Posted by mellow on June 19, 2010, at 1:52:59 [reposted on June 20, 2010, at 2:48:18 | original URL]
In reply to OT: Can you become a MH professional if you've had a DX?, posted by zonked on June 18, 2010, at 9:30:21
There are mentally ill people in all professions. I am willing to wager many people who get into mental health have a lot of empathy for the patient's/clients due to their own struggles or the struggles of a loved one.
When i asked my therapist why she got into counseling she said "b/c my family is really f*cked up and i wanted to help people who felt screwed up like me." We both laughed out loud!
It is also like an unspoken rule that to be a substance abuse counselor you have to be a recovered drunk/addict yourself. So there are some instances in the mental health field where it helps to have some battle scars. You can't teach people coping skills if you haven't learned your own from experience.
I've thought a lot about getting my masters degree in social work. Its a big commitment so my therapist suggested i volunteer first to get a feel for the mental health field. So i started bringing Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to a local pysch ward last year. It has been really cool and i have a lot of empathy for the patient's there b/c of all the stuff i have been through.
Maybe you could do some volunteer work first to see if you are suited for it.
Best of luck!
mellow
Bipolar II (In remission for now...)
Lamictal 100mg, Citalopram 20mg, Topomax 50mg, Risperdal 2mg, Omega Mood (1000mg EPA), Magnesium Glycinate 400mg, B complex, Multi
poster:mellow
thread:951547
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20100528/msgs/951556.html