Planning for LMHC internship...

[Vasilisa Jade]

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Dear awesome people, please tell me if my logic works here. I'm brainstorming to prevent completing a degree I never use or follow through till the end... as I've seen so many people do.

I understand the need to be immersed in supervised clinical work with the full experience for the LMHC/LCSW internship. It seems no one has great odds at finding a paid internship and even if I were to it could be minimum wage. It wouldn't be so daunting if it weren't two full years. Can it be done? Yes I'm sure I can figure it out. I'd also like to plan and prepare if at all possible.

So now I wonder if there's a route that won't compromise a decent paycheck and my sanity during internship...
So if I set my plans as:

1) Bachelors in psychology
2)CAC (Certified Addiction Counselor Certification)... The supervised hours needed are much less and I could complete them while working full time in corrections still
3) Secure a job in that field which will also fulfill obligations towards the CAP (Certified Addictions Professional) requirements. I may even be able to stay with the agency in the Inmate Rehabilitation Division... I plan to talk to the supervisor there soon.
4) Masters Degree
5) Find a LMHC internship after the masters is completed

Would this path increase the odds of finding a paid internship at a higher pay rate, versus completing the degrees while being stagnant in Corrections? My agency offers tuition reimbursement and I make 42k a year so it is tempting.... but useless if I can't financially swing the internship demands in the end.

Thank you <3

 

[ClinicalABA]

I think many here would agree (and have indicated so in other posts) that you might be getting a little ahead of yourself here. You've expressed an interest in working in a clinical capacity in a mental health field. That's great- first step is to apply to and get accepted into a good college/university and major in psychology. Do well (high 3s GPA), get some research experience, and you may have many more options for graduate training than you're currently aware of. Direct you efforts to getting good undergraduate training. In a few years, you'll be better able to identify the actual steps after that. It's good to have an idea, but too early in the game for such a specific plan. If you attend a solid, bricks-and-mortar undergrad institution and play your cards right, you'll likely connect with a professor/advisor who can guide you in developing a career plan.

Your post raises a few questions. To access the tuition reimbursement will you have to remain a full time employee? If so, completing Bachelors degree will be a challenge (please don't even consider online or distance training). Also, your current salary may not be that different than what you'd get as an LMHC. This whole thing may end up costing you some future earnings. While there are a lot of good things about this type of work other than money, you'll have bills to pay and mouths to feed (there ain't nothing in this world for free)!

 

[Vasilisa Jade]

I think many here would agree (and have indicated so in other posts) that you might be getting a little ahead of yourself here. You've expressed an interest in working in a clinical capacity in a mental health field. That's great- first step is to apply to and get accepted into a good college/university and major in psychology. Do well (high 3s GPA), get some research experience, and you may have many more options for graduate training than you're currently aware of. Direct you efforts to getting good undergraduate training. In a few years, you'll be better able to identify the actual steps after that. It's good to have an idea, but too early in the game for such a specific plan.

Your post raises a few questions. To access the tuition reimbursement will you have to remain a full time employee? If so, completed a Bachelors degree will be a challenge (please don't even consider online or distance training). Also, your current salary may not be that different than what you'd get as an LMHC. This whole thing may end up costing you some future earnings. While there are a lot of good things about this type of work other than money, you'll have bills to pay and mouths to feed (there ain't nothing in this world for free)!

I don't mean to get ahead of myself... I just want to plan ahead, look at risks and challenges and such as best as I can to avoid wasting a lot of time going in a wrong direction as I'm prone to doing.

I'm okay with the future salary being similar or less than where I'm at now, as long as I can avoid debt, hence utilizing the reimbursement...

However... did you say avoid online programs? Cause that is a pretty critical part of my approach. Night shift affords me a lot of study time, but the full time work in itself doesn't allow much for campus classes other than some labs or clinicals I could fit in as needed.

Whatever future career and programs of study I choose... I have to work full time... unless my boyfriend wakes up tomorrow and decides to make me his pet for a few years.

If that is the case I may have to abandon this whole idea and go in a different direction.

 

[Vasilisa Jade]

For giggles I was bored last night and looked up mental health professionals around the St Augustine Fl area, to creep on their credentials and what schools they went to. I saw one that went to Capella... even though my impression was that Capella wasn't regarded well at all. Many others went to local respected universities that offer the programs online. I really was under the assumption that would be okay.

 

[deleted343839]

Whatever future career and programs of study I choose... I have to work full time... unless my boyfriend wakes up tomorrow and decides to make me his pet for a few years.

An brick-and-mortar school that is friendly to adult learners (evening classes, etc.) is probably still a better bet than an online-only school. Many colleges and universities offer some online courses, so you can blend both.

It's a hard road and I wish you well. My toughest semester in college by far was when I was working full time night shift. Would not do that again.

 

[Vasilisa Jade]

That's my brain getting ahead of itself.

 

[Vasilisa Jade]

An brick-and-mortar school that is friendly to adult learners (evening classes, etc.) is probably still a better bet than an online-only school. Many colleges and universities offer some online courses, so you can blend both.

It's a hard road and I wish you well. My toughest semester in college bar far was when I was working full time night shift. Would not do that again.

I worked two part time jobs, AT&T and waitressing while working on my A.A. after high school. A year later on the brink of death I went full time at AT&T and took one or two classes at a time instead. That's when my college progression slowed down.

I've seen lots of programs offering hybrid classes where the majority is online but you meet for two hours once a week for instance. That would work.

I planned on the brick and mortar school. I already know there are a few local colleges I meet qualifications to be accepted to... but I planned to use the online feature of that brick and mortar school...

Thanks again for this info.

 

[jmiah717]

I worked two part time jobs, AT&T and waitressing while working on my A.A. after high school. A year later on the brink of death I went full time at AT&T and took one or two classes at a time instead. That's when my college progression slowed down.

I've seen lots of programs offering hybrid classes where the majority is online but you meet for two hours once a week for instance. That would work.

I planned on the brick and mortar school. I already know there are a few local colleges I meet qualifications to be accepted to... but I planned to use the online feature of that brick and mortar school...

Thanks again for this info.

I recommended Bachelor's psych, Master's SW because I figured that would give you the best blend of education of the science of psychology while still allowing you to pursue your goals to conduct therapy in the most expedient manner. Keep in mind that to be competent, you'll still need to put a lot of post graduate work in to do so. That said, there may be another option that appeals to you.

You could get your BSW (Bachelor's in Social Work) and if you do well (high GPA) you can get something called advanced standing in an accredited MSW program. You have to make sure the BSW program is accredited by (Council on Social Work Education) CSWE though in order to do that. This would allow you to get your MSW in one full time year or two part time years. That might offer some flexibility in your ability to work. For what it's worth, I worked part time at an addiction rehab while in my Bachelor's program but also managed to get paid for my internship in my Bachelor's program. It was a stipend at the end of the year and it was not much, but it was something. It was at a juvenile detention center.

The Master's internship is less hours if I remember right, but I really don't recall. I think you could do it and work part time though. People in my cohort did and did fine. I was fortunate enough to get paid for my internship at the hospital where I worked. They assigned me a different task/unit for my internship hours and I did supervision with an MSW. Just some things to think about before you pick a bachelor's program. If you know for sure that you will go MSW...might be worth getting the advanced standing.

 

[ClinicalABA]

I don't mean to get ahead of myself... I just want to plan ahead, look at risks and challenges and such as best as I can to avoid wasting a lot of time going in a wrong direction as I'm prone to doing.

I'm okay with the future salary being similar or less than where I'm at now, as long as I can avoid debt, hence utilizing the reimbursement...

However... did you say avoid online programs? Cause that is a pretty critical part of my approach. Night shift affords me a lot of study time, but the full time work in itself doesn't allow much for campus classes other than some labs or clinicals I could fit in as needed.

Whatever future career and programs of study I choose... I have to work full time... unless my boyfriend wakes up tomorrow and decides to make me his pet for a few years.

If that is the case I may have to abandon this whole idea and go in a different direction.

A purely online bachelors degree (like from Capella) is going to SIGNIFICANTLY limit your options for graduate programs and employment (I would be extremely wary of hiring someone for position that requires a degree if their degree was purely online, especially from a for-profit "degree mill"). Online graduate programs will SIGNIGICANTLY limit you abilities to get the pracitical experience you'll require for licensure (and many jurisdiction will not grant licensure to people with onl-line degrees). Choosing one of these types of programs is basically investing a lot of time and money and hoping you are the exception, rather than the norm. As others have mentioned above, it is likely that a local public or big university has options for non-traditional students, including evening and hybrid models. These would be a much better option than an online degree. There really are no shortcuts- it's a lot of work and time, and can be a lot of money, to meet the educational and experience requirements for licensure as a mental health practitioner. Many people in your situation do it, and do it successfully. Continue doing what you're doing- asking questions and looking for solutions.