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I'm trying to make some career decisions for myself and I' hoping to pick your brains! 
I'm in an MA program in Counseling and Psychological Services right now and I'm closing in on my 9 month internship. This is usually a time where people choose a position that closely aligns with their interests. I've been back and forth on my own. Part of my problem has been a low sense of self and worrying that I can't learn what I need to in order to be a counselor. The program is very theoretical and we've not gotten any real clinical experience. That doesn't come until internship.
I'm an introvert and I have a tendency to feel anxious/uncomfortable in new social situations. I feel like that's a red flag when it come to meeting with people I don't know and listening/trying to help. Ugh.
My interests are more in the area of the brain, psychopathology and assessment and that's why I opted to do an unofficial internship in pediatric neuropsych assessment. I wanted to explore whether this felt like an area that was right for me ... or at least get some more exposure to assessment.
I pretty much love what I'm doing so far. I get lots of introvert time in the mornings because I comb through charts and put together pre-authorization letters for insurance companies. I basically read every piece of the clinical history and then summarize it in a paragraph. That's fun for me. I do it for hours and really like it. In the afternoons, I sit in on assessments. I find them fascinating and I'm always interested in the kids' responses. Something else that I like is that assessments are standardized. They come with scripts that you have to follow. Aside from establishing and maintaining rapport, there aren't awkward pauses or times where it isn't clear what you have to say. I really like that. It takes away any anxiety that I might have.
I've been reflecting on this though and I'm wondering if this is an escape for me or if it is truly my calling ... or maybe its both.....and if it's an escape, is that necessarily a bad thing?
I took the Strong Interest Inventory and it showed me to be investigative and social .... with most of potential careers being in medicine or research science ... counseling was #9 out of my top 10 career choices. Still, it's in the top 10.
I took the MBTI and was an INFP ...
It makes sense to me that I am seeking something that has some built in introvert pieces and is investigative. I think assessment fits that. It also makes sense to me though that I'm looking for something that won't be as anxiety provoking for me ... and having a built in script as opposed to having to worry about not having the right thing to say is appealing.
I don't want to sell myself short and make a decision based on anxiety though.
I was thinking about asking the PhD where I work if she would allow me to do an official internship with her. Now I'm thinking I should try a traditional counseling internship and I can always come back to assessment?
Do you have any thoughts?
Kris
I
I'm in an MA program in Counseling and Psychological Services right now and I'm closing in on my 9 month internship. This is usually a time where people choose a position that closely aligns with their interests. I've been back and forth on my own. Part of my problem has been a low sense of self and worrying that I can't learn what I need to in order to be a counselor. The program is very theoretical and we've not gotten any real clinical experience. That doesn't come until internship.
I'm an introvert and I have a tendency to feel anxious/uncomfortable in new social situations. I feel like that's a red flag when it come to meeting with people I don't know and listening/trying to help. Ugh.
My interests are more in the area of the brain, psychopathology and assessment and that's why I opted to do an unofficial internship in pediatric neuropsych assessment. I wanted to explore whether this felt like an area that was right for me ... or at least get some more exposure to assessment.
I pretty much love what I'm doing so far. I get lots of introvert time in the mornings because I comb through charts and put together pre-authorization letters for insurance companies. I basically read every piece of the clinical history and then summarize it in a paragraph. That's fun for me. I do it for hours and really like it. In the afternoons, I sit in on assessments. I find them fascinating and I'm always interested in the kids' responses. Something else that I like is that assessments are standardized. They come with scripts that you have to follow. Aside from establishing and maintaining rapport, there aren't awkward pauses or times where it isn't clear what you have to say. I really like that. It takes away any anxiety that I might have.
I've been reflecting on this though and I'm wondering if this is an escape for me or if it is truly my calling ... or maybe its both.....and if it's an escape, is that necessarily a bad thing?
I took the Strong Interest Inventory and it showed me to be investigative and social .... with most of potential careers being in medicine or research science ... counseling was #9 out of my top 10 career choices. Still, it's in the top 10.
I took the MBTI and was an INFP ...
It makes sense to me that I am seeking something that has some built in introvert pieces and is investigative. I think assessment fits that. It also makes sense to me though that I'm looking for something that won't be as anxiety provoking for me ... and having a built in script as opposed to having to worry about not having the right thing to say is appealing.
I don't want to sell myself short and make a decision based on anxiety though.
I was thinking about asking the PhD where I work if she would allow me to do an official internship with her. Now I'm thinking I should try a traditional counseling internship and I can always come back to assessment?
Do you have any thoughts?
Kris
I
counseling but were afraid, that may be another discussion. Even so, there is plenty of time if you choose to transition from assessment to something else.
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