Criminal justice jobs with associate degree

Have you ever listened to Dr. Joy Browne on the radio, or read her newspaper column? This popular psychologist has earned a large following with her no-nonsense advice about relationships and personal problems.

Of course, not everyone can become both a psychologist and the host of a national radio show. But when the entire spectrum of mental health is considered, career possibilities abound. After all, we have a growing population faced with many challenges in the area of mental health. Problems ranging from drug addiction to mental illnesses affect people of all ages and backgrounds. The aging of the baby boom generation is also a major factor. As the number of older Americans grows, so does the number of people suffering from Alzheimer's or other conditions that are less serious but still require treatment.

To meet such demands, trained workers are needed in a number of related occupations. Some of today's hottest jobs can be found in the area of mental health.

Susan Bailey, M.D., clinical director of Machias River Clinic in Machias, Maine, provides an example of one direction mental health professionals can take.

"I'm a community psychiatrist in a rural area who sees patients of all ages with all kinds of problems," she says. "They range from depression to schizophrenia to drug addiction, from bipolar disorder to autism to mental retardation."

She says that the overall potential of a career in mental health is strong. "As we learn more about how the brain works, the field of mental health will become even more exciting," she says. "And as we learn more about personality and behavior, about genes and the way environment influences gene expression, the need for people who specialize in mental health will increase."

Just what kinds of jobs can be found in mental health? Here is a brief overview of several of them.

Psychologists

Studying the human mind is the main focus of psychologists. While some conduct research or teach, those who work in applied fields provide mental health care for clients. They help them deal with mental illnesses, emotional problems, personal crises, and other needs.

Most psychologists specialize in an area such as clinical psychology, counseling psychology school psychology, industrial psychology, or developmental psychology. They are employed in hospitals, clinics, offices of other health care practitioners, schools, and other organizations. Some operate their own private practices.

A master's degree or doctorate is required for most jobs as a psychologist.

Psychiatrists

Psychiatrists deal with mental illness and related problems in a comprehensive way. To become a psychiatrist, it is first necessary to complete medical school. Since psychiatrists are medical doctors, they are qualified to perform advanced-level work such as diagnosing illnesses and writing prescriptions for patients.

Some psychiatrists operate private practices where they provide therapy for patients. Others are employed by hospitals, clinics, or other health care organizations.

Social Workers

Social workers help people solve personal and family problems, function more effectively, or otherwise improve their lives. In many cases they deal with issues and problems related to mental health such as substance abuse, antisocial behavior, or emotional instability.

Social workers may counsel clients, arrange for support services, help families deal with domestic disputes, guide people in becoming more employable, or ensure that children are cared for properly, among other duties. They work in a variety of specialty areas such as clinical social work, family service, child protective services, criminal justice, gerontology, and social work administration.

A bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement for a social work position. In most cases, however, a master's degree is expected.

Counselors

Counselors provide guidance in areas ranging from dealing with personal problems to making educational choices. They are employed by schools, colleges, government agencies, and other institutions.

Joyce McKay, LPC, a counselor at Covenant Counseling and Education Center in Birmingham, Alabama, points out that there are several tracks in counseling from which to choose a focus. These include rehabilitation counseling, school counseling, substance abuse counseling, and community and agency counseling.

"Within each of these tracks is a wide variety of opportunities," she says, "including areas such as career counseling, job coaching, mental health centers, vocational rehabilitation, methadone clinics, sheltered workshops, forensic counseling, and so forth."

A master's degree is commonly required for counseling jobs. Most jobs also require some type of state credentialing or certification.

Social and Human Service Assistants

Jobs are also available that do not require the advanced training expected of psychiatrists, psychologists, and other professionals. Grouped by the U.S. Department of Labor under the general heading of social and human service assistants, they include positions such as mental health technician, mental health aide, human service worker, or life skills counselor. Those working in such roles provide a variety of direct and indirect services for clients. Tasks may include assessing clients' needs, helping them take care of daily housekeeping tasks, assisting with transportation, seeing that clients take their medication, or overseeing recreational activities.

Such tasks may be performed under the direction of psychologists, nurses, managers of health care facilities, or other professionals. In some cases, close supervision is involved, while in others workers operate with a great deal of independence. Educational requirements vary. Usually the minimum is a high school diploma, but job candidates with an associate's degree or other training beyond high school often gain a competitive advantage.

Work environments include psychiatric hospitals, group homes, halfway houses, community mental health centers, sheltered workshops, and clinics.

Qualities Needed

Just what qualifies are needed to succeed in a mental health career?

"Empathy, imagination, intelligence, discipline, a healthy self-esteem, and an ability to set appropriate boundaries with others are important," Dr. Bailey says. She also cites the importance of liking yourself and others, patience, humor, confidence, and both a willingness to risk making mistakes and a willingness to repair them.

"More than anything, you need the ability to actually listen to people and hear what they are saying," she says. "And you sometimes need to be able to tell people things they don't want to hear."

McKay adds that empathy is also important, along with "well-developed listening and communication skills, intuitive ability, an ability to see creative solutions to life problems, and the capacity for focusing outside of oneself onto the experiences of others."

Students considering careers in mental health should avoid misconceptions, insiders note. The real world in this field is often a far cry from what you see in movies and on TV.

"Some people think I have a magic wand that can cure unhappiness, bad behavior, and faulty brain chemistry easily, either with pills or voodoo," says Dr. Bailey. "And some people imagine that psychiatrists have no feelings or difficulties of their own--never get angry, never divorce, always make substantial salaries, actually have couches in their offices. You have, to have both a big heart and a thick skin to do this kind of work, along with intellectual capacity and flexibility."

In addition, be aware of the competitive nature of the job market in some mental health fields. While a promising career area, this is also an area in which competition for jobs can be substantial.

"The mental health field is a growing field, but salaries are less than envisioned by some, and jobs are not plentiful," McKay says. "I teach master's level counseling students....Although not the typical experience, it is not uncommon for students to graduate and then have difficulty finding a job."

She also says that some new graduates feel unfulfilled. "Sometimes they find themselves doing more case management or administrative work and being unable to use their counseling skills with clients," she says.

For many workers, however, job satisfaction is high. McKay cites "a strong sense of having made a difference in the lives of other people" as a major advantage in pursuing a mental health career.

Finding Out More

If you think you might be interested in this career area, read books and magazine articles about specific areas of mental health that appeal to you. Also, consider taking an introductory psychology course. If you're still in high school and your school doesn't offer this subject, check with local community colleges. Most two-year colleges will allow high school students to take a course or two with the principal's approval.