As society gains a better understanding of mental health and the impact that it can have on people’s everyday lives, more and more people are interested in working in this field. An increasing number of individuals are considering pursuing a career where they can help and support people with their mental health and wellbeing, reduce the stigma around mental health that still lingers in society today, and make a real difference to the lives of others.
Many people decide to get into a career in mental health after going through their own personal mental health struggles, which may inspire them to be there for and help other people who are going through a similar experience. Or, perhaps somebody close to you has struggled with their mental health, which has inspired you to take a closer look and has driven your desire to help those in need.
The mental health industry needs people to work in various positions that require empathy, compassion, respect, and a desire to be there for other people who need help most. There are various different positions to get into where you can actively work towards improving mental health services and help to ensure that everybody is able to access the mental health and wellbeing services that they need. You can work directly with people that are struggling to help them achieve tangible results or work behind the scenes to improve mental health services, treatments, awareness, and more.
If you are interested in working in the mental health field and want a career where you can return home from work every day knowing you’ve played a part in doing good in the world, here are some great roles that you may be interested in.
Mental Health Counseling
A mental health counselor works directly with clients either in groups or on a one-to-one basis to help them deal with mental health and anything else in their lives that they might be struggling to cope with. You will meet with your clients on a regular basis and get to know them in order to ensure that you provide them with the best standard of care and offer personalized recommendations and advice for their specific situations.
People seek out mental health counselors for a wide range of different reasons, from help with dealing with situations that are causing them stress to support with overcoming more serious mental health conditions and disorders such as generalized anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress.
To work in this role, you will generally be required to gain an undergraduate degree in human services, psychology, or another relevant subject before getting an advanced degree in mental health counseling. To qualify, you will need to complete clinical work experience, supervision, and get a specified number of hours of your own personal counseling before you will be able to sit the exam to get a license to start practicing in your state.
This post covers how to become a clinical mental health counselor in more detail.
Registered Mental Health Nurse
If you are interested in helping others by becoming a nurse but also want a career that focuses mainly on helping people with their mental health and wellbeing, a role as a registered mental health nurse might be an ideal choice for you.
Mental health nurses are specialized registered nurses who treat patients who are suffering from mental health conditions and disorders. In this role, you will have the chance to work in a range of areas and with various different patients. Mental health nurses are needed in psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation centers, secure units, and in outpatient care.
In this role, you will usually be working alongside other mental health professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors to help patients overcome a variety of mental health challenges, recover from mental health disorders, and overcome addiction and substance abuse issues. To get into this career, you will need to get a Bachelor of Science in nursing before completing further studies to get a certificate in psychiatric nursing.
Counseling or Clinical Psychologist
A counseling psychologist or clinical psychologist is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of patients who are suffering from mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders. They also treat patients who are suffering from other illnesses or injuries that are also impacting their mental health and wellbeing.
A clinical psychologist will usually focus more on medical treatments, while counseling psychologists use a combination of both medical and therapeutic interventions. To work as a clinical psychologist or a counseling psychologist, you will need to earn a Ph.D. in psychology or a Psy.D. degree. The minimum requirement to enroll in these programs is usually master’s degree in psychology, and the program takes between five and seven years on average to complete.
Couples and Family Therapist
If you want to get into a career where you can play a key role in helping couples and families enjoy stronger relationships and work together more harmoniously, then you might want to consider working as a family and couples therapist. These therapists are a type of mental health counselor that specializes in working with couples and families.
Responsibilities could include counseling couples either separately, together, or both to help them resolve disputes that they are struggling to overcome on their own, help couples improve their communication skills with one another, and help them learn more about each other. You may also be working with entire families to help them communicate better, overcome problematic situations, or help families deal with children’s health or mental health issues more effectively.
You will need to qualify as a licensed counselor or therapist before going on to get a certification in family and marriage therapy.
Social Worker
Social workers are professionals who will often be there for vulnerable people who need their support the most. If you are interested in a role where you can work with a range of different people who are going through various situations and being there to support them and help them succeed, then a role as a social worker may be one that you find appealing.
While this role is not always focused on helping people directly with their mental health, the work that you do and the support that you offer can certainly play a significant part in helping the people that you encounter improve their mental health and wellbeing. Social workers may refer their clients to mental health services or simply be there to offer a listening ear or practical support when needed.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Another healthcare role that you may be interested in pursuing if you want to work in mental health is a psychiatric nurse practitioner. To work in this role, you will first need to qualify and gain experience as a registered nurse before going on to get a master’s degree in nursing or a master’s degree designed to prepare you for working in this position.
Mental health nurse practitioners have more responsibilities compared to mental health registered nurses, including permission to diagnose, treat, and prescribe medication to their patients. Working in this role, you will play a key part in the treatment plan of patients who are admitted to psychiatric hospitals or taking part in outpatient treatment by offering counseling, prescribing medication where needed, and referring for additional treatment where appropriate.
Psychiatrist
If you’re interested in becoming a physician but tend to gravitate more towards helping people with their mental health rather than their general health, working as a psychiatrist might be a worthwhile career option for you to consider. Psychiatrists are physicians who undergo training that allows them to specialize in treating patients who have psychiatric conditions and disorders. The role involves completing assessments of patients to provide a mental health diagnosis before recommending an appropriate treatment plan. To work in this role, you will be required to complete a relevant bachelor’s degree and then at least four years of medical school before completing a psychiatry residency.
School Counselor
If the idea of helping young people with their mental health and wellbeing is appealing to you, then you may be interested in working in a school to do just this.
The school counselor is a role filled by a professional that wears many hats. Not only will you be the go-to person for students who need to talk over their problems with a professional, report harm or solve conflicts with their peers, but you will also be responsible for safeguarding, developing,and implementing policies within the schools that benefit student development, and delivering lessons to help students with their social and emotional development at a critical period of their development.
Along with providing mental health support, school counselors are also there to help students with their academic development and are often heavily involved with helping students decide on a college major and apply to their chosen colleges. You will usually need a degree in school counseling or a relevant subject to work in this role.
Research Psychologist
If you want to spend your career learning more about mental health and like the idea of a role where you can get insights into people and mental health that can be used to improve mental healthcare services in the future, there are lots of reasons to consider working as a research psychologist. This may be an ideal role for you if you are not that interested in working with people directly to help with mental health, but would prefer to be behind the scenes, gathering information that professionals and the general public can put to use to improve mental health knowledge, awareness, and services.
Your main responsibility will involve conducting research to get insights into psychology and mental health and ultimately used to build guidelines and frameworks that professionals in the industry use to help and support patients.
Sports Psychologist
If you love sports, then you might want to consider a career where you can help athletes with their mental health.
While professional athletes and sports players definitely need to be in good physical shape to get the best results when competing, it’s also important for them to be in good mental health to get into the right frame of mind for a game or competition. Athletes might appear to be super-human with their sporting abilities, but they are human like the rest of us and there are lots of things that can impact their mental health. Big losses, serious injuries, and personal problems can all get in the way of an athlete performing at their best regardless of how good their physical health and stamina might be.
A sports psychologist is there to provide support, advice, and counseling to athletes to help them overcome these situations and be in a better frame of mind for their sporting career.
Life Coach
If you have an interest in helping people live their best lives, then you may want to consider working as a life coach.
Life coaches can focus on a wide range of different areas including career success, relationship success, physical health and wellbeing, diet and exercise, or a combination of all these. While there are no formal qualifications required to become a life coach, you may be interested in getting a certificate or diploma in life coaching or similar to become more credible among your potential clients.
Most life coaches are self-employed individuals who embody what they teach. If you have a lot of strategies that you have picked up and successfully used over time in your own life to improve your mental health and wellbeing and other aspects of your life, then you may want to consider turning your experience into a rewarding career where you can work closely with other people and tailor your advice to help them as individuals.
It’s 2022 and mental health is finally coming to the forefront. While it has not been given the attention it needs for a long time, more people are becoming aware of how important looking after your mental health is, which is driving the demand for various roles.