Faced with a difficult job market, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Psychologist shares the necessary techniques to find a good position, even in this economy. By networking and using already-established contacts, developing a clear strategy for goals and being persistent, the job search will eventually pay off with the perfect job.
After years of school and getting a graduate degree in psychology, I found that I was looking for a job in one of the worst economies in decades. It has been challenging to find work in my field, especially since I work in social services and budget cuts have decimated community social service organizations and county and state offices that provide the services for which I am trained.
What Do I Do?
I have a Master’s degree in counseling psychology and a PhD in clinical psychology and am a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and a Psychologist. Right now I am working as a youth counselor for a community service organization. We provide individual and group counseling services to troubled teens and their families.
I work closely with the juvenile justice system – juvenile hall and family court – making sure that my clients meet the court mandated requirements for counseling. I facilitate family meetings and group counseling sessions. I also work one-on-one with clients to address the issues that brought them into counseling, whether it be addiction issues, depression, family distress, aggression or abuse, just to name a few of the issues we deal with.
Finding My Job
It took me over a year of searching to find my job. Given the level of budget cuts in recent years, social services has been one of the areas that has been cut the most extensively, even though the need for social services has grown phenomenally.
As part of my degree and licensing requirements, I served several internships in my area of interest, including working at juvenile hall, homeless shelters, schools (elementary through high school) and several different other venues. I networked extensively with other therapists at my internship sites to find out about potential openings and leads for supervisors who might be able to help me find a position in their department or service organization.
I also looked on several job sites, but found that for the most part, there were very few jobs advertised in my field on those venues. I attended job fairs and job networking events, but in the end, my own personal networking was what gave me the lead to finally landing a job. One of my former supervisors had been given a new contract to work directly with the local county juvenile justice program and asked me to come interview for a job at her organization. Since she already knew my skill set and strengths as a counselor and therapist, I had an advantage over other applicants.
Lessons Learned
The number one lesson I learned was to not give up. There were times when I felt like I was never going to find employment and all my years of work and effort at getting my education and licenses had been wasted. I love what I do and am passionate about it, and would find myself getting depressed and discouraged at not being able to do what I wanted. But by not giving up, I am now realizing my dream and making a difference in people’s lives in very tangible ways.
I also learned that it is important to talk about what you do and why you love it. People want and need to know what you are good at and it is important to make an impression on them. The reason I was able to get the job I have is because the supervisor remembered me. I had made an impact on her with my passion and dedication to my job. I was able to demonstrate to her that I knew what I was doing and that I would be an asset to her team – that I could make a difference in the lives of their clients and actually help them learn better methods of coping with life challenges.
Three Pieces of Advice
#1 – Demonstrate your abilities. When I went on job interviews, initially I was surprised at being given an on-the-spot role play scenario where I was asked, “what you you do if ….” I had to demonstrate the full range of my knowledge and experience – everything from how I would assess a situation, to how I would prioritize critical issues, and what interventions I would use to help the client.
#2 – Know what you want. One of the questions I was asked repeatedly is, “what do you see yourself doing long term?” This was initially a very difficult question for me, since I already had my two licenses and degrees and was entirely focused on what I waned right now; which was to get a job in my field. I had to really sit down and assess what I envisioned for myself professionally for the future. What I came up with for myself was that I wanted to eventually be in a leadership position in a community based organization. Once I knew that, then I was actually able to more strategically apply for jobs that would help me eventually reach my goals.
#3 – Be willing to be flexible. The reality is that we do not know exactly what the future will bring us. Initially I was very set on my idea of what I wanted – to work for a department like Child Protective Services doing family assessments. What I found out, ultimately, was that when I was open to new opportunities I expanded my outlook and discovered new skills and abilities. It had not occurred to me that I could be this happy working directly with teens, focusing on keeping their family unit healthy and teaching them better communication and coping skills.
Have an interesting career story?
Interview with us and you may win an iPad!
