Future of Helping Professions

[GlitteringGold]

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I am curious to hear opinions regarding current trends and the future of direct patient care. I am trying to decide which direction to take my graduate studies (I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology). I am aware of the differences between the fields and various degrees, (PsyD, PhD, LCSW, LPC, etc) but as far as providing direct clinical mental health services, the respective job outlooks seem to be a bit murky.
In my case, I know that my true passion is counseling clients one-on-one (ideally in a group or private practice). I have heard that Master's level clinicians are competitive with PhD/PsyDs in this situation (this is according to the APA www.apa.org/grad psych/2011/03/cover-sunny.aspx) which makes a Master's-level education attractive. On the other hand, the type of training that a Psychologist receives resonates more with me than what a Social Worker would receive (I am very interested in empirically-based treatments) and I'm afraid that if I get tired of direct patient service, I won't be able to transition into a stimulating option within social work, as I'm interested in research, but not as much interested in social policy.

Any thoughts on the future of direct patient care and burnout rates in private practice are greatly appreciated.

 

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

I believe the future of direct care would be a collaboration between the Masters Level clinicians (LPCs, LMFTs and LCSWs) and doctoral level clinicians (PsyDs/PhDs and PsychMDs) in which the Masters level clinicians will happen short term counseling for anxiety, depression, martial problems and other non-severe problems while the doctoral clinicians will handle the more severe mental disorders and also do testing and/or drug management for these patients. I also believe that we shouldn't have "turf wars" between each discipline and they should be defined roles for each discipline. Burnout rates I am not sure of at all.

 

[wesleysmith]

I wouldn't consider anxiety or depression non-severe; both can be fatal.

 

[WisNeuro]

I predict that the future of "helping professions" will be some Cormac McCarthyesque post-apocalyptic wasteland. Psychiatrists will lace food with a potent cocktail of opiates to lull unsuspecting wasteland denizens into a stupor, before stealing their possessions and cannibalizing them. Psychologists will use their mind-bending ways to work their way into roving bands, pretending to be fellow benevolent travelers before killing off most of the pack in their sleep, leaving one alive to torture, to satisfy their "urges." Social workers, bless their bleeding hearts, there aren't any of them left. Too trusting. My advice, start stocking your bunker.

 

[PsyDr]

Continued downward income trajectory for lpcs, msws, mfts. More and more providers who choose a helping profession in order to avoid their own therapy, and pursue the illusion of free time and high income which was based off an outlier whose career started a generation ago. A few more bandwagon ideas which remain rehashing of clinical theories from a century ago (e.g. Trauma). Office rent goes up, while reimbursement goes down. Private practice dies.

Psychologist continue to think that making the same as a senior policeman is rich. Then they argue about who is better trained because that's totally not the same as my dad can beat up your dad. And yell that someone should do something. They also get poor. But no one wants to hire them. A generation of children is raised by a stay at home parent who happens to know a ton about psychology.

No one saves for retirement.

 

[arottenapple]

I've thought awhile about this topic, though in more broad terms than this. Like what will happen with the growth of technology and the automation of more and more jobs. Could it be possible that counselors and therapists be automated out in lieu of artificial intelligence?

My guess though, based on almost no evidence and coming from a lowly undergrad, is that drugs will continue to replace psychotherapy so that the only ones left are the general practitioners prescribing the valium and the psychiatrists to help those with more severe disorders.

 

[WisNeuro]

My guess though, based on almost no evidence and coming from a lowly undergrad, is that drugs will continue to replace psychotherapy so that the only ones left are the general practitioners prescribing the valium and the psychiatrists to help those with more severe disorders.

With more and more data pointing to a relationship between benzos and dementia risk, I see those phasing out more and more, especially because it will eventually become a malpractice risk to prescribe benzos. I've yet to see data pointing to drugs being better than EBT's. So, I'm not too worried about this at the moment.