My original ideal job after I declared my major in Psychology when enrolling in the University of Rhode Island was to be a substance abuse counselor. This was a problem in the area I grew up in and it seemed that so many people could fall so fast to their substance of choice, and I could never imagine the friends and families of these people and what they had to go through. After taking a few classes about substance abuse, crisis intervention, and psychotropic drugs, I learned a lot more about this field of Psychology. A few of my professors were previous substance abuse counselors, and often said if anyone had any questions, they could come ask them about the field. What I learned about this kind of counseling was that it was not for everyone, and was often extremely unrewarding. Many clients you have do not want to be there, and are often resistant to help, counseling, medication, and rehab in general. Many clients often do not show up for appointments, and end up in jail or possibly just go missing. Some of the stories I have heard about from my professors seem like things that I would just not be able to handle. Some have had patients pass away, end up arrested, in intensive inpatient rehab programs, or simply they are never heard from again. As rewarding as I thought this career path may have been, I decided I want to take a slightly different one. Where this may be, I still do not know. I am hoping to work for an organization that aims on helping whomever it may be. Whether I work at a school with children or as a social worker for one of these organizations, I see myself being happy and feeling fulfilled. Wherever I may end up, I am not worried and I know that I will be in graduate school in the next year to finish my necessary training, and I am excited to soon figure out what that may be. |
