Congrats on being an aunt again Shinny, you must be thrilled. I just love babies, I wish someone I knew was pregnant (not my daughter's, of course)
Meg,
I worked in a private psychiatric hospital in Portsmouth, NH and with a psychologist in private practice, for almost 2yrs or so (as a psych assistant), during my time at Boston College. In the hospital I worked with psychiatrists (mainly there to prescribe meds) & MSW's who counseled pt's daily. You said you would like to work with young women with eating disorders, this is the kind of place that you can make a difference for that type of problem. You can work at a private hospital, if you want. You can choose to work with the kind of pts you want, and really get a chance to (for eating disorders), nip it in the bud. The average stay a pt stays 30 days, and I've seen many, successes. You could also (if you want) see pts part time, and/or be a part of their after care
.As a pych assistant, I worked directly with pt's, with eating disorders, troubled children/adolescents & occasionally with alcoholics/addicts. I found that to be very interesting, especially working with pt's with eating disorders & troubled adolescents. Psych assists, not only sit in on group therapy, but they are the ones who do the listening, when the pt's aren't in therapy. I learned a great deal from both the counselors and the pt's. Like that listening is sometimes the best way to help most people. Not to insert your own opinions too much, when dealing directly with the pt's. Not that I am comparing a psych assist to a psychologist or MSW. The most important thing I think (as stated above), is to have the ability to hear & recognize, the danger signs, that lead to eating disorders, cutting, suicidal ideation, homicidal tendency and so much more. That is the hardest part, when you're in private practice. Therapists learn part of that in school, and part from pt's. Working with the private psychologist, I saw that it was much more difficult (although more financially gainful), to have a private practice. All the responsibility, lies directly on the therapist. A colleague of ours another psychologist , had a young pt female 26yo, commit suicide, the day after one of her sessions. She (the psychologist), was well renounced also, had been practicing for 15+ yrs. Although she remained as professional as she should have, I know from talking with her, that it affected her deeply.
You don't become friends with patients (as I think bala thought), because you don't talk to them about your own life. You do however, come to care about at least some of your pt's (if not most of them). I know I cared about many of the pt's I dealt with (as did the Dr. I worked with), you just can't take their problems onto yourself. Therapists learn, that they can do their very best, to help pt's through their troubles, and try to keep them safe. Ultimately they have no control over a pt's choices (not including if they see a pt is a danger to themselves or others), but they can help them see the bad choices from the good. Of course counseling, is much more than just what I have stated. I have the utmost respect for all that work in these fields, it is a very difficult job. It's like walking a tight wire, with no net at times. I was told by a couple psychologists, MSW's & a psychiatrist, that the best therapists/psychologists/psychiatrists, see therapists themselves.
Just a little insight of what I have seen, and maybe another option.
