Mental Health Professional

People in this career field offer guidance to individuals, couples, families, or groups who are dealing with issues that affect their mental health and well-being. This profession deals with counselling with an emphasis on prevention. Counsellors assist individuals in reaching their own resolutions or developing strategies to address and remedy their concerns.

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Education

An undergraduate degree in psychology, counselling, sociology, or social work is the first step towards the profession. However, it is also possible for one to have an undergraduate degree in some other field and pursue a Master's in psychology. A Master's degree in clinical/counselling psychology or any other specialised field of psychology is essential to pursue a career in this field. One may also need to complete an internship as part of their Master's degree.

Knowledge and Tasks

To pursue a career in this field, one requires knowledge of human behaviour and performance, psychological research methods, and the assessment and treatment of behavioural and affective disorders.
To pursue a career in this field, one requires knowledge of human behaviour and performance, psychological research methods, and the assessment and treatment of behavioural and affective disorders.
They require to help clients develop coping strategies or find ways to change their behaviour.

Personality

An individual in this career field should typically have an empathetic personality. They need to be able to take the emphasis away from themselves and to focus on the client to listen, hear, and understand what they are saying. They also need to be perceptive. Counsellors who can pick up on a client's body language and add that to their comments will prove to be much more effective. They must be able to think creatively and provide solutions. Effective counsellors are able to express themselves well. They are astute at sensing what others are thinking and feeling.

Salary

Individuals in this career start off from around Rs 25,00-30,000 but can expect to earn around Rs 60,000-70,000 per month with experience. Counsellors with private practices can earn higher and tend to charge their clients on an hourly basis. The average annual pay is Rs 3,00,000.

Pros

The nature of mental health work is diverse and multifaceted. Many different options are available to those who enter this field.
This field of work also offers the added satisfaction of helping individuals improve their lives.
This field is steadily growing as well, meaning that there is great demand for individuals pursuing this career.

Cons

This career field is often extremely demanding.
Irregular timings, constant exposure to stories of behavioural problems and personal struggles, can exact a severe emotional toll.
One needs to constantly balance their personal lives and career demands.

Top Institutes

India

St. Xavier's College – Mumbai
Christ (Deemed to be University) - Bengaluru
Ambedkar University - New Delhi
Fergusson College – Pune
Tata Institute of Social Sciences – Mumbai

Abroad

Stanford University – California, USA
University College London – London, UK
Princeton University – New Jersey, USA
Yale University, Connecticut, USA
Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA

Famous People

Albert Bandura

Albert Bandura is the most cited counselling psychologist alive today. His contributions to psychology span nearly six decades and include areas of speciality in therapy, personality, social cognition, and behaviourism. He is known as the originator of social learning theory and is responsible for the influential 1961 Bobo doll experiment, which demonstrated the concept of observational learning.

Howard Gardner

Howard Gardner is known for his development of the theory of multiple intelligences. He has won numerous awards for his research and has received honorary degrees from twenty-nine universities. He has written hundreds of research articles, as well as thirty books that have been translated into more than thirty languages.