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2002-12-18

So, I'm kind of flirting with the idea of going back to school in order to make a big career change, to one where I could so some kind of counseling/therapy/analysis.

Is this right for me? I really don't know, and am trying to figure out some ways that I get some exposure to this kind of work. Actually, I just remembered something I did for a couple years back in the mid-90s that's somewhat related. I volunteered in a cancer patient support program, visiting people in the hospital. I went in and chatted with them and/or their families. Good thing I remembered, this is something I could put down on an application.

I've recently met a number a therapists through the motherhood and creativity class I took, and they're helping me think this through. In fact, tonight I'm having dinner with this one psychologist who is becoming a friend.

One of the local universities has a program in social work with a part-time option--you can spread out the coursework over three years instead of two. If I could get in, this would allow me to make a fairly low-level commitment. I could--I hope--I adjust my work schedule to accomodate the classes and see if the program felt right to me before taking the major plunge of quitting my job.

Part of me rankles at the idea of getting a master's in social work; a PhD in psychology feels more "real" to me, more prestigious. And I might be interested in research in addition to clinical work. But the time commitment is so much greater. These are the questions I'm hoping to understand a little better through talking to my new friend. I'm also going to be exploring this stuff with this new shrink--not so much the different routes to getting credentialed but what I think it's about for me, the desire to enter this field.

I've always been interested in psychology but I never took any classes in it in college--not sure why. I've done a lot of reading on my own, though, and studied developmental psychology when I was getting my master's in teaching. I find the material pretty inherently interesting. As far as the practice of therapy, I've been on the receiving end with a number of different practitioners, and have always found the process fascinating. I'm frequently told that I'm a good listener, that I have a calming effect on people.

The application deadline for the part-time social work program is February 1. I could always apply and see what happened. If I were to get accepted to begin in the fall, I would still have plenty of time to decide whether I wanted to do it. Hmmm.

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