3 answers
Hailey
Student
Antwerp, Ohio
3
Questions
Asked
1298 views
What are some challenges that you face while being a Mental Health therapist?
Do you feel depressed after hearing everyone's problems?
Are you thinking about what your client is doing every single day?
Does your mental health go bad?
Does your stress and anxiety get bad?
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3 answers
Hwal Lee
DMSc
259
Answers
Albany, New York
Updated
Hwal’s Answer
Hailey,
I trained to become a registered mental health counsellor in Australia and has worked with individuals experiencing mental and behavioral challenges in both Australia and the US, including as a certified PA, so this informs my perspective.
For the four questions you asked, my answers would be 'no.' I feel that what makes a career in mental health challenging also makes it uniquely rewarding and interesting, and folks like me are drawn to and find meaning in that. I also believe that it takes a special quality and someone special to sustain a professional career and/or volunteer efforts in this space while truly enjoying and thriving. Are you thinking about working in mental health? Regardless of your plans for study or a career, I would encourage you to take care of your whole health, including your mental health, before and while pursuing it.
Let me know if you have any specific questions I can help with.
Good luck!
Hwal
I trained to become a registered mental health counsellor in Australia and has worked with individuals experiencing mental and behavioral challenges in both Australia and the US, including as a certified PA, so this informs my perspective.
For the four questions you asked, my answers would be 'no.' I feel that what makes a career in mental health challenging also makes it uniquely rewarding and interesting, and folks like me are drawn to and find meaning in that. I also believe that it takes a special quality and someone special to sustain a professional career and/or volunteer efforts in this space while truly enjoying and thriving. Are you thinking about working in mental health? Regardless of your plans for study or a career, I would encourage you to take care of your whole health, including your mental health, before and while pursuing it.
Let me know if you have any specific questions I can help with.
Good luck!
Hwal
Chinyere Okafor
Educationist and Counseling Psychologist
1017
Answers
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
Updated
Chinyere’s Answer
Hi Hailey,
You truly capture the essence of what it means to be a mental health therapist with those insightful and significant questions.
Working as a therapist presents emotional difficulties. It might be difficult to hear about grief, tragedy, and day-to-day hardships. Working with someone who is experiencing a crisis or ongoing suffering can often make you feel the weight of their tale. Leaving a session without thinking about a client can be difficult at times, particularly if you are worried about their safety or well-being. However, professional boundaries assist therapists in managing their emotions, as they are educated to care without allowing it to overtake them.
However, some therapists do suffer from burnout, compassion fatigue, or secondary trauma, particularly if they don't put their own mental health first. Self-care, social support, frequent supervision, and even treatment for the therapist are therefore not just beneficial but necessary.
The benefit? For many therapists, this is a very rewarding job. It can be a profound experience to watch someone develop, recover, or just be heard. Despite the emotional toll, most therapists believe that the benefits greatly exceed the drawbacks, particularly if they take care of themselves during the process.
If you have strong emotions and are thinking about taking this route, know that empathy is a gift. You will succeed in this work if you learn how to safeguard your own mental health.
Best wishes!
You truly capture the essence of what it means to be a mental health therapist with those insightful and significant questions.
Working as a therapist presents emotional difficulties. It might be difficult to hear about grief, tragedy, and day-to-day hardships. Working with someone who is experiencing a crisis or ongoing suffering can often make you feel the weight of their tale. Leaving a session without thinking about a client can be difficult at times, particularly if you are worried about their safety or well-being. However, professional boundaries assist therapists in managing their emotions, as they are educated to care without allowing it to overtake them.
However, some therapists do suffer from burnout, compassion fatigue, or secondary trauma, particularly if they don't put their own mental health first. Self-care, social support, frequent supervision, and even treatment for the therapist are therefore not just beneficial but necessary.
The benefit? For many therapists, this is a very rewarding job. It can be a profound experience to watch someone develop, recover, or just be heard. Despite the emotional toll, most therapists believe that the benefits greatly exceed the drawbacks, particularly if they take care of themselves during the process.
If you have strong emotions and are thinking about taking this route, know that empathy is a gift. You will succeed in this work if you learn how to safeguard your own mental health.
Best wishes!
Annah Edmonds
Licensed Clinical Counselor and Art Therapist
194
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Annah’s Answer
Hailey, such thoughtful questions! You hit on an aspect of working in mental health that is very real and very important. As a therapist it is critical to have good self-care and to notice and prevent the signs of burn out. You will most likely be affected in some way by working with patients; this is a given. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. I am someone that has struggled with my own mental health symptoms for decades- depression and anxiety. Working as a therapist has improved my mental health in that I have become more self-aware, more knowledgeable, and more proactive in safeguarding my own health and wellbeing. Continuing to work on your own personal growth is paramount to being in the field of psychology and counseling. Having a solid team around you- whether co-workers, peers, your own therapist, (for example) will help you to leave work at work. Taking care of your emotional, mental, and all other aspect of yourself is something you will learn how to do; it is an ongoing practice. You will also learn what works for you- what kind of support you need in order to do your job and to process what comes up for you (such as transference). This work is different from most other types of work; it does involve feelings- compassion and empathy. It may stir up your own issues- things that are unresolved or pull at your heartstrings. But this is also the beauty of being a therapist- the ability to listen to what people have never shared before, their fears, their heartache, their deepest secrets. When you can hold the space for this and sometimes see people's lives improve significantly, it is a wonderful experience. Some settings are more stressful than others for sure; you may also be surprised about your own capacity to handle challenging situations. I learned I like crisis work- something that scared me initially. But I like pushing myself in new ways; it sometimes pays off! Starting in graduate school you will build skills to prepare you to manage all kinds of interactions and environments. Much of this takes time and you will not be expected to know everything all at once. I continue to learn and grow on a daily basis- a never-ending and always worthwhile process.