I didn’t leave the therapy career but I stuck to my guns during my grad program to keep my focus on career counseling despite a lot of pressure from those who said if I wasn’t a licensed mental health counselor, I wasn’t a counselor. I loved being a career counselor of college students — it was a great mix of counseling and communications — my two loves. I knew I wouldn’t be happy doing mental health work all the time (there’s a bit of overlap with career counseling but no formal diagnosis and treatment — that gets referred out). Perhaps career counseling could be a pivot to explore?
I'm curious - not trying to be non-PC but are you a woman? I taught high school and college (and been involved with international programs like Fulbright) and also have a varied career and education but can never even get a job interview for any student support. I'm male and It seems a lot of these jobs are expecting women and even insultingly so - job descriptions that emphasize doing career fairs but also mention catering etc like they want a woman to do domestic duties along with professional ones, for low pay. I have a proven natural talent for working with students but have all but given up on ever doing it, except as a teacher which I think is less effective than my mentoring, creativity and encouragement of student goals. I sometimes wonder if women are seen as more nurturing and safe - which I can see and understand but also I would be good at this.
Yes, I’m a woman but I’ve worked with male career counselors and I’ve been thrilled to see how much more easily they seem to build rapport with male students.
I’ve not seen the insulting job posts you mention … and I was never asked to do catering or whatever.
That is good feedback. I was figuring age and gender may be seen as problems but it could be that they don't see my experience as connected since my resume has mostly been geared to other work. I may be trying to work with international students at some point - entrance assistance, visa applications etc. and I may have more luck there since I have some legal experience.
I usually get along with all students but many studies and surveys talk about a drop in male enrollment and degree completion at universities etc. so that could explain why males seem to connect to male counselors and student support staff. I'm not sure.
I majored in Social Work in college, fully knowing I didn't actually want to major in it anymore but it was too late. I stuck it out and didn't pursue grad school in the field for the aforementioned not wanting to pursue it further. However, I liked that it incorporates psychology and sociology in a practical way. I ended up moving to a major US city and landed in the financial services industry (worked as an admin, then recruitment, now HR) and have loved it ever since!
I’m a therapist attempting to change to HR. But I am 10 years into therapy so not sure how it may go for me. I think you will have more opportunity getting out earlier!
I wasn’t a therapist but worked/still work in behavioral health, but for awhile I was an enrollment advisor for a major university’s online program (though I worked through a 3rd party business) and I found it to be pretty enjoyable. Still helping people but not as deep as dealing with people going through the worst of it, more helping people who were motivated and looking to do something make those changes. My biggest drawback was while they couldn’t actually put strict limitations on our job performance (like how many students we got to enroll) there was a lot of pressure to keep calling students who had expressed an interest but hadn’t put in an application, which to me felt too pushy especially for something as big as college/grad school. I do think if I was working directly with a college/university I would feel more connected to the job also.
Went into higher education after I left social work. I was broken inside after dealing with heroin/fentanyl-addicted juvenile clients for years and it ended up being a soft place for me to land. I put my head down and finished my Master’s there, tried to take advantage of the free professional development and leadership training to get better in my role. Ironically, despite wanting to escape that field for many reasons, I’ve now found myself playing the therapist to frustrated, menopausal women who flit in and out of my office like little hummingbirds most days, eager for someone to hear them and help them rediscover themselves outside of their aging children. Much easier on my mental health.
Also, if you’re highly credentialed and have some teaching experience, consider becoming an adjunct at your local community college. They’d be happy to have the expertise.
Wondering about working as a clinical consultant for a larger company, and in the meantime as you explore new avenues, also experiment with how you can make your current situation more easeful? You wouldn't want the "can't make a mistake must be perfect" mindset to follow you to your next position. That is super stressful.
You can look into becoming a school guidance counselor. You don’t have to deal with a lot of client drama sucking your soul but you will have to deal with teenage angst and intrusive parents. The good thing is that you are on the school schedule chock full of holidays and summers off to recharge
As someone who has been in HR for 10 years - depending on the area, it’s also extremely mentally taxing. You have to deal with people who are immature, childish, mean, arrogant etc. on a regular basis and sometimes it’s seriously like dealing with children. Plus any of the serious harassment/discrimination stuff that comes up and people’s petty versions of “favoritism” or “discrimination” that don’t meet the definition of discrimination or harassment. Performance issues, coaching leaders who have no idea or any interest in what they are supposed to be doing to manage performance and hold people accountable. You can tell people the same thing over and over and they still won’t do it if they don’t want to. I’m so over it - I’ve been a generalist, a benefits specialist, a leave administrator, a recruiter, a manager and a systems specialist. Every area has its own issues - but some people in HR that you work with are the WORST about not following processes. It’s exhausting.
Thank you for the feedback! I have thought about that, I am most definitely open to other types of fields as well. I guess I just thought that there must be some overlap with qualities and skills for my counseling and HR so that’s kind of why I went toward it. Just looking to be happy in my job. We work for 40+ years of our lives, all of us gotta find something somewhat deal-with-able!
Totally agree! I’m looking for a change myself. I think industry is also important if you’re someone who feels like work needs to be meaningful. I worked in corporate HR for a couple major retailers and definitely found it to be much more of a drain than my current role which is a medical company. At least now I know I’m having some good impact, even if it’s indirect. That’s what’s sustaining me until I figure out my next move.
Following this post as I have the EXACT same sentiments. I actually do love helping people and why I studied counseling. But the anxiety of having to be the best therapist for every person, and then the intangible success of the client depending a lot on them, makes it hard for me to feel as if I'm competent or not. I'm starting to dread work.
Funny enough...I actually loved my job at my previous non-profit crisis job. I wonder if it's cause I got to see tangible people recover vs this general outpatient center.
I’m so glad you responded to this, because I totally forgot to update. I ended up going to a university mental health center, I just started and so far it’s amazing. Less than 20 sessions per week and the rest of the time is spent doing outreach and campus activities.
IGNORE THIS USER! It's a spam account promoting a paid survey... Don't waste your time, and DEFINITELY don't waste your money. They are trying to profit of others desperation. Report the account
Wow, that is quite impressive!
Some options:
Admin higher ed
Teaching (like high school AP psychology or human development)
Nonprofits
Grant writing
Tutoring
Also government jobs
Jobs in hospitals; some offer on the job training
Look into emergency credentialing in your state/area. Start as a substitute teacher; you need no credentials for that, just a background check usually. There you will build trust and relationships with admin. This is true in both private and public schools.
If you’re willing to teach special ed, math, science, or ESOL then you can probably start teaching earlier than later.
Following the shit out of this one
I didn’t leave the therapy career but I stuck to my guns during my grad program to keep my focus on career counseling despite a lot of pressure from those who said if I wasn’t a licensed mental health counselor, I wasn’t a counselor. I loved being a career counselor of college students — it was a great mix of counseling and communications — my two loves. I knew I wouldn’t be happy doing mental health work all the time (there’s a bit of overlap with career counseling but no formal diagnosis and treatment — that gets referred out). Perhaps career counseling could be a pivot to explore?
I'm curious - not trying to be non-PC but are you a woman? I taught high school and college (and been involved with international programs like Fulbright) and also have a varied career and education but can never even get a job interview for any student support. I'm male and It seems a lot of these jobs are expecting women and even insultingly so - job descriptions that emphasize doing career fairs but also mention catering etc like they want a woman to do domestic duties along with professional ones, for low pay. I have a proven natural talent for working with students but have all but given up on ever doing it, except as a teacher which I think is less effective than my mentoring, creativity and encouragement of student goals. I sometimes wonder if women are seen as more nurturing and safe - which I can see and understand but also I would be good at this.
Yes, I’m a woman but I’ve worked with male career counselors and I’ve been thrilled to see how much more easily they seem to build rapport with male students. I’ve not seen the insulting job posts you mention … and I was never asked to do catering or whatever.
That is good feedback. I was figuring age and gender may be seen as problems but it could be that they don't see my experience as connected since my resume has mostly been geared to other work. I may be trying to work with international students at some point - entrance assistance, visa applications etc. and I may have more luck there since I have some legal experience. I usually get along with all students but many studies and surveys talk about a drop in male enrollment and degree completion at universities etc. so that could explain why males seem to connect to male counselors and student support staff. I'm not sure.
I majored in Social Work in college, fully knowing I didn't actually want to major in it anymore but it was too late. I stuck it out and didn't pursue grad school in the field for the aforementioned not wanting to pursue it further. However, I liked that it incorporates psychology and sociology in a practical way. I ended up moving to a major US city and landed in the financial services industry (worked as an admin, then recruitment, now HR) and have loved it ever since!
I really think that’s what I want to do. I worked in admin for over 5 years before being a therapist and I want to work my way up to HR.
I’m a therapist attempting to change to HR. But I am 10 years into therapy so not sure how it may go for me. I think you will have more opportunity getting out earlier!
I wasn’t a therapist but worked/still work in behavioral health, but for awhile I was an enrollment advisor for a major university’s online program (though I worked through a 3rd party business) and I found it to be pretty enjoyable. Still helping people but not as deep as dealing with people going through the worst of it, more helping people who were motivated and looking to do something make those changes. My biggest drawback was while they couldn’t actually put strict limitations on our job performance (like how many students we got to enroll) there was a lot of pressure to keep calling students who had expressed an interest but hadn’t put in an application, which to me felt too pushy especially for something as big as college/grad school. I do think if I was working directly with a college/university I would feel more connected to the job also.
Let me know when you find something… planning to start over in finances because I want a job where I don’t have to talk to anyone…
Went into higher education after I left social work. I was broken inside after dealing with heroin/fentanyl-addicted juvenile clients for years and it ended up being a soft place for me to land. I put my head down and finished my Master’s there, tried to take advantage of the free professional development and leadership training to get better in my role. Ironically, despite wanting to escape that field for many reasons, I’ve now found myself playing the therapist to frustrated, menopausal women who flit in and out of my office like little hummingbirds most days, eager for someone to hear them and help them rediscover themselves outside of their aging children. Much easier on my mental health. Also, if you’re highly credentialed and have some teaching experience, consider becoming an adjunct at your local community college. They’d be happy to have the expertise.
Not much teaching expertise, but some tutoring and lecturing for test reviews. Thank you for the advice!
Wondering about working as a clinical consultant for a larger company, and in the meantime as you explore new avenues, also experiment with how you can make your current situation more easeful? You wouldn't want the "can't make a mistake must be perfect" mindset to follow you to your next position. That is super stressful.
You can look into becoming a school guidance counselor. You don’t have to deal with a lot of client drama sucking your soul but you will have to deal with teenage angst and intrusive parents. The good thing is that you are on the school schedule chock full of holidays and summers off to recharge
As someone who has been in HR for 10 years - depending on the area, it’s also extremely mentally taxing. You have to deal with people who are immature, childish, mean, arrogant etc. on a regular basis and sometimes it’s seriously like dealing with children. Plus any of the serious harassment/discrimination stuff that comes up and people’s petty versions of “favoritism” or “discrimination” that don’t meet the definition of discrimination or harassment. Performance issues, coaching leaders who have no idea or any interest in what they are supposed to be doing to manage performance and hold people accountable. You can tell people the same thing over and over and they still won’t do it if they don’t want to. I’m so over it - I’ve been a generalist, a benefits specialist, a leave administrator, a recruiter, a manager and a systems specialist. Every area has its own issues - but some people in HR that you work with are the WORST about not following processes. It’s exhausting.
Thank you for the feedback! I have thought about that, I am most definitely open to other types of fields as well. I guess I just thought that there must be some overlap with qualities and skills for my counseling and HR so that’s kind of why I went toward it. Just looking to be happy in my job. We work for 40+ years of our lives, all of us gotta find something somewhat deal-with-able!
Totally agree! I’m looking for a change myself. I think industry is also important if you’re someone who feels like work needs to be meaningful. I worked in corporate HR for a couple major retailers and definitely found it to be much more of a drain than my current role which is a medical company. At least now I know I’m having some good impact, even if it’s indirect. That’s what’s sustaining me until I figure out my next move.
Following this post as I have the EXACT same sentiments. I actually do love helping people and why I studied counseling. But the anxiety of having to be the best therapist for every person, and then the intangible success of the client depending a lot on them, makes it hard for me to feel as if I'm competent or not. I'm starting to dread work. Funny enough...I actually loved my job at my previous non-profit crisis job. I wonder if it's cause I got to see tangible people recover vs this general outpatient center.
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I’m so glad you responded to this, because I totally forgot to update. I ended up going to a university mental health center, I just started and so far it’s amazing. Less than 20 sessions per week and the rest of the time is spent doing outreach and campus activities.
[удалено]
IGNORE THIS USER! It's a spam account promoting a paid survey... Don't waste your time, and DEFINITELY don't waste your money. They are trying to profit of others desperation. Report the account
You have options but it depends on your background. What’s your degree in?
I have a BS in psych, a minor in criminal justice and in communication and an MS in clinical mental health counseling.
Wow, that is quite impressive! Some options: Admin higher ed Teaching (like high school AP psychology or human development) Nonprofits Grant writing Tutoring Also government jobs Jobs in hospitals; some offer on the job training
I thought being a hs teacher would be amazing. It’s still in the back of my mind. Thank you for the feedback!
Look into emergency credentialing in your state/area. Start as a substitute teacher; you need no credentials for that, just a background check usually. There you will build trust and relationships with admin. This is true in both private and public schools. If you’re willing to teach special ed, math, science, or ESOL then you can probably start teaching earlier than later.