Confused

[berlfe03]

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Hi all, I need some help. I am a current BSN student, who unfortunately is not enjoying her nursing studies thus far. I have always truly wanted to do counseling my whole life, but was put off by what I perceived was lack of job opportunities, poor pay, and the competiveness of getting into graduate school. Based on my research I did about four years ago, these are my assumptions:
1. It is very diffucult to find a job due to the fact that most of the people who need counseling lack the ability to pay, and most insurence companies do not cover mental health services.
2. When I look on websites such as bls.gov, the average annual income is very low ($32,370) espicially when you take into account that you have to attain a master's degree before you can practice.
3. I was told by the chair of the psychology department at the school I am attending now that getting into graduate school is VERY competitive and that I should be open to locating to a different state if need be.

So based on everthing I have learned about this field the negatives are- You will have to get a master's degree which of course is very expensive, and you will be paid very poorly, if you happen to be lucky enough to find an adequate job at all. Do any of these statements reflect reality? I am sorry to come across as so negative, but this is the story I have gotten from two different professors that teach psychology. Thanks for reading.

 

[LovinPsych]

Those are some good questions , I wish I could be of some help but I'd like to know that for myself as well , I had no idea ... 😕

 

[thepsychgeek]

Let's see... I'm going to take each of these questions individually.

1. It is very diffucult to find a job due to the fact that most of the people who need counseling lack the ability to pay, and most insurence companies do not cover mental health services.

I'm not sure I entirely agree. In some places, insurance will cover at least part of MH services (e.g. mine- Blue Cross & Blue Shield). I wouldn't say that most lack the ability, although there are many, especially if you're planning to work with extreme psychpathology. If you're okay with working with people with "life problems", a whole new population opens up to you. There is a shortage of people with counseling and social work degrees... they're very much in demand! What makes you say that most people can't pay for counseling?

2. When I look on websites such as bls.gov, the average annual income is very low ($32,370) especially when you take into account that you have to attain a master's degree before you can practice.

Somewhat true. People don't go into mental health for the money, we go into it to work with people. And yes, you frequently need a master's degree and a license before you can practice. Keep in mind, however, that BLS isn't accounting for experience, word of mouth, etc. There are also scholarships and fellowships to help you through school.

3. I was told by the chair of the psychology department at the school I am attending now that getting into graduate school is VERY competitive and that I should be open to locating to a different state if need be.

Unfortunately, that's all true. Graduate school is hard to get into (although I don't know your personal stats, so you may be a very comptetitive candidate, for all I know. And yes, you may need to move (again, I don't know your situation- look around your state/area and see if there are accredited programs in your region).

I guess my overall feeling is that if you have such strong reservations about a career in MH, it might not be right for you. But there are definitely ways of dealing with all of them... it just takes a lot of hard work.🙂

 

[knowing]

Hi all, I need some help. I am a current BSN student, who unfortunately is not enjoying her nursing studies thus far. I have always truly wanted to do counseling my whole life, but was put off by what I perceived was lack of job opportunities, poor pay, and the competiveness of getting into graduate school. Based on my research I did about four years ago, these are my assumptions:
1. It is very diffucult to find a job due to the fact that most of the people who need counseling lack the ability to pay, and most insurence companies do not cover mental health services.
2. When I look on websites such as bls.gov, the average annual income is very low ($32,370) espicially when you take into account that you have to attain a master's degree before you can practice.
3. I was told by the chair of the psychology department at the school I am attending now that getting into graduate school is VERY competitive and that I should be open to locating to a different state if need be.

So based on everthing I have learned about this field the negatives are- You will have to get a master's degree which of course is very expensive, and you will be paid very poorly, if you happen to be lucky enough to find an adequate job at all. Do any of these statements reflect reality? I am sorry to come across as so negative, but this is the story I have gotten from two different professors that teach psychology. Thanks for reading.

You should make yourself a pros and cons sheet to make a logical decision. I do know everything the professors told you is true. I decided on psychology because I loved my classes..loved the material..and desired to participate in research. You really have to "love" the work to pursue it. Nursing is very lucrative if you need the money thats a consideration. Ask yourself if you see a long enjoyable nursing career though? Good Luck..

 

[berlfe03]

Thank you for answering all of my questions, psychgeek. It is nice to have some validation of my concerns. I do know that people do not go into counseling for the money it's just that 30-35k just seems really low for someone with that much education.
Knowing, no as of right now I do not see that I would enjoy nursing all that much. It seems very task-orientated, and there seems to be no time to make any kind of connection with your patients. It seems I need to educate myself more on the mental health field before I give up on it entirely.

 

[thepsychgeek]

It is low, but I generally consider it to be the starting salary, and it does go up. Also consider working within a private (not government) agency- the salaries are usually somewhat higher. Poke around the internet, you'll get a better sense of your worries 🙂

Good luck!

 

[berlfe03]

Thanks for the info!