[__ Prayer __] focus, progress

[Christ_empowered]

I gotta focus on my studies and make progress. I don't know what I want to do in life. I thought "be a counselor," but now...I have serious doubts about the value of secular mental health. I mean, OK...seriously mentally ill people undoubtedly need meds (I do), at least for a while. But counseling? Talk therapy? I'd have to take out more student loans for the graduate degree, and counseling jobs don't pay all that well. I liked the idea of working in community mental health, but then I realized...a lot of what they do is medicate, diagnose, and control poor people. Is that really how I want to spend my life?

Liberty's going well. I'm struggling in Biology, but...whatever. I'll pass, that's for certain. I'm just not sure what, if any, sort of job/career I'm supposed to do. I'm 30, I get disability, and my newly affluent people "take good care of me." Not exactly a situation to be proud of, but it could be far, far worse, given the circumstances. I'm glad to be living at home, honestly. I get to connect with my parents after having been alive, but not really there for about 10 years. I think God is using me to draw them nigh unto Him, or at least I hope so. I'm blessed to get disability. You know, I've written about this before..its not just the symptoms of mental illness that make holding down a job hard. Its social factors, being "different," even on meds, stigma, its...everything, honestly. Lots of stuff that meds can't touch.

Anyway...please pray for me, for focus and progress.

 

[Eugene]

Amen, and college is many times a place to contemplate just such things as what to do with your life. A limited view will produce restricted job opportunities. In those cases many derive better results with trade schools. I.e., if you want to cook, don't study forensic science.

 

[Cturtle]

I gotta focus on my studies and make progress. I don't know what I want to do in life. I thought "be a counselor," but now...I have serious doubts about the value of secular mental health. I mean, OK...seriously mentally ill people undoubtedly need meds (I do), at least for a while. But counseling? Talk therapy? I'd have to take out more student loans for the graduate degree, and counseling jobs don't pay all that well. I liked the idea of working in community mental health, but then I realized...a lot of what they do is medicate, diagnose, and control poor people. Is that really how I want to spend my life?

Liberty's going well. I'm struggling in Biology, but...whatever. I'll pass, that's for certain. I'm just not sure what, if any, sort of job/career I'm supposed to do. I'm 30, I get disability, and my newly affluent people "take good care of me." Not exactly a situation to be proud of, but it could be far, far worse, given the circumstances. I'm glad to be living at home, honestly. I get to connect with my parents after having been alive, but not really there for about 10 years. I think God is using me to draw them nigh unto Him, or at least I hope so. I'm blessed to get disability. You know, I've written about this before..its not just the symptoms of mental illness that make holding down a job hard. Its social factors, being "different," even on meds, stigma, its...everything, honestly. Lots of stuff that meds can't touch.

Anyway...please pray for me, for focus and progress.

Father, i thank You for Christ Empowered, and i thank You that he belongs to You! As one of Your children i ask that You would bless him with wisdom and help him to see what You have planned for His life. We commit all of this unto You and thank You in advance for the answers. In Jesus Name, i pray Amen

 

[Angel]

You know... you could make a difference as a Counselor. You can be the one that changes things. And it would bless your reputation, I think, if you are sincere and treat your patients with respect. Or, maybe you could move to another state that treats people with respect, counselors and SMI and the like. Just something to ponder.

 

[Cturtle]

You know... you could make a difference as a Counselor. You can be the one that changes things. And it would bless your reputation, I think, if you are sincere and treat your patients with respect. Or, maybe you could move to another state that treats people with respect, counselors and SMI and the like. Just something to ponder.

It's funny that you say this because i was thinking the same thing last night. The world needs good christian counselors, and lots of people need them tooo!
Blessings

 

[AirDancer]

My dear Christ_empowered, perhaps counseling isn't for you. But perhaps it is.

Have you taken any other class that has sparked your interest?

During my university days, a dear friend was a German major. Had a position as a translator awaiting his graduation. Well, the beginning of his senior year, he took a freshman-level art class in order to fulfill one of the university-required gen eds. His entire life changed during that one basic art class. Long story short, he is now an acclaimed artist.

Stay in prayer concerning your education. Our Lord will answer!

 

[Christ_empowered]

yeah...I fall in and out of love w/ the idea of counseling, lol. Sometimes, I feel like its something I'm called to do (whether I like it or not, lol). There's a move in mental health towards a more truly "bio-psycho-social" model of mental illness. Meds for the bio part, counseling and therapy and other programs for the psycho-social parts. Right now, the shifting perspective/paradigm is more evident in parts of Europe and the UK. Psychiatrists are coming forward, writing books about how very little is actually known about mental illness, especially "schizophrenia," which may actually be a number of different disorders under one (incredibly stigmatizing) name.

Some countries have "Soteria Houses," based on a 1970s program in the US. First episode psychosis patients live with other patients and empathetic staff and try to learn how to be normal-ish, with meds used if/when/as needed. I know, it sounds like a hippy thing. Kinda is, but it saves $$$$...fewer meds, lower doses, fewer side effects, fewer people on long term disability.

My daignosis wasn't always Schizophrenia or Bipolar I w/psychotic features. When I was in a mental hospital the first time, age 20, I had maybe a 95 IQ, lots of (obvious) brain damage, serious personality problems, gender problems, a raging uppers and downers addiction (FYI: "goof balling," mixing uppers and downers at the same time, is a really, really, really BAD idea), and I'd destroyed all my personal relationships, especially my relationship with my parents. My second and (so far) final hospitalization, age 23, ended in heavy, involuntary electroshock.And now...

...I dunno. Maybe I don't need brain cells? LOL. I don't have an exact estimate on my IQ (not that IQ is all that accurate or helpful, but...), but I've heard that its "high," whatever that means. I'm apparently (remarkably? miraculously?) "very intelligent," and also...severely mentally ill. Although I assumed it was schizo-something, my former shrink read some of my writing and said it read like something straight out of a 19th century German psychiatry text book discussing "maniacs" (severe manic depressive psychosis).

So...yeah...if I do go into counseling, I'm thinking I'll go in via a Masters of Divinity (M.Div) program w/ an emphasis on "pastoral counseling." It'd be a huge degree--the one I'm looking at is 93 credit hours, with 15 dedicated to mental health stuff--but it'd get me an entry level job in public mental health. I feel like a M.Divinity program would build my faith and help me help others w/o getting bogged down in too much secular psychology and worldly wisdom. Liberty and some other places offer their M.Div degrees online and cap tuition, so the degree cost would be comparable to, possibly less than, a 60 credit hour graduate degree in counseling.

This post has rambled on long enough, lol...thanks, as always, for your prayers and insights.

 

[AirDancer]

A Masters of Divinity would be a smart route to go, Christ_empowered. That would open the door to numerous possibilities, not to mention the satisfaction of knowing you would be addressing counseling from a Christian perspective.

 

[Cturtle]

Christ_empowered i listened to Dr. Caroline Leaf today, wow what enlightening information. If you get a chance you should check her stuff out. I think that the masters of Divinity sounds like a good thing. One who is able to be used in many ways is always a good thing! Our prayers are constantly with you and for your guidance, blessings and peace!