Are you facing a transition? As the economic downturn catalyzed by COVID-19 progresses, many who have found themselves unexpectedly unemployed are considering a career change. While the loss of a job is never welcome, one silver lining can be the opportunity to explore a field that offers the potential for greater satisfaction and fulfillment in your work.
Mental healthcare in particular is an arena that people choose to enter for one simple reason: They’re passionate about it. And while some roles in the field require a degree in mental health, many do not. Direct care staff, medical staff, admissions experts, teachers, and human resources professionals—among many other roles—are integral to the mission and success of treatment programs, and just as essential as psychiatrists and therapist roles that require higher education in the mental health field.
Not sure that mental healthcare is a good fit for you, or afraid you don’t have what it takes? If you possess one or more of the following five qualities, you might want to consider a career in the mental health field.
1. Compassion
If compassion is one of your top strengths, you’ve already got a natural advantage in the mental health industry. (If you’re not sure what your top strengths are, take the free survey at ViaCharacter.org. The Newport Healthcare approach is based in compassion and unconditional love. We believe that every teen and young adult deserves the chance for a thriving, fulfilling life, and we see the beauty and strength in each of our clients. Rather than viewing our patients as broken or “less than,” we recognize their bright and sensitive spirits, and nurture the unique positive qualities of each and every young person who comes to us. Seeing themselves through our eyes as whole and strong helps them come to see themselves that way.
2. The Desire to Make a Difference
Ask Newport Healthcare staff what motivates them to work in mental health and keeps them going even on the tough days, and you’ll hear a version of the same answer: seeing kids and families heal and transform during their time with us. When young people come to us, they’ve typically been struggling for some time, and their families are feeling helpless and hopeless. As teens and young adults advance through treatment, we have the privilege of seeing the light return to their eyes, harmony restored to the family, and a sense of limitless possibilities open up before them. And we have the satisfaction of knowing that we’ve been a part of that life-changing process. Whether they work with teens at Newport Academy or young adults at Newport Institute, our staff members make a difference in the lives of young people and their families each and every day.
3. Your Own Story of Healing
At Newport Healthcare, many of our team members have their own stories of recovery from mental health or substance use disorders. Having walked this path themselves gives them a deeper understanding of the hard work it takes to create change. We call it our “why”—the personal experiences we’ve had with our own mental health or within our family that make this work so important and meaningful to us. Those stories fuel our passion and keep us moving forward even when the work is challenging. So many of our staff share that they wish they had had a place like Newport to come to when they were struggling, and they are so grateful to be helping others who are going through the tough things they experienced.
4. An Emotional Connection to Those You’d Serve
Most people in the mental healthcare field choose to work with a specific population, whether that’s seniors, veterans, victims of trauma, couples, children, or, as at Newport Healthcare, teens and young adults. Almost always, they make that choice because they feel drawn to work with a specific demographic. Often that’s a result of their own personal and family history; many Newport Healthcare staff remember adolescence as a time of both great challenge and enormous growth, and they entered the field in order to support young people as they wish they had been supported at that age. You don’t need to be an expert in a particular stage of life or a particular life experience to work with a specific group—you just need a heart connection that inspires you to be part of their healing journey.
5. A Calling to This Work
What is a calling? It’s the voice you hear inside when you get quiet and listen to your deepest intuition and longings. It’s the voice that tells you that this is the right path, even if it doesn’t seem practical or “make sense.” In the words of author and activist Parker Palmer, “Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.” If your life is telling you that you’re meant to be in the mental health field, learn more about opportunities to join the Newport Healthcare team on our Careers page.