Interested in a flexible, part-time career in Mental Health, especially working with children

[panopticoin]

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Hi all,

I would like some advice/insight into choosing a career path.

I got my B.A. in Psychology almost 10 years ago. After graduating, I began my business/entrepreneurship pursuits and have reached a point where I am pretty financially independent. I find that my work in business is not completely fulfilling and would like to pursue a career in mental health/psychology. But I would still need time to work on my business, so I would only be able to do a career in Psychology as a side-job.

I started working as an ABA therapist a year ago part-time. As an introvert, I find the work to be a bit draining to be honest, though rewarding. I don't think I would be able to work as a therapist full-time. I've considered attaining my BCBA and becoming a supervisor, but many supervisors work for agencies at a 9-5 job which is what I'm trying to avoid.

I've also considered getting a LCSW and becoming a therapist who can set my own schedule. That would be ideal. But from my experience so far, I find that my passion is more working with children than adults.

Is there a career path that will enable me to work with children with autism/special needs PART-TIME with flexibility?

Thank you for reading and I would appreciate any feedback.

 

[deleted343839]

Is there a career path that will enable me to work with children with autism/special needs PART-TIME with flexibility?

Thank you for reading and I would appreciate any feedback.

It's not really mental health per se, but as an alternative to psychology, look into pedi occupational therapy. It seems to be in fairly high demand for kids with sensory issues, fine motor skills deficits, self-care skills, etc., which apply to many kids on the spectrum. Less rigorous than ABA to be sure, but probably also less draining.