About to throw in the Towel

[CampDeeds]

As the title references, I'm at my wits end trying to figure out what I want to do with my life and while I'm a fighter and don't give up that easily its happening like rapid fire.

Background: I am going to graduate in December with a BA in Psychology with a minor in Human Sexuality.
GPA is a 2.96 at the moment and is subject to change. The only research experience I have is taking a class on research methods doing a project and being a part of a research competition. The demographic so to speak that I want to work with:
Children: maybe working with Autistic children/Developmental/learning disabilities/Slight abuse/children with illnesses. ie cancer or any other debilitating problems. ( I have a sweet spot for those Kids) Couples/Families: marriage, divorce or grief/Infertility and planning for children/Depression or anything in that realm.
LGTBQ: Goes hand in hand with kids. working with youth in this community. Resources and programs for them. Homelessness etc.
Older Adults (65+): Kind of goes with Couples and families. Grief and divorce. Finding resources and giving them places for their own care. An example that I think explains my point is my Mom. She has Multiple Scerlosis and I think it would be good to help people in her case have resources and kind of that "what's next?" option.
That being said I have always wanted to help people regardless. I know my listening skills are wonderful but thats not going to be the end all to my counseling/therapeutic career. The more and more I think about it I realize I don't want to work so much with like the extreme side of Psychology like the bi polar or schizophrenia if that makes sense. There is a program at my school which I am involved in called the Blues Project which does awareness on Depression and Suicide so I have some expertise in that. I think I'm more inclined to help my future clients live their lifes the best they can and if problems arise they can come to me for help and i can provide resources and plan and all that. I thought private practice was for me but I don't feel right about it. I feel working with others together to come up witha plan sounds intriguing to me.

So all that rambling above leaves me in a bind to figure out what to do? I think I want to do therapy that's a for sure thought but if I burnout or something whatever I decide on choosing I could transition into something that would still be gratifying..I mean I have some time to figure everything out and I am considering a gap year but some idea would help.

So where do I go from here? I have thrown MFT, School Psych, ABA, LPC and Clinical Psychology (Psy D) into the mix and now went back to adding MSW ( with the goal to get LCSW/possibility of a hospital setting?) or Nursing which seems like a far fetched option and I mean I have a long history of the females in my family being a nurse but I don't want that to be my reasoning. And as my thread is titled, if I throw in the towel now I'm just going to be a teacher and stop losing my mind..

So what path (if any) do you think is best with my interests I mentioned above? I want to be able to figure this out =(. PS sorry for this long drown out message lol. maybe me elaborating might be heplful.. Thanks!

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[CBFutureHelper14]

As the title references, I'm at my wits end trying to figure out what I want to do with my life and while I'm a fighter and don't give up that easily its happening like rapid fire.

Background: I am going to graduate in December with a BA in Psychology with a minor in Human Sexuality.
GPA is a 2.96 at the moment and is subject to change. The only research experience I have is taking a class on research methods doing a project and being a part of a research competition. The demographic so to speak that I want to work with:
Children: maybe working with Autistic children/Developmental/learning disabilities/Slight abuse/children with illnesses. ie cancer or any other debilitating problems. ( I have a sweet spot for those Kids) Couples/Families: marriage, divorce or grief/Infertility and planning for children/Depression or anything in that realm.
LGTBQ: Goes hand in hand with kids. working with youth in this community. Resources and programs for them. Homelessness etc.
Older Adults (65+): Kind of goes with Couples and families. Grief and divorce. Finding resources and giving them places for their own care. An example that I think explains my point is my Mom. She has Multiple Scerlosis and I think it would be good to help people in her case have resources and kind of that "what's next?" option.
That being said I have always wanted to help people regardless. I know my listening skills are wonderful but thats not going to be the end all to my counseling/therapeutic career. The more and more I think about it I realize I don't want to work so much with like the extreme side of Psychology like the bi polar or schizophrenia if that makes sense. There is a program at my school which I am involved in called the Blues Project which does awareness on Depression and Suicide so I have some expertise in that. I think I'm more inclined to help my future clients live their lifes the best they can and if problems arise they can come to me for help and i can provide resources and plan and all that. I thought private practice was for me but I don't feel right about it. I feel working with others together to come up witha plan sounds intriguing to me.

So all that rambling above leaves me in a bind to figure out what to do? I think I want to do therapy that's a for sure thought but if I burnout or something whatever I decide on choosing I could transition into something that would still be gratifying..I mean I have some time to figure everything out and I am considering a gap year but some idea would help.

So where do I go from here? I have thrown MFT, School Psych, ABA, LPC and Clinical Psychology (Psy D) into the mix and now went back to adding MSW ( with the goal to get LCSW/possibility of a hospital setting?) or Nursing which seems like a far fetched option and I mean I have a long history of the females in my family being a nurse but I don't want that to be my reasoning. And as my thread is titled, if I throw in the towel now I'm just going to be a teacher and stop losing my mind..

So what path (if any) do you think is best with my interests I mentioned above? I want to be able to figure this out =(. PS sorry for this long drown out message lol. maybe me elaborating might be heplful.. Thanks!

You and me are in a similar boat and its slowly sinking, but there is a small thread of hope for us. Currently I have thrown my hat into the ring for some Masters programs in Counselor Education. You metioned LPC and LCSWs. Those are similar licenses but different programs. Both require a masters degree at minimum. Your GPA is concerning. Ususally grad schools require a 3.0 GPA minimum in order to even apply. There will also be required standardized tests such as the GRE and Miller Analogies Test. The required test depends on what program you are applying to.
Have you volunteered with the populations you mentioned. Maybe way back in high school or during your college time? What setting do you want to work in? You mentioned the hospital, but are you open to outpatient centers as well? Do you like desk work and papers? Increasingly, all helping professions are requiring some amount of that, even nursing and medicine. In my opinion, being a teacher is just as nerve racking, but if that is what you want go for it. Only you can decide what you want to do.
What did you dream of being as a kid? Maybe that can help in your decision as well. As I said, I am in the same sinking boat your in so I may not be the one to give advice, but I hope I have helped a little.

 

[deleted343839]

Your interests are so varied it's hard to recommend a path. Given your low GPA, little research experience, and predominantly counseling-type interests, it doesn't sound like a doctorate in clinical psychology is a good fit. A master's degree in counseling could fit well with your interests. A degree in social work may be a little more versatile if you want to focus your career on medical populations and settings. I wouldn't rule out nursing at this stage, either. My advice would be to take some time to figure out what really motivates you, knowing that you can't do it all, and then learn more about the philosophy and range of each profession and decide which route will help you the most to reach your goals.