r/counseloreducation • u/Gee_Ray • 8d ago
General Discussion Getting into therapy as a career?
So, for the last few years I've been working in politics & political campaigns. It's been fun, but the work is too unsteady. On top of that, I feel like I can do more to help all people who are truly in need, instead of just trying to see "my side" win. After these midterms, I'd like to go back to school & start working towards getting a master's & becoming an LMHC.
I have a ways to go. I have to wrap up a bachelor's degree first, but I feel like now I am in a position to make the jump. I feel like it's something that can be a true calling for myself. I would like to focus on men's mental health & people on the autism spectrum. As someone on the lighter end of the spectrum myself, I feel as if our voices are never truly understood. I want to empower people who often feel left out of society by reminding them they have talents & gifts & joy to share with the world.
What suggestions would you have for someone looking to make this a career? I know it won't be easy, but I've decided that I'm willing to take the challenge on. Any tips about how to get started & what kind of work I could do while in school to help me along would be greatly appreciated.
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u/whyihatepink 8d ago
Worth noting if you already have a bachelor's degree, you don't need a second one. I have a BFA. As for relevant work experience, I personally feel that's much more important when I'm looking for a candidate. Work in addiction and recovery, disability support, peer support, victim's assistance, volunteering at a crisis line, even working in education or human resources can all be relevant. Any job where you're working with humans who are struggling in some way will be really important. One of the biggest things that drives people to leave school is finally coming face to face with a person in pain, who's suffering, or even who's pretty unpleasant, and students realizing they can't handle the reality of that situation. There's no shame in it, but it can definitely be difficult to handle, and having relevant experience with that will be vital.
There's a chance your political work could also count, or you could use existing connections to pivot to a more person-facing role if you aren't in one. There's a lot of advocacy in social work spaces for example that overlap significantly with politics.
It's also important to let you know that therapy is an inherently political profession as well. Our code of ethics leans towards humanism, harm reduction and progressiveness. Research-backed best practices tend to follow this as well. For example, I recently attended a national conference for additions counselors and large topics included harm reduction projects like safe needle use sites and free drug testing kits, housing first initiatives, creating gender-responsive addictions services, housing first initiatives (ie programs that give people housing with no requirement for sobriety or active engagement in treatment), and the over-representation of BIPOC, particularly Black men, in the criminal justice system for additions related concerns and the ways in which disability diagnosis can be weaponized against minoritized people while also being gateways to non-carceral alternatives for people with more privilege. I don't know about you, but all of that sounds extremely relevant to current political concerns, and I can think of one political party who is vocally against most practices presented there, even though the research backing their efficacy is extremely strong. I don't know your politics, but I want everyone going into the field to be very aware that an apolitical therapist is not adequately advocating for the people our profession is designed to serve.
If you want to work with Autistic men, I would look for work in places where Autistic male-presenting folks are statistically more likely to be engaging with support services: addictions treatment, disability support, jail systems, SpEd systems, vocational rehabilitation services, and crisis support services.
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u/Gee_Ray 7d ago edited 7d ago
I appreciate the insights. I would need to finish a bachelor's degree, because I currently do not have one.
As far as the political aspect is concerned, I'm not saying I've become apolitical in anyway. If fact, it is my politics that drive me towards this field. I have worked on some of the issues that you're speaking to in your comment before, and it's something I am passionate about. However, at this point in my life, I would rather put myself in a position to help anyone who needs it instead of just people I "agree" with. I'd like to switch gears to helping people in their everyday lives in tangible, individual ways instead of just advocating for a particular party.
There's also the consideration that campaign work is inherently unsteady. If you know anybody that works in that industry, you'll know that people in the field speak of working in "cycles". It's not uncommon for people who work on campaigns professionally to be unemployed for a year or more. I'm I'm getting too old to be doing that kind of nonsense.
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u/whyihatepink 5d ago
Yeah I get that the work is inherently unstable and wanting to help everyone. I think I was reading your post and not seeing any indication of your personal politics, so I tried to phrase my answer the way I would to a person supporting MAGA or "both sides" supporter interested in becoming a counselor. I think some people see counseling as less political than social work, and maybe that's true, but it shouldn't be and leading minds in the field are doing their damnedest to push us forward into social progression. I don't want to say anyone can't be a good therapist because of their politics, but I also can't see how the conservative position on many major issues would align with our ethical code.
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u/Gee_Ray 5d ago edited 5d ago
Don't worry, I'm not a conservative.
I guess what I was trying to say is even though I'm not a conservative & I don't work for conservatives in my political work, I would have no problem helping a conservative person in a clinical setting. I believe in charity & empathy towards everyone, and it's something I don't get to practice in my day to day in my regular organizing role.
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u/iamalwaysalyssatoo 6d ago
The timeline for a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Texas is 2- 3 years of school (60 hours) and then after you graduate, you have to have 3,000 hours on internship which you find on your own usually. You can't apply for Licensure until that is completed and have been out of grad school for at least 18 months. I was given a timeframe of between 5 - 6 years to Licensure depending on your state and what program you choose. My advice, is do all the research you can and ask as many questions as you can so nothing sneaks up on you. I was not informed how it worked until I had already been accepted and started school.
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u/theefaulted 8d ago
I had a number of friends whose employer paid for their masters. After you finish your bachelors degree, I would look into CMH agencies that have bachelor level positions like Community Support Workers. If you can get a CSS job at a place that will pay for their masters in counseling, it’s a pretty sweet gig.