FtRenge

16/11/2021

How Does a Psychology Career Compare Against Other Human Service Careers?
The role of psychologist is one of the most rewarding and lucrative out of all the possible career paths in the human services sector. However, if you’re changing careers or launching a brand new career, there are reasons you might want to choose a different path instead of choosing to be a psychologist. Let’s take a closer look at how a psychology career compares against some of the other careers in the human services sector.

Psychologist vs Counselor
There are many factors to consider when you’re deciding whether to become a psychologist or counselor. Some of these factors include differences in academic requirements, overall investment of time, and future earning potential:

Education: In the United States, it typically requires more education to become a psychologist than it does to become a counselor. You only need a bachelor’s degree to become a mental health or substance abuse counselor. In contrast, you typically need a doctoral degree to become a psychologist in the United States - although there are exceptions to this.

A psychologist’s academic requirements vary by location. In the United States, this is generally governed by state law in the state where you intend to practice. In many cases, a doctoral degree is the minimum academic requirement for obtaining a clinical psychologist’s state licensure and / or certification in the United States.

However, there may also be cases where it is possible to obtain work in this field after earning a master’s degree. For example, you can specialize as an industrial-organizational psychologist if you’ve earned a master’s degree. In some locations it is possible to do clinical research or counseling if you work as an assistant under the supervision of a doctoral psychologist.

Pay: Pay for counselors varies by specialty. Rehabilitation counselors’ earnings fall at the lower end of the pay scale, with the median annual salary being only $37,530. Substance abuse counselors and mental health counselors tend to earn more, with their median annual salary being $47,660. Career and school counselors tend to enjoy a more lucrative specialization, with their median annual salary being $58,120. However, most psychologists earn far more than counselors in any specialization do. The median salary of $82,180 per year that psychologists earn seems extremely generous in comparison.

The Verdict: If pay is your primary consideration, it would most likely be in your long-term best interests to become a psychologist rather than a counselor. However, this recommendation may not apply if you’re changing careers late in life, or if you have an urgent need to start earning income as soon as possible. Becoming a psychologist requires a considerable investment of time - and if you have a family to support, or other compelling financial obligations, then it might be worthwhile to opt for quicker employment as a counselor.

Psychologist vs Social Worker
Education: Social workers must make substantial investments in education before they’re qualified to work in their field; however, social work typically requires less of an investment than clinical practice in psychology does.

In the United States, entry-level positions are sometimes available for social workers who have earned a bachelor’s degree in a field such as social work, psychology or sociology. However, it is much more common for employers to require their candidates to have obtained a master’s degree. Clinical positions typically require a master’s degree as the minimum academic requirement.

Pay: On average, psychologists earn substantially more income than social workers do. Social workers tend to be underpaid, earning a median annual paycheck of only $51,760.

The Verdict: Clearly, if pay is your primary consideration, it’s better to become a psychologist rather than a social worker. See our article entitled "Social worker or psychologist?" for more important insights on choosing between these two rewarding career paths.

16/11/2021

How to Manage Mental Health as a Chronic Illness Sufferer
November 2 2021 - Chronic illness and poor mental health are often linked. It makes sense - when a person is in constant pain, has restrained movements, or goes through a lifestyle change that’s very different to they are used to, they are likely to suffer mentally because of it. That doesn’t mean that all chronic illness sufferers are destined to have a mental illness, though. By learning how to manage your mental health, you can reduce your chances of receiving a mental illness diagnosis.

Look for Easy Health Management Solutions
As chronic illness links to mental health, you should make your health management as simple as possible. If your symptoms are better managed, you are less likely to succumb to stress, sadness, or feelings of hopelessness. For diabetics, an accurate glucose management device is the best way to monitor blood sugar levels with ease. Doing so will help you discover the best and worst foods for your illness. Whatever chronic illness you are suffering from, there are always solutions to make managing it much simpler.

Speak to a Counselor
Even if you don’t believe you have a mental illness, a counselor is a good person to reach out to. You can talk through your feelings about the illness itself, your relationships, or whatever else is on your mind that day. It’s a healthy way to process your thoughts, and if you suffer from a mental health problem, your counselor will be able to help you work through that.

Get Plenty of Fresh Air
Fresh air helps free the mind of stress - crucial for those wanting to keep their mental health in check. If your chronic illness prevents you from venturing out too far, then a simple walk around your garden can be enough to help you feel better.

Talk to Others with Chronic Illness
Sometimes the best thing for your mental health is talking to others who can relate to your problems. While your loved ones will want to help, they won’t always fully understand, and that can become frustrating. Have a look around for communities of people with an illness similar to yourself, and you might make some new friends out of it.

Know the Warning Signs
Some people don’t know what to look out for when it comes to their mental health. As someone already at risk, it’s important you know when a sad day is more than just ordinary sadness, and that you might need additional professional help. Some common warning signs that stress is turning into a mental health problem include -

Not going outside
Shutting out friends and family
A loss of interest in usually loved hobbies
Sudden weight gain or loss
Treat Yourself Kindly
It’s easy to treat others kindly, but what about yourself? You are a person worthy and deserving of love, care, and attention, not just from your friends and family, but from yourself, too. The next time you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or sad, give yourself a break and treat yourself how you would treat a friend in that situation. Remember - your own compassion can be extended to yourself.

16/11/2021

4 Easy Paths To Self Improvement
By Paisley Hansen
September 27 2021 - Never changing is no way to live. The most successful people in the world are the ones who are in a constant process of evolution. Not everyone makes the choice to grow, but that's not always because they're comfortable standing still. Sometimes people just don't know where to start their journey to the future. Here are four simple ideas that anyone can use to begin figuring out their true calling in life and start growing authentically.

1. Take a Gap Year
It used to be that graduating from high school led to the immediate start of college, a career or a family for the graduate. That's no longer true, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. According to research from Bestcolleges.com, students who take a gap year are more likely to graduate in four years or less than those who don't. The reason for this is simple: self-reflection. Students who go straight from high school to college are more likely to have set in their minds what they want to study, which results in better focus when they do start their studies.

It gets better. The Gap Year Association states that 93% of students stated that their gap year helped them to learn "soft skills" like communication and group coordination. The gap year phenomenon isn't limited to students either. If you're between jobs, now might be a good time to branch out into exploring some side interests that might turn out to be real passions. A quick Google search can turn up some excellent gap year ideas, so get paper and a pencil and start brainstorming.

2. Feed Yourself Mindfully
It's often been said that we are what we eat, but science can back up that old adage with statistics. Complex carbohydrates are a healthy energy booster, especially in the morning in the form of foods like oatmeal. In fact, skipping breakfast can disrupt the body's rhythms of consumption and fasting, leading to cascade effects like lethargy. Protein fuels cellular repair and has been shown to curb appetite.

Being conscious about eating can even help boost your work productivity. Managers have their eyes on three nutrients in particular: magnesium, phenylalanine and choline. All of them have a positive impact on brain function, with magnesium (found in dark chocolate and leafy greens) being shown by some studies to cut anxiety. If you want to change your life, start with what you put in your body.

3. Learn Meditation
Meditation is another good idea that's finally getting respect from science. A few years ago, scientists at Harvard Medical School discovered something amazing: after only eight weeks of mindfulness meditation, the amygdala (the part of our brains that governs fear response) became less active. In fact, as little as ten minutes of meditation have been shown to quiet nerves and give added focus. The benefits don't end there; people with physical conditions like multiple sclerosis can see a reduction in pain after meditating. Read the official research on meditation by the National Institute of Health to start making your plan for growing in mindfulness.

4. Do Good for the World
Study after study has shown that giving back to others is objectively good for the person who does the giving. One of the greatest benefits is an increase in personal self-esteem. The reasons for this go much deeper than good vibes. Helping others in a more active way than simply giving from afar causes the same positive emotional reaction in philanthropists, even more so when they know the effects of their good deeds. That's right: The human mind is actually hardwired to reward someone for the good they do. It's not hard to see why. Everybody is connected to the rest of humanity in some measure, and when someone knows they're bettering that world in a tangible way, they realize that their own life has a purpose.

In the end, self-improvement isn't something you get from a list or a book. It's something you do for yourself, by taking a good look at what drives you as a person and then setting out on the right path for you.

16/11/2021

16/11/2021