A career in mental health should never be entered into without careful consideration. The amount of persevering needed may be too much for some individuals. Then again, for many, the rewards of the job can be extremely satisfying indeed. In this article, we will have a brief look at the type of person who might find themselves thriving within the mental health sector.
Firstly, within mental health money should never be your main motivator. Those at the very top such as psychiatrists and psychologists may make quite a nice salary, but it takes years and years of training to reach that sort of level. The money is rewarding this level of dedication and training these professionals have. Your motivation should come from wanting to help some of the most vulnerable people in society, bringing about positive change and knowing you’re making a difference. This type of motivation will help you a lot more during the more challenging periods of working in mental health than money ever will.
Having good patience is an absolute must in the mental health sector. You can’t expect every patient to respond positively to therapy or medication. Often , there might not be any progress whatsoever. Having good patience will allow you to react calmly and correctly when there are negative experiences at work. In short, sustainable positive changes in mental health can never be expected quickly.
Versatility will get you far in mental health. This might be in terms of patients you’re looking after, locations your in, or even day to day routines. They can all vary massively at every stage of a career within mental health. In man ways, it is about being ready for anything, everyday. If you are someone who likes routine, regular hours, and things not out of the ordinary, then working in mental health may push you out of this comfort zone. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider it. Instead, you just need to be prepared that you cannot expect it to run as smoothly and as similarly as previous job roles.
Overall, Mental health jobs will always be challenging. No matter what role you are undertaking with mental healthcare, there is a toll it can take on you personally one way or another. At the same time though, careers in mental health offer some of the biggest rewards, in terms of job satisfaction.