How To Decide If a Career in Mental Health Is For You

Introduction

Studies say that as many as one in three people suffer some form of mental health problem. For many, mental illness is brought on by upheavals in life – when they are unable to cope with it, they succumb to it. A mental health career will place you in contact with people who need a lot of support and help, so such careers require a person to be patient. Below are mentioned some traits required to be able to do well in a mental health career.

Step 1

A genuine desire to help people: In a mental health career, you will deal with humans who are depressed and pessimistic and will have to work hard to make their life cheerful, or at least more bearable. The effort required tends to take a toll on your mental and physical faculties. Only determination and a sincere wish to help your patients will carry you through tough times. Most people you will encounter through a mental health career will be those who do not have a good support system in the form of close family members or friends. So, you will have to make a sincere effort to ease their problems.

Step 2

Communication: Often, patients show reluctance in opening up, since the pain they had to bear is often because of betrayal, failed relationships or other calamities. It has made them lose faith in everyone; also, they may have never seen much kindness. There will be many others who will be all too ready to talk about what bothers them. You need to be a good listener to understand their predicaments. This will help you in your diagnosis and in the formulation of an action plan to treat these patients.

Step 3

The ability to empathize with others, but maintain objectivity at the same time: You will come across cases that will be beyond your comprehension and thought, as human minds are capable of all sorts of tricks. To deal with these, you have to be able to step into the other person's shoes and know their feelings. That way, you will be able to decide the best course of action for them. However, professionals engaged in a mental health career cannot wash their hands of their objective and get lost in emotions. Without preconceived notions or prejudices, you will have to evaluate every case based on the education you have received if you wish to continue in the field.

Step 4

A good way to discover whether a mental health career is good for you is to contact local authorities engaged in such work and enquire about volunteer programs. This will give you a better idea of what such careers expect from you. When you receive feedback of your performance, you will see how skilful you are and whether the job is meant for you.

Step 5

Mental health career can be very rewarding, but can be very taxing and demanding at the same time, so it would be best if you could find out more about them through volunteer organizations, before you take the final decision.

Tips

Only those with a noble heart are made for a mental health career.

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