- This topic has 7 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by Anonymous.
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September 24, 2015 at 9:40 am #84013NekoshemaParticipant
Ok, long story short I’m done with my job, I don’t hate it, I loathe it. Sadly I’m stuck until I move next year so I’ve decided to do online courses to find a career I love. Family counseling seems amazing, but I don’t have a clue how to get from online psychology courses to family counselling and I’m just getting more confused and frustrated the further I look online. Everyone I email either doesn’t respond or a I get a ‘no reply’ automatic response.
Does anyone know what I should study/do to become a counselor? Some sites tell me it’s 7 years and a doctorate, others two years and a state test [side note I’m in Canada] and others say a master’s degree and two years internship. Please, does anyone know?
September 24, 2015 at 10:08 am #84017AnonymousGuestDear Nekoshema:
What I know is that in the U.S. to be a practicing psychotherapist, certified and all, you need a Master degree. Funny thing, there is a relatively new breed of ONLINE THERAPISTS also called maybe LIFE COACHES, online or otherwise, that are not regulated, requiring no certification or degree. Some of these people advertise themselves when commenting on this very website.
My question to you is about patience- it requires so much patience just to find out what you need to do- and then the education, certification, internship- lots and lots of patience… and then you are certified and sitting in the office and have your client there, my question is: do you have the patience to not jump in and scream (at the patient or client): “This is what you need to do to solve your problems: X Y and Z! Now do it!”
I used to think I wanted to be a psychotherapist but realized I do not have the latter kind of patience required, to sit with a client hour after hour (although being paid for it is a motivation) and knowing how I have been and how people are resistant to change, how invested in delusional thinking and repeating self defeating behaviors, well, I wouldn’t have the patience to focus on them, flow with their process… What do you think?
anita
September 24, 2015 at 11:00 am #84023NekoshemaParticipantThank you.
I’ve got relatively good patience. And I’ve been an acting therapist for friends and family from a very early age. Not qualified, I’m just a good listener and can give good advice [or so I’m told] my real problem is emotional, but I’m working on that one.
Psychology has always interested me and through researching what you can do with psychology courses counseling really got me excited, which I can’t say happens all too often.
- This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by Nekoshema.
September 24, 2015 at 11:25 am #84027AnonymousInactiveWhy is family counselling important to you? What if.. what if. . What if you enrol in the course and pursue that and what if you find a specified forum like this and do this? You obviously have a care and a need and an ability. Work upwards .
I became a moderator on a forum like this but slightly more extreme and I only went on there cos i was coming off drugs and looking surrepticiously for a new contact. Im glad I never found it but I found a new calling.
Be patient . Create and follow opportunities. It’s going to ve ok. Maybe there’s something else planned for you and that’s why the door seems closed to what you think you want. Msybe you’re on the right lines but time will find you your niche
September 24, 2015 at 1:28 pm #84034NekoshemaParticipantLol aww thanks pomplemous. Yea I’m all over the place with the online classes, but I’m pulled in the family counseling direction the most. [I also like spiritual counseling but I think it’s a harder sell] I am planning on taking other courses and I’m open to other possibilities, I’m just pulled more towards counseling. If I found a job moderating help forums I’d be happy too, but I don’t think it’s realistic. I’m trying to keep an open mind [today’s a good mood day for me] but I want to find something I love and go for it since I’ve pretty much gone through everything I hate.
September 24, 2015 at 3:15 pm #84037jockParticipantBelieve it or not I had the same dream. In Awestralia, you also need to do huge amounts of study (and supervised practicum)in order to be a registered counsellor. The most secure path is a BA in Psych. followed by a Masters in Counselling. (around 5 to 6 years) It is discouraging to say the least but I think I would enjoy the course anyway. (have done some units already)
One option that I might follow one day is a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor. You do their course part time over 12 months or so. A very practical course. It is a very specific course so you might tire of dealing with the same issue all the time ie. substance abuse, alcoholism. I think there is quite strict protocol in how you counsel these people.
One counsellor told me “don’t do counselling for the money because it is quite low. Also you get tired of listening to people complaining all the time” So I empathise with Anita on that one. Not sure I would have the patience either. I’ve fantasised in the past of looking like Dr. Jack Freud/Jung and saying “now, what’s the matter?, take a seat on my couch.”
I imagine you go home at the end of the day, totally exhausted from listening to everyone’s crap! 🙂October 23, 2015 at 11:58 am #85967NekoshemaParticipantI emailed someone in the field I’m interested in, she got a Masters of Psychology from the University of Toronto, then a 2 year counseling degree from a reputable college finally she interned for 2 years. I’m looking into an online counseling course and then interning [as she suggested] But a wrench was recently thrown into the plan so I’ll probably not do that [or at least later than I planned] I also heard of animal behavouralist, which also interests me because I’d apply my knowledge to understand dogs and cats in shelters to help them in the adoption processes or use it to help train dogs. So many options lol. Need to consider a lot of stuff before moving forward, but I think I’ll do online while my boyfriend is in school [he’s decided to go to school for 3 years starting next fall. Gives me time to figure stuff out]
October 24, 2015 at 8:31 am #85999AnonymousGuestDear Nekoshema:
How exciting to me, the thought of being young enough to have all these options and the time to materialize one or two. Deciding between working with dogs and cats OR humans, what a choice! Write more anytime about your decision making, it is fascinating to me.
anita -
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