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Are you
interested in a career in mental health and psychology? If so, then it is
important that you do your research into the career before you fully make up
your mind. This field is one that many people enjoy; however, it may not be
the right choice for everyone. So, before you get ready to make this
important career decision, there are a few things that you need to consider.
You'll no doubt want to be informed about the educational requirements, the
various job positions available in the field, the salary you can expect, and
perhaps a few companies that offer great jobs in the field. Once you sort
out this information, you'll be` better prepared to decide if this career is
really for you or not.
Preparing with Education
If you plan on having a career in mental health and psychology, you are
definitely
going to need a good education. However, the
education that you will need will be based on what specific job you want
within the field. If you want to be a mental health counselor, then you will
need a different education than a mental health nurse. Nurses who want to
specialize in mental health nursing must take their regular nurse training,
which usually takes 4 years for a Bachelor's degree. During that time you
can choose to specialize in mental health nursing.
If you plan on being a psychologist then you will need to have a doctoral
degree. If a Ph.D. in psychology is your goal, you are going to spend about
5-7 years in graduate school, which comes after you have a Bachelor's
degree. So basically you will have spent about 9-11 years in higher
education. Some degrees also include internships as well. If you want to
become a school psychologist, dealing with students, you will need a special
Ed.S. degree that focuses on both education and psychology. There are also
some jobs available that only require that you have a Master's degree in
psychology.
Positions Available in the Field
There are a variety of excellent positions available on the field of mental
health, depending on what you are most interested in. There are counseling
jobs available, jobs for nurses and nurses' aides who want to work in mental
health care, and of course there are a variety of jobs available to
psychologists as well. There are jobs available in clinical psychology, with
specialties in neuropsychology, health psychology, and geropsychology.
School psychologists can find great jobs working in elementary schools as
well as high schools and they deal with psychological and behavior problems
in students. You can also find available jobs in developmental psychology as
well, which deals with social, cognitive, and physiological develop that
occurs in people throughout their life. Of course there are teaching jobs
and research jobs available in the mental health field as well.
Pay - What to Expect
Of course the pay that you expect will highly depend on which job you pick
within the mental health field. Nurses will only make between $30,000 and
$50,000 in this field, depending on their experience and education.
Psychologists that work in schools usually make around $58,000 a year, those
in family services usually make about $42,000 yearly, and those who work
with other health care practitioners make around $65,000 a year. Some
psychologists make as low as $40,000 a year, while on the top end, others
make as much as $100,000 a year.
Great Companies that Offer Jobs
If you do decide to get involved in a mental health or psychology career, no
doubt you are going to be interested in finding companies that offer
excellent jobs, with great pay and benefits. Whether you live in the United
States or Canada, there are some great companies out there that hire people
in mental health careers. A few great companies to consider in the United
States include Georgia Correctional Healthcare, Range Mental Health Center
in Minnesota, Bayview Center for Mental Health, Inc., in Miami, Florida, and
Anne Arundel Health Systems in Maryland. There are also some great companies
to consider in Canada as well, including Provincial Health Services
Authority in British Columbia, Prairie North Regional Health Authority in
Saskatchewan, and River Valley Health, in New Brunswick. All of these
companies offer competitive salaries as well as good benefits.
About the Author:
Find
psychology jobs,
mental health jobs, and
careers in health at Seek4Jobs.net.
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