career choice - problem for an emet?

[songbird1223]

Hi! I'm graduating high school this year and planning on going into music therapy in college. I'm really excited to be going into this field because I really think it suits me perfectly... except for one thing: I'm really worried about my emet being a problem.

In the program I'll be working with all types of people with all types of emotional, physical, and mental problems. I wonder how I'll be able to help other people through therapy when I have a huge phobia myself. I know that it is really irrational to be afraid of my patients or the people I work with getting sick, but I can't help but worry about it. I'm worried that I'm making a wrong decision to go into therapy.

Does anyone have any advice to give? Should I look into some therapy for myself? Should I be worried about all this?

[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[bexcelica]

I do have some advice. I want to go into art therapy, and I got some
advice from a psychologist. Dont concentrate JUST on music therapy
because it is hard to keep a job as JUST that. If you go to college for
music therapy - awesome. You will have to get your masters to be able
to practice it, so my advice is that you should get your masters in
general counseling. Then you will be able to get a better job, that you
wont risk losing as much, and you can practice music therapy as your
"therapy technique". Seriously think about that though, I have a
BA in psych and a BA in art, instead of going for a masters in art
therapy im going for counseling and mental health. I think that it is
easier to keep a job that way, even by doing the same thing About
emet, I am not sure. I dont think it will affect you much. I work with
80 kids who all have emotional or behavioral disorders and problems,
and they are kids. I havent dealt with too much emet related problems.
And I would think I would run into more than you would. I think you
will be too busy to worry about it..... I know I forget about it a lot
because of all the things going on. Let me know what you decide. I cant
wait to hear. Best of luck



Becky

[crystalmom]

As for working with pple who have physical/mental/emotional problems....I have done this. I worked at a school, and at an institution, and even though some of these ppl have serious medical problems, know that you can't "catch" what they have. And, if there was any v*ing involved, chances are HIGH that it is medical (not a sv), or a behavioral trait. That halped me.


Working with ppl like this has made me a better person, and I think what you are going to do is awesome!


It's great that you have a career in mind already.


Crystal

[jesskali]

I probably made the wrong career choice since I have emet--I'm a registered nurse! My thoughts were that it would help me overcome this fear, but it didn't. It probably has gotten worse since I hear about all the sv going around!

Jess

[liriodendron]

Honestly, I think if you go into a career where you never hear about people
being sick, time will heal and you'll have a much more worry-free life.
Even though hearing about so much illness has kind of numbed me, I'm
still more relaxed when I don't hear about people being sick.
Edited by: liriodendron

[hollyjean]

hi i know how you feel, im currently studying a degree in biomedical
science and i want to go on to med school (possibly vet med) after and
become a doctor. Its something i would love to do, the human body
fascinates me but sometimes i wonder what the hell im letting myself in
for! I can specialise in an area such as haematology that wont cause
too many emet problems, but im certain i wont be able to avoid v*
during med school :S I think im heading on a crash course in exposure
therapy!

[japa]

First of all, there are virtually no careers that I can think of in which you will not be dealing with people in some way. Being a nurse or doctor sounds like a high emet. risk. Being a therapist of any sort sounds kind of like an average risk to me.


Butlet's think about this here; your career will be in a branch of therapy.Therapy isabout helping others. Many counseling training programs require students to undergo some therapy themselves in order to get to know themselves and to help them be more competent as potential therapists.


If you are going to believe in the healing power of therapy, and presumably you do, since you will be trying to heal people through music therapy, then why not heal yourself first? While you are working through school, you could also work through therapy for yourself and cure your emet. Then, it will make you a healthier helper, and it will also increase your conviction in the validity of what you do because you will know that therapy has worked for you, so it can also work for others.


Those are my thoughts for the little it's worth.Edited by: japa

[japa]

Is there any career in which you don't hear about people being sick?

Honestly, I think if you go into a career where you never hear about people being sick, time will heal and you'll have a much more worry-free life. Even though hearing about so much illness has kind of numbed me, I'm still more relaxed when I don't hear about people being sick.

[liriodendron]

"Never" was a bad choice of words.

What I meant was you can open up a small retail store and you might go
the whole year without being sick, or have an employee call in sick or
have any customers tell you they're sick. On the other hand, you could
be an elementary school nurse and watch kids v* all day long.



And there's a few jobs in between. [img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]



In my line of work , I don't hear about sick people too much but when I
was on a sales call once a couple of years ago, I was talking to a
customer who was at home with her sick son.... I heard the kid say to
his mom that he was going to v* and then I heard him v* in the
background and then his mom said she had to call me back. At that
point, I was like yeah... better give me a few days to get over hearing
your son V* over the line.

[img]smileys/smilies_08.gif[/img]

[songbird1223]

Dont concentrate JUST on music therapy
because it is hard to keep a job as JUST that. If you go to college for
music therapy - awesome. You will have to get your masters to be able
to practice it, so my advice is that you should get your masters in
general counseling. Then you will be able to get a better job, that you
wont risk losing as much, and you can practice music therapy as your
"therapy technique".

i have a question referring to getting my masters in general counseling...do you know if i will have to minor in music therapy? or go to school separately for the music therapy? the schools i'm looking at offer specific board certified music therapy courses...i haven't really looked into general counseling and so i don't really know the options...but that's a great idea and i'm really excited to hear about someone going into art therapy. that is SO cool and i wish you luck with that. i think i'm going to get in touch with the colleges i'm considering and ask them about all the details.

and i'm also amazed that anyone with emet could become a nurse...hats off to you that's really inspiring [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[bexcelica]

hey - i am not sure if you need to even get certified in music
counseling if you have a general degree. however, it would hurt to take
a couple classes. the thing is, you need your masters to practice
counseling. so, for your bachelors, go for music therapy... but once
you get to your masters, go for general. if you have the background in
music therapy and a masters in general therapy you will go farther with
the music therapy. if that makes any sense. so dont worry about
going for general counseling until you graduate from your four year
school, go for the music therapy in the four year school. hahaha i dont
even know if i am making any sense.