that I'm a child welfare defesne attorney. Right? )  Anyway, jobs right out of an MA program don't pay so well and it's a fairly saturated field but, that said, once you get licensed you can go out into private practice, set your own hours, and pay more.

I could easily see you working in that field and having the motivation to get out on your own.

DU has a program for licensure that is about 20 more credit hours longer than the regular Master's program.

You worked down south in counseling, right? Do you think Denver is a good place or would it be hard to find a job in the area?

[amberlyrose]

Jul 23, 2013 12:05:04 GMT -5 cst2cst said:

I have my MSW and am one test away (after completing 3200 supervised hours, 8 additional courses, and the first licensing exam) from being licensed in CA.

I knew that I did not want to do counseling 8 hours a day everyday, but do like clinical work that involves some therapy so Social Work was a great fit for me. I work in a hospital so there is a wide variety of issues that focus around increasing coping with the medical problem.

You can be a counselor with a Masters, but you would need a license to practice independently. License requirements vary by state and your degree.

It does take some work to separate yourself from your clients' struggles and it can be a weird feeling when you are able to do it. I worried in the beginning that I was heartless because I was able to be present during incredibly sad situations and not "feel" the sadness. I can intellectually acknowledge situations as terribly sad, but I don't always feel the sadness. Of course there are times when it gets to me, providers are human and have human feelings, but usually I am able to separate myself and my reactions to the situation. I think that is key in continuing to do the work.

Have you done any volunteering in the areas you think you might enjoy? That was huge for me deciding to pursue my masters. I volunteered at a counseling center and a DV shelter and loved the work and was able to get a feel for how I process those situations. I highly recommend volunteering to anyone considering this type of career.

Other than being the person that all my friends come to for marriage advice and being in the military, I don't have any experience. Once I get out of the military, I can volunteer with our family support office to provide resources to deployed members and their spouses. I'm looking at doing that in January. DH is changing bases around that time and I'm also getting out around that point.
Do you have any other suggestions of ways to get volunteer opportunities?

[amberlyrose]

Jul 23, 2013 11:48:24 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

my h has 2 psych degrees and now works in organizational psych (HR).
most of the time a master's isn't going to cut it for what you want to do.
the schooling is expensive and a PITA.
he ended up in org psych after working as a counselor at a youth detention center and it fucked him pretty bad for a long time, to be blunt. it's not easy and if you are the type to take on others' issues (cough my h cough) it will be very hard on you.

For DH's benefit, how do feel as a spouse in the career field? Do you feel like you take on a lot of the emotional stuff in the marriage because your H is filled with everyone else's problems?
I'd like a career that I love to do but I wouldn't want to put too much tension on our marriage because of it.

[karmasabiotch]

I'm a MSW (LMSW). I have a very hard time leaving work at work, and honestly people's lives and issues are getting so much worse over the almost 20 years I have been working in this field. It might just be that times are hard in Michigan right now.

If I could have a do over I would volunteer in the field becaue I do love helping people but go into advertising.

Half of my job is clinical and the other half is community organization.

I will also have student loands into my 70's since we make squat.

[Deleted]

Jul 23, 2013 12:15:06 GMT -5 amberlyrose said:

Jul 23, 2013 11:16:32 GMT -5 @wonderred said:

My master's is in counseling and I ultimately went on to law school instead of trying to get licensed. The drama/stress issue is why I went a different direction. (Good thing, huh, cuz there is certainly no counseling type stress and drama now that I'm a child welfare defesne attorney. Right? )  Anyway, jobs right out of an MA program don't pay so well and it's a fairly saturated field but, that said, once you get licensed you can go out into private practice, set your own hours, and pay more.

I could easily see you working in that field and having the motivation to get out on your own.

DU has a program for licensure that is about 20 more credit hours longer than the regular Master's program.

You worked down south in counseling, right? Do you think Denver is a good place or would it be hard to find a job in the area?

I did my masters at UNM, primarily because getting it was the only way I'd be able to advance at my job. I was a mental health case manage for three year but never used the counseling degree as a counselor, beyond my required internships.  I switched gears and went to law school instead.  I work with a ton of mental health/counseling professionals in my practice area but have never worked in mental health/counseling from any perspective but legal since moving to CO.  I'm completely spacing out on her current screen name on our local board, it used to be ChellBelle, but she recently finished her PsyD and is in the field locally.  She'd be a good one to ask.  I can PM you her real name if you don't know who I'm talking about.

[amberlyrose]

Jul 23, 2013 12:26:24 GMT -5 @wonderred said:

Jul 23, 2013 12:15:06 GMT -5 amberlyrose said:

DU has a program for licensure that is about 20 more credit hours longer than the regular Master's program.

You worked down south in counseling, right? Do you think Denver is a good place or would it be hard to find a job in the area?

I did my masters at UNM, primarily because getting it was the only way I'd be able to advance at my job. I was a mental health case manage for three year but never used the counseling degree as a counselor, beyond my required internships.  I switched gears and went to law school instead.  I work with a ton of mental health/counseling professionals in my practice area but have never worked in mental health/counseling from any perspective but legal since moving to CO.  I'm completely spacing out on her current screen name on our local board, it used to be ChellBelle, but she recently finished her PsyD and is in the field locally.  She'd be a good one to ask.  I can PM you her real name if you don't know who I'm talking about.

I'll XP on the local board.

[bella427]

I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor. I did individual therapy for a couple of years and now I'm a career counselor. I miss therapy but I do not miss middle of the night crisis calls and always worrying about my clients. It was also hard to not be able to talk about work with DH. You hear some really interesting stuff, but you can't tell anyone. A little lonely. For me, career counseling is kind of counseling lite. It wasn't really a problem for DH although sometimes he complains that I'm using my "counselor voice" on him.

[cst2cst]

Are there any areas you are interested in? I was interested in volunteering in DV shelters and with Sexual assault. I looked up the crisis centers in my area and then went through volunteer training. Many counties have general crisis lines that might be a great option for you. It would be a wide variety of calls and you can get a feel as to how you manage the emotions of it. You can google any area of interest and your city and then see if any of the results have volunteer options. If you do decide to go into counseling, it really helps with school applications and being able to have a practical frame of reference when learning theories in the classroom.

[fuckyourcouch]

Jul 23, 2013 12:20:59 GMT -5 amberlyrose said:

Jul 23, 2013 11:48:24 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

my h has 2 psych degrees and now works in organizational psych (HR).
most of the time a master's isn't going to cut it for what you want to do.
the schooling is expensive and a PITA.
he ended up in org psych after working as a counselor at a youth detention center and it fucked him pretty bad for a long time, to be blunt. it's not easy and if you are the type to take on others' issues (cough my h cough) it will be very hard on you.

For DH's benefit, how do feel as a spouse in the career field? Do you feel like you take on a lot of the emotional stuff in the marriage because your H is filled with everyone else's problems?
I'd like a career that I love to do but I wouldn't want to put too much tension on our marriage because of it.

It was really really hard when he worked as a counselor. He brought it all home and for a part of it I was working in a remote location at a gold mine. Every conversation we had was about his patients and it was honestly miserable. It still is frustrating with him being in HR because every single issue that comes up with an employee weighs on him and gets brought into our lives. It is definitely better than it was and he loves his job so I wouldn't ask him to stop but it wouldn't be my preference either.

[amberlyrose]

Thank you guys!
I think I'll start looking into volunteering once my service commitment is over since I'll have the extra time

[pugz]

Hey I will pop back in tonight when I'm at my computer to write more. I'm an LMSW, as is mofongo (can't tag). LMSW is way more marketable than masters in counseling so that is the way to go IMO.

will be back later!

[pugz]

whoops just saw mofongo is already in this post, pics weren't showing and I identify her by the black pug in her siggy

[bella427]

Jul 23, 2013 14:53:12 GMT -5 pugz said:

Hey I will pop back in tonight when I'm at my computer to write more. I'm an LMSW, as is mofongo (can't tag). LMSW is way more marketable than masters in counseling so that is the way to go IMO.

will be back later!

Yup, if I could go back I would definitely do the MSW instead of the LPC!!

[pugz]

okay I'm back! I think an MSW is definitely the way to go because it is so incredible versatile. You can get licensed and open your own private practice or do counseling for an agency, be a school social worker, work in healthcare (hospital, nursing homes, hospice, home health), work in child welfare/adoption, work for the state, work for the feds (VA, military), etc. Basically tons of options and you can change things up when you need to.

Now pay is going to vary BIG time depending on what area you go into. Working for non-profits or in child welfare, domestic violence, etc. is not going to pay very well. Maybe mid to upper 30s depending on where you live. Healthcare jobs pay more, I make $23/hr as a hospital social worker, so in the mid-40s when I was working FT (I work part time now, one of the reasons I chose hospital social work). Jobs with the VA pay much more but are harder to get depending on where you live. Hospital social workers for the VA here make in the 60s and have excellent job security.

I did a two year FT MSW program and it cost me about $24k in student loans (for tuition/fees only, did not take out any for living expenses). It will take me a long time to pay those off but the MSW doubled what I make and I enjoy what I do so I think it is worth it. I worked part time at a domestic violence shelter for 3 years. One year before I started grad school, and then both years I was in school. Most MSW programs do not allow you to work FT while you are in school, but you can usually swing PT depending on what kind of job you have and the requirements of your program.

Emotionally you need to figure out what area fits best. I learned from my work at the DV shelter that I could not do it full time or long term. It was emotionally draining to deal with abuse and see so many women return to their abusers. There were stories of hope too but it was really hard to leave that work at work. Hospital work fits me well since it's short term. I work with my patients for about 3-5 days and it is not as emotional. The practicums you do it grad school will help you figure out what field is the best fit.

let me know if you have questions

[karmasabiotch]

One of the good things about being a LMSW is that the field is so broad you can change the population you work with if you get burned out.