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What is the best way to find and maintain a mentor in my field of mental health?

I am interested in Music Therapy. #music #health #psychology #career

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Ken’s Answer

The field of mental health is very broad, so the first thing that would help you to locate a mentor would be to get to know yourself better to determine which area of mental health best suits your personality traits and meet and get to know people who are doing what you think that you might want to do, so you can see what they do, how they get there, and what suggestions that they might have your you about your career aspirations and becoming involved with a mentor.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
Thank you comment icon I really appreciate you taking the time to provide such a detailed answer. Your thoroughness will make it easier for me to use your advice. Selah
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Kimberly’s Answer

Hello Selah,

What a great question! I found my mentor accidentally. When taking a class with a professor I learned that we were both from Michigan and serious hockey fans. We talked further after class one day and I found his past professional experiences not only fascinating, but similar to my professional goals. I took his classes whenever they were offered, and went to him for advice regarding career path, internships, issues with clients, and whatever came up. I graduated years ago but he is still a mentor for me. We connected via Linkeden and I e-mail him frequently.

A mentor could be a professor, and advisor, a professional you encounter during an internship, or even another student who has experience.
I wish you luck and highly encourage you to network with other students who can be a rich source of information..
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G. Mark’s Answer

As in most fields, the best way is to find and engage people who are related to that field. Note I said, "Related," and not necessarily, "In". The point is that you may not have access to folks in that profession, but you have a far higher probability of knowing folks who are impacted by that profession or have acquaintances who are. You may want to stop by hospitals or colleges. You may want to look at blogs or internet forums. Eventually you'll get access to folks. Make it known that you are interested in the field and actually looking for a mentor. The way to maintain a mentor? By continuing to convince the person that you are genuinely interested in the field and intend to focus effort on it. Of the folks I have hired for training, and eventually full, positions, the best performers and the folks that enjoyed it the most have been folks who have demonstrated a willingness to work first. Also, volunteer to help folks in that profession. Your performance in actually doing related activity will give them an impression of how well suited you are for this. The best way to get a job is to first do a job. It will be very informative for you, as well.
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