Career

Mental Health: Best Jobs that Allow You to Help People

What qualifies as a “meaningful” job is all in the eye of the beholder, because what is meaningful to you may not be meaningful to someone else. However, you may find that the most meaning you can get out of a career is if you can have a job that allows you to help people, especially when it comes to dealing with what goes in the head – literally!

If you have such a calling to help people in handling the matters as regards their head or mental health, you’ll never be out of a job.

Neurosurgeon

This may be a hefty job to start with right out of the gate, but it is a job worthy of recognition.  Neurosurgeons have an incredibly important job—to delicately and precisely perform surgery on the brain if there is something present inhibiting the patient’s health.  People who work as neurosurgeons are educated in diagnosing diseases and disorders that affect the peripheral and central nervous system.  Of course, all surgeons are able to contribute to society in philanthropic roles every day, but neurosurgeons in particular make a lot of money—a whopping $382,000 a year.  The schooling required takes years of excruciatingly difficult work, but for most it is worth the effort.

Nurse

Want to work in the medical field, but do not want to go through the years of intense schooling required of a surgeon?  Consider becoming a nurse.  Nurses are able to work with a variety of patients and provide diverse medical care when needed.  Those who work as nurses can choose to work in a hospital, at the patient’s home, or in another setting to help patients suffering from a health issue that requires assistance.  In many ways, nurses keep the hospitals running.  While doctors busy themselves working from room to room, nurses have the duty of checking up on patients throughout the day and night based on a strict schedule.  They are responsible for taking pulses, temperatures, and blood pressures of patients.  They provide pre-and post-operation care, among many other duties.  Like many other careers in philanthropy, you will have to go to graduate school.  Gwynedd Mercy’s graduate nursing school program allows you the education and experience you need to step into the field on the right foot.

Psychotherapist

Psychotherapists are primarily concerned with helping clients or patients overcome mental or emotional obstacles in order to lead happier and healthier lives.  Often, psychotherapists will choose a specialization that utilizes their strengths.  For example, some therapists specialize with working with the youth or with addiction.  Others still may prefer marriage and family therapy, or couples counseling.  The goal of the psychotherapist is to help the clients overcome psychological issues, which include relationships, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.  It is common for psychotherapists to take specific training in certain methods of therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoanalytic therapy, hypno-psychotherapy, art therapy, psychodynamic therapy, experiential therapy, and drama therapy.  Therapists equip patients to apply new methods of behavior and understanding to the real world so that they can change their mental and emotional behavior.

Counselor

Some people still get psychotherapists and counselors confused.  True, both usually have a bachelor’s degree in psychology, but their function is generally quite different.  While counselors are not qualified or authorized to give advice, counselors are responsible for the task of creating a confidential space in which a client will be able to share their concerns and their issues.  Counselors, work to get clients to open up by allowing them to speak for themselves.  While it may seem simple, it is actually an integral part of mental health recovery.  Therapists must have the ability to listen above all else, and also must be able to empathize with patients as they open up.  Therapists often work in school systems, hospital facilities, or even substance abuse rehabilitation facilities.

 

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