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How does being a Psychologist affect your own health?
#mental-health #mental-health-counseling #public-health #occupational-therapy #health
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4 answers
Judith-Ann Anderson
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) at AndeersonCounselingTexas( ACT)
106
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Judith-Ann’s Answer
For me, I find my work as a therapist invigorating. I am energized after each session as I feel I am fulfilling my purpose and I have been given the opportunity to help someone who is hurting.
Updated
Hwal’s Answer
Marvin,
I can speak from the perspective of a trained counsellor, assuming you were referring to a counseling psychologist. I find that there are pros and cons, but to answer your question, it affects my health in a positive way. If I had more information on exactly what you meant by "affect your own health," I'd be able to be more helpful, I think.
Good luck!
Hwal
Updated
TWINOMUHWEZI’s Answer
While working as a psychologist can be an extremely rewarding and satisfying career choice, there are some potential disadvantages that all psychology students should consider. As you evaluate your career options, think about your own personality, needs, and interests. Some people are better able to cope with certain issues, while others will find them to be more of a struggle.
>Dealing With Insurance and Billing Issues Can Be a Hassle
Whether you operate your own therapy practice or work in an established mental health office, you will have to deal with paperwork, insurance, and billing issues. 1 If you decide to run your own business, you will need to learn how to bill insurance plans or hire someone to perform this task for you.
>Setting up Your Own Practice Can Be Challenging
Building your own business from the ground up can be a daunting task. You need to think about basic tasks such as finding office space, purchasing equipment, obtaining supplies and establishing a client base. Additional issues that you need to consider include things such as malpractice insurance, health insurance, billing practices, document management, and tax obligations.
>Dealing With Clients on a Daily Basis Can Be Emotionally Draining
While one of the great rewards of being a psychologist is the opportunity to truly help people, the daily strain of dealing with the difficult issues your clients face can be emotionally exhausting.
In order to reduce the risk of burnout, it is important to find ways to deal with stress. Learning to create a division between your work life and personal life is an important first step. Practicing good stress management techniques can also be very helpful.
>Your Work Schedule Can Be Erratic at Times
Even though you might establish normal work hours during the day, as a psychologist you may find that you are required to deal with client issues at unexpected times. Some clients are unable to meet with you during normal business hours due to their own busy work schedules, which means you will have to shuffle your own plans around to make time for these individuals.4 In other cases, you might be called during off-hours or weekends to meet with clients who need help or who are facing crisis situations. Because of this, flexibility is an important skill for any psychologist to develop.
>You Will Need to Devote Time to Finding New Clients
Approximately a third of all psychologists are self-employed and operate their own private practices.4 While this can be an ideal situation for people who like to work for themselves, it also means that a significant chunk of time, money, and resources must be spent on finding new clients.
One way to accomplish this is to build relationships with medical professionals and other mental health providers so that they will refer potential clients to your practice. Hosting free support group sessions and advertising in the local media are other promotional options. Some professionals enjoy this aspect of running their business, but some feel that it takes away valuable time that could be devoted to therapy work.
Finally like any career, being a psychologist has both advantages and disadvantages. Only you can determine if the good outweighs the possible downsides. Spend some time researching your options in order to find the job that is the right fit for you
>Dealing With Insurance and Billing Issues Can Be a Hassle
Whether you operate your own therapy practice or work in an established mental health office, you will have to deal with paperwork, insurance, and billing issues. 1 If you decide to run your own business, you will need to learn how to bill insurance plans or hire someone to perform this task for you.
>Setting up Your Own Practice Can Be Challenging
Building your own business from the ground up can be a daunting task. You need to think about basic tasks such as finding office space, purchasing equipment, obtaining supplies and establishing a client base. Additional issues that you need to consider include things such as malpractice insurance, health insurance, billing practices, document management, and tax obligations.
>Dealing With Clients on a Daily Basis Can Be Emotionally Draining
While one of the great rewards of being a psychologist is the opportunity to truly help people, the daily strain of dealing with the difficult issues your clients face can be emotionally exhausting.
In order to reduce the risk of burnout, it is important to find ways to deal with stress. Learning to create a division between your work life and personal life is an important first step. Practicing good stress management techniques can also be very helpful.
>Your Work Schedule Can Be Erratic at Times
Even though you might establish normal work hours during the day, as a psychologist you may find that you are required to deal with client issues at unexpected times. Some clients are unable to meet with you during normal business hours due to their own busy work schedules, which means you will have to shuffle your own plans around to make time for these individuals.4 In other cases, you might be called during off-hours or weekends to meet with clients who need help or who are facing crisis situations. Because of this, flexibility is an important skill for any psychologist to develop.
>You Will Need to Devote Time to Finding New Clients
Approximately a third of all psychologists are self-employed and operate their own private practices.4 While this can be an ideal situation for people who like to work for themselves, it also means that a significant chunk of time, money, and resources must be spent on finding new clients.
One way to accomplish this is to build relationships with medical professionals and other mental health providers so that they will refer potential clients to your practice. Hosting free support group sessions and advertising in the local media are other promotional options. Some professionals enjoy this aspect of running their business, but some feel that it takes away valuable time that could be devoted to therapy work.
Finally like any career, being a psychologist has both advantages and disadvantages. Only you can determine if the good outweighs the possible downsides. Spend some time researching your options in order to find the job that is the right fit for you
Racheal Noble, Ph.D., LMFT, LPC, NCC
Mental health, education, research, care coordinator
91
Answers
Updated
Racheal’s Answer
Hello,
Like any job it comes with stress. Often times it's the way in which the stress influences out bodies response and how we internally make sense of it to manage our wellness.
When it comes to being a psychologist or working in mental health, depending on the way one understands their biases, strengths and areas of improvement will determine the effects on the career.
Additionally the client-therapist relationship has it own impact and influence on the health of a psychologist in that a client can remind a psychologist of someone the love or dislike or thay can very well be what is effecting the client thay can alter the work of the psychologist. It's important to be aware of the therapeutic relationship to determine boundaries, ethical and legal statues to remain in the profession.
My suggestion is to interview professors in the field to get their overall experience or shadow someone to better gain insight of day-to-day activities.
Hope this helps!
Like any job it comes with stress. Often times it's the way in which the stress influences out bodies response and how we internally make sense of it to manage our wellness.
When it comes to being a psychologist or working in mental health, depending on the way one understands their biases, strengths and areas of improvement will determine the effects on the career.
Additionally the client-therapist relationship has it own impact and influence on the health of a psychologist in that a client can remind a psychologist of someone the love or dislike or thay can very well be what is effecting the client thay can alter the work of the psychologist. It's important to be aware of the therapeutic relationship to determine boundaries, ethical and legal statues to remain in the profession.
My suggestion is to interview professors in the field to get their overall experience or shadow someone to better gain insight of day-to-day activities.
Hope this helps!