1. What exactly do you do?
- What field is your job in?
I Work For A Private Organization That Provides Services To Children And Adults With Mental Health Diagnosis. - What is your job title?
Mental Health Support Counselor - Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for (size and general description of what type of organization it is)
I work for a private for profit human service organization providing services to children and adults in a rural county. We have four different program areas including mentoring, therapeutic day treatment, in-home counseling and mental health support. My organization employs approx. 30 people.
- How long have you been employed in this position?
21 months - How many hours do you work a week on average?
50 - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
50 - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
Assist adolescents and adults with mental health diagnosis develop independent and social skills in order for them to become a self sufficient member of the community.
- What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
29000 - What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
36000 - Please list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation, sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
12 days per year vactation, earn 10 hours of sick leave per month, united health care insurance, and med dental insurance. - Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
Under compensated
2. Work environment!
- Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
My job requires me to work independently from my co-workers which allows me to create my own work schedule which i enjoy. when working with difficult clients individual work can be a disadvantage because there isn't anyone to talk to. My job requires me to work with the public daily and I have a caseload that allows me to see each of my clients 1 to 2 times per week.
- Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
- Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
- Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it
- Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
- 2 Income
- 3 Work Environment - co-workers
- 4 Work Environment - supervisors
- 6 Benefits
- 5 Hours
- 7 Level of responsibility
- 1 The actual "work" you do at your job
- 8 Job Title
3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours?
- If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
My job requires a minimum of Bachelor's degree in any human services field plus a year of experience within the human services field. Most programs require internships for graduation requirements which is counted toward the one year of experience.
- What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social skills, organization skills, technical skills)
social skills, organization skills, the ability to work independently with minimal supervision, ability to respect differences in people, ability to empower clients to promote change. the ability to use community resources wisely.
- Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Bachelor's degree in a human services field. - What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Self-awareness is extremely important. Its a very stressful and high demanding work field. Its extremely important to make time for themselves.
4. How did you get your J-O-B
- How did you find your current job? (e.g. newspaper, internet, referral, etc.)
referral - What was the application process for your job? (e.g. submitted resume, paper application, electronic application, all, etc.)
I submitted a resume and was called for an interview. I completed the application after i was hired. - Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail? (e.g., number of interviews, who you interviewed with, group interview, individual interview, etc.)
My current job did not require a formal interview because i had known my director due to my previous position which was also in the human services field. Generally, my director chooses to conduct a formal interview prior to hiring anyone. - If you can remember, what questions were you asked at your interview?
- Is this the job / field you planned to work in?
Yes - If your job is in a different field from your original plan how did you get here? Explain (Plan can be from high school/college/post college/personal plan)
5. Background: Are you qualified?
- Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Everyone at my organization is required to complete 40 training hours per year regardless of how long a person has been employed. Many of our training are online and we are able to choose which topics are relevant. We are also required to be certified in cpr and first aid which is provided by my agency. - Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain
My employer explained to me that most of my work is done with little to no supervision however i was told that my supervisor would be available if i needed to ask a question. I have found it difficult to get assistance from my supervisor when needed. - Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain
My bachelor's degree is in social work and I feel that the course material prepared me to work with a diverse population. my course work did not provide me with any counseling theories or skills which would have been benefical. - If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare you for your job?
6. The Future and Beyond (FINAL SECTION)
- If someone were to observe you at work, what would he or she say is "fun" about your job?
Working with the community and being able to promote change in individuals. - What is (are) the most fulfilling aspect(s) and least fulfilling aspect(s) of your current employment? (e.g. fiscal, spiritual, type of work, hours, commute, compensation, etc.)
The most fulfilling aspects is knowing that I have made a difference in someones life. The least fulfilling are the rigorous work hours and compensation. - Is your current employment part of your career plan? Why or why not?
Yes because upon graduation I was not sure what area of the human services field i wanted to work in. my current employment has allowed me to work in a different area of the human services field. - What are your current career goals? (Can be broad or specific)
Ultimately, i enjoyed my job working for the state at a department of social services the most and i am currently pursuing a position with in that agency. - Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
7. A Day in the Life Of...
- 7 am - 8 am
sleep - 8 am - 9 am
Wake up, make various phone calls from home to schedule appointments with clients and confirm appointments with clients for today. Checked email from home and responded to a email from my Director about some paperwork that is due. - 9 am - 10 am
Got ready for work - 10 am - 11 am
commute - 11 am - 12 am
Arrived at the office. Spoke with my secretary. reviewed my files and completed some paperwork that needed to go into my files. This included various types of documents that we are required to keep in each file. - 12 am - 1 pm
- 1 pm - 2 pm
Cont meeting with client. - 2 pm - 3 pm
Cont meeting with client. - 3 pm - 4 pm
commute - 4 pm - 5 pm
Cont meeting with cl. - 5 pm - 6 pm
Cont meeting with cl - 6 pm - 7 pm
Home - 7 pm - 8 pm
- 8 pm - 9 pm
- 9 pm - 10 pm
- 10 pm - 11 pm
- 11 pm - 12 pm