From Mental Health Patient to Mental Health Counselor

[nachtspiegel]

I'm in my freshman year of college and I'm considering taking up a psychology major.
I was told by someone that I expressed this to that I will never be able to help someone else as long as I am mentally ill.

(To give a little background, I am manic depressive.)

Even though I am going to talk to my therapist to see what she thinks.

In the meantime, I'm not counting out anything.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this?

Do you believe that people with mental health problems cannot become one of the people that help?

[Atonement]

If you are familiar with the phrase, "It takes one to know one." you'll probably agree with me. We often use the phrase, "I've been where you are." or other variations of such. But, I think in order to truly understand it, you have to go through it to some extent.

Though, on the oppposite, people that have been through it, and have cured themselves or moved past their ailments, they are more likely to become attatched to a patient and when patients don't stick around forever and can get in danger, it is not healthy to be attached.

[Zephyr]

I think that's ridiculous, saying that you can't do it.
I find that some of the best people who've helped me out,
Have experienced something similar first hand.

My best friend Sarah is a psych major,
And like me,
She's suffered from manic-depression,
Though it was more mild,
And brought on by the death of her dad,
Not chronic like myself.
She wants to become a psychiatrist,
And open her own practice.
I say more power to her.
She obviously has a passion for it,
And she accels in her coursework.
She's always talking about what she's learned,
And even tries to apply some of it on me,
To try and help me.

Nobody should be limited to what they want to do with their future.
As long as their passionate about it and do well in their pursuit of it,
I see no reason why not.

[AllThatIsLeft]

I think that if you want to be something, you go for it.
You being a patient doesn't mean you can't become the counselor.
It's like being the student, and then becoming a teacher.
and as you experience it first hand, you can understand it so much better.

I say go for it, you set your own limits, so if you believe you can do it, you can!

[Sage]

If your condition doesn't keep you from being able to do your job, why not? In fact, you're likely to be even more knowledgeable on the subject.

[Sapphire]

I don't see anything wrong with it as long as you can function properly and won't get triggered by the work involved.

In fact, one of the most expert psychologists in dealing with bipolar disorder has the disorder herself. She combines her subjective experiences and her objective knowledge to better help her patients.

[sebbie]

If you are good enough to pass the qualifications to do the job then there should be nothing at all to stop you from doing it as long as your own past/present issues do not affect the standard of service that you offer.

Also it may be of an advantage to you to have suffered in the past, as you will be able to relate to issues, have a higher ambition to help people in similar situations.

[Whisper]

If you are good enough to pass the qualifications to do the job then there should be nothing at all to stop you from doing it as long as your own past/present issues do not affect the standard of service that you offer.

Also it may be of an advantage to you to have suffered in the past, as you will be able to relate to issues, have a higher ambition to help people in similar situations.

That sums it up pretty good
I'm a psych major
and proud of it
my past is full of shit
that's life

be warned
if you want to go into psychology
you'll need a masters before you're going to make any amount of real cash
I'm staying in school till i have mine
in canada anyway as a requirement you also need HS biology, chemistry, physics, calculus and english

[overcome.]

I believe that you will understand people you're dealing with more if you've been through, or even are still going through problems that they also deal with. Taking nothing away from psychologists, it's not always easy to help unless you know exactly how somebody feels. You can only read so much in a book or online, but try putting yourself in their shoes. Then you can say you know how they feel.

Go for it, the best of luck to you as well :)

[Whisper]

but do not devulge(sp?) your life's story constantly
or become overly attached
you have to remain distant and professional yet compassionate and understanding
they're paying allot to see you
and in that short time you have to try and figure out what problems they're facing and help them discover coping mechanisms to help them deal with it

its a huge weight you have to carry
wondering if the slightest slip of your tongue might be misinterpreted and result in your patient injuring themselves or another
patients dealing with a severe loss
lawsuits
etc...

I think its a noble profession, if you have a high education it is profitable, and you can do allot of good
but it's also very draining
im not saying no or trying to discourage by any means
just
be aware

[Camazotz]

It may be difficult, but if you can meet all the qualifications and do the job well, you'd be better off than someone who hasn't experienced the same things you have.

[INFERNO]

I find it to be a pile of horseshit that you cannot help someone if you suffer from a mental illness. If you're able to function properly, then by having experienced the disorder yourself, you're able to provide help outside of what the textbooks and therapy manuals tell you. You can relate to the patient because you've been there, you know how it feels. Someone who hasn't experienced it can also provide treatment but they don't have any personal experiences to use to help the patient.

At the same time, there is a risk of you becoming too attached or telling too much of yourself. The therapy isn't for the therapist, it's for the patient. So I wouldn't reveal too much of myself for the patient nor would I try to shift the attention onto myself.

But an example of what I'm talking about: I'm in a double major biology and psychology, minor in statistics (unconfirmed on this, I may switch it to a minor in accounting). I have my small little list of psych. disorders and I find the experience from the therapy I've had to lead to some nice high test, exam and paper marks.

You can ask your therapist but if it's something you really want to do, then go for it. Have a back-up plan or two in case the rocks tumble too hard and you need to get out somehow.

[mrmcdonaldduck]

look, my sister did the exact same thing, she was diagnosed with deppresion and is now a psycologist for 2 years.

so it is possible.

[Donkey]

Telling patients that you've been through something similar to what they have and are now helping people of the same is likely to be a huge confidence boost for them.

Knowing how something feels is important in helping someone else to get past something. So no, I don't think people with mental health problems cannot become one of the people that help.

[Triceratops]

Having your own experiences is such a great help for understanding and acknowledging the given issues.

In fact, my ambition is to become a child or clinical psychologist. I'm even been struggling with self-harm, bulimia, incredibly mild Asperger's Syndrome which triggers stress, depression, anxieties and OCD for years. These aren't things I own up to in real life as I actually happen to be quite embarrassed about them, it even took me a while to confess to some of these problems on VT.

I would be more than comfortable sharing my past experiences with patients when needed. I believe these issues give me my own personal knowledge and awareness in to what other people are going through and how they could cope and deal with them as I've been down that road before.