Preparing for a Career in Mental Health - 

Some Questions and Answers

What kinds of careers are there in mental health?

There are dozens of choices in the mental health field. You can work with children, youth, adults, and the elderly. You can work with individuals and groups to promote optimum health. You can assist people who are suicidal, developmentally delayed, mentally retarded, chronically mentally ill, suffering from addictions and substance abuse, in need of vocational counseling, suffering from a major illness or accident, or simply struggling with life and relationship issues. You can assist in adoptions, protective services, foster care, and residential treatment. The settings are also varied: you can work in psychiatric hospitals, family service agencies, group homes, state agencies, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities or in individual private practice.

Some of these fields require a university degree and graduate school; some require only on the job training.

If I attend university, what course of study best prepares me for a career in mental health?

Any of the social sciences is a good preparation for such a career. Sociology, human development, child education, occupational therapy, recreational therapy, vocational counseling, criminal justice, psychology — all offer a useful review of basic human behavior. A university degree in any of these fields is a good preparation for any mental health field.

How can I become a psychotherapist or counselor?

There are several paths to becoming a psychotherapist or counselor. You can become a physician who specializes in mental health, or a psychiatrist. (M.D.) or a nurse who specializes in mental health treatment (R.N.C.). You can acquire a doctorate in clinical psychology or counseling psychology (Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D.). Or you can acquire a Master’s degree in a variety of degree programs which prepare you as a clinician: a Master’s in Social Work (MSSW), in Counseling Psychology (MS), in Psychology (MS), in Marriage and Family Therapy (MSMFT). In the U.S., all of these professionals are licensed by the individual states, and most require a licensing exam and a number of years of supervised experience.

Do all psychotherapists do the same kind of work, or do these degrees train you to do different things?

The focus of different mental health professionals differs with their training. A Psychiatrist primarily focuses on the medical aspects of mental health and mental illness, offering treatment with medications and hospitalization. Nurses function largely under the supervision of physicians in a medical setting. Clinical psychologists are highly trained in the uses of various test instruments to evaluate personality, intellectual ability, and emotional states, leading some to focus on assessments, while others do counseling. Clinical social workers are trained to assess the social factors which impact an individual’s functioning and may interact with a patient’s family or social services to provide support; they also provide psychotherapy. Degree programs in psychology, counseling psychology, community counseling, and marriage and family therapy provide specialized kinds of training, and their graduates may work as counselors, or in providing specialized services to specific populations. All of these fields require a practicum or internship in which you will learn the skills necessary for that profession.

What schools are the best in these fields?

We cannot spell out here all the best schools for the varied fields in mental health. However, you can do a web search for the outstanding graduate programs; U.S. News & World Report offers an annual ranking at www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings.

How can I learn about what the Bahá'í teachings have to say about mental health and the intersection of spirituality and mental health?

You can join the Bahá'í Association of Mental Health Professionals, attend its conference, network with its members, read up on its publications, and become a scholar of the Bahá'í teachings on this subject. In fact, joining with others to create bibliographies of materials on spirituality and mental health would be a great service, as would writing papers, articles, and books on
• the impact of social forces on mental health;
• the role of meaning and purpose in human development;
• the nature of human spirituality;
• optimal human functioning and its relationship to love and justice;
• the forces which lead to the development of human virtues.