According to the national Institute of Mental Health, about 1 in 5 adults live with mental health in the United States. The research reports that nearly 50% of adults will have at least one mental health disorder during their lifetime. What is scarier is the fact that only about half of them receive treatment.
As the number of those with mental illnesses keeps rising, the demand and need for qualified professionals to diagnose, treat, and prevent mental health issues from happening is also high. One of the most popular jobs or careers when it comes to mental health is mental health counselor. These counselors refer to the professionals who are in charge of helping people with psychological distress by using some different kinds of psychotherapy methods and techniques.
For the mental health counselors who are tired of being a mental health counselor, there are some jobs that can be the alternative jobs or careers for you. You might also want to consider the following jobs below if you are the kind of person who always wants to try something new.
1. Child Care Worker
The main job of the child care workers is to look after the children. They usually work in the child care facility. They need to look after these children while their parents are not around or at work. While looking after them, they have to ensure their safety. Their safety is the first priority. In addition, they will also have to feed them with healthy meals, change diapers, and help them to establish a set routine or schedule. In some cases, the jobs may also include teaching these children and ensuring their proper hygiene.
2. Caseworker
While child care workers are tasked to look after the children, caseworkers have the job to look for the adults. The kinds of the clients can vary. Being a caseworker means having to provide help and support to these clients. The needs of the clients are determined by them. Besides, they also create plans that can improve the livelihood of the clients. One of the most interesting yet challenging tasks of a caseworker is to find local and public assistance resources and services. If needed, they may also have to do crisis intervention and therapy. Aside from all the things mentioned before, the other tasks include filing case history reports, interviewing clients and serving as a liaison between the client and different services.
3. Special Education Teacher
As you probably can guess, the special education teachers are in charge of providing the students with different or special abilities instruction. The things that they have to do include preparing lessons, identifying the learning difficulties of the student and working with their friends in order to determine the special needs for the student. Plus, they also adapt lessons to meet the needs of the student, plan activities that suit the needs of the student, access and track the performance of the student, teach classes, and so on.
4. Social Worker
Determining which individuals and communities that need assistance is the main job of the special workers. Their jobs also include identifying the needs and situation of someone and helping them to adjust to the hard time that they face in their life. The problems that they usually face include divorce and unemployment. In addition, the social workers will also have to observe the behavior of the client and make treatment strategies that match with the needs of the clients.
5. Outpatient Therapist
The outpatient therapists have the main task of providing interventions to the patients who are recovering from mental health disorders. They do their job in the outpatient facilities. They are the ones that will lead the therapy sessions, review histories of the client and find the best treatment options for these patients. While finding the best treatment plan, it will be needed for them to discuss with their patients. Besides, the other professionals in their fields should also be included in the consultation.
6. Therapist
Therapists are the ones who diagnose patients that have mental health illness. Once they are done evaluating the patients, the next thing that they will need to do is to create personalized treatment plants. Take note that these plants have to align with the needs of the patient. As therapists, they will also act as counselors, perform patient assessments, and help them to improve their mental health.
7. Mental Health Technician
The primary duty of the mental health technician is to support patients that have mental health challenges. They will have to provide direct care to these patients. Not only that, the other tasks include helping with medication administration, promoting a therapeutic environment, helping them with daily living activities and ensuring their comfort during treatments.
8. Psychologist
It has been known that psychologists help people to cope with their mental health illness. Their jobs include studying human behavior and brain function, observing people, identifying psychological disorders, detecting emotional or behavioral patterns, talking with the patients, developing treatment plans, and administering psychological tests.
9. Substance Abuse Counselor and Behavioral Disorder Counselor
Substance abuse counselors and behavioral disorder counselors are tasked with the job to help those who struggle with drug addiction, alcoholism, eating disorders or other behavioral challenges. There are some treatment strategies offered by them to combat these disorders and destructive behaviors. They will support these clients through the process of recovery or positive behavioral change. Sometimes, they may also be asked to help them manage their mental and emotional difficulties and rebuild some aspects of their personal or professional lives.
10. Marriage and Family Counselor
As it can be told by the title, the job of the marriage and family counselor is related to marriage and family. They are in charge of supporting individuals through a few things such as marital challenges, divorce, and the other life experiences that these individuals think are hard for them. They will encourage clients to discuss their feelings and experiences.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
