Career Opportunities in Mental Health

According to the WHO (World Health Organisation), good mental health is related to mental and psychological well-being. In the past few months, you have read about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental well-being of many children, teenagers & adults.

There is a growing need for skilled & well-trained mental health professionals in India & globally.

What’s this career about?

Mental health professionals diagnose those with mental health illnesses and help them cope using various techniques which can be medical, psychotherapeutic, psycho-social, or a combination. The job profiles could be categorized as counsellors, psychiatrists, psychologists, rehabilitation executives, therapists, and so on.

How do I get there?

Psychiatry offers a wide range of job opportunities within its sub-specialties. To become a psychiatrist, you need to select Physics, Chemistry and Biology as your subjects in 10+2 (Std. XII).

You will then need to appear for entrance exams like NEET for admission into MBBS.

After completing MBBS, you can opt for a Post-Graduate course (MD) in Psychiatry or a Diploma in Psychiatry (DPM).

There is also another field called Neuropsychology –

Neuropsychology is not something you can graduate in. It is a medical specialty within the discipline of clinical psychology. A neuropsychologist is a specialist in clinical psychology who tests for injury to the brain as a result of disease, disorder, injury, etc. A majority of professionals engage in research, studying the human brain and how its physiological state affects human cognition and behaviour.

A career in neuroscience requires long hours of study. Only those with patience can thrive in this field.

If you want to choose this career option, you will need to opt for a degree in Psychology with Biology; after which you should get a master’s, followed by a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, and then specialize in neuropsychology as a post-doctorate.

Some of the institutes are Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, School of Studies in Neuroscience, Jiwaji University, Gwalior, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore.

Some mental health professionals choose to become a counsellor in schools. In order to become a counsellor in a school, you need to be a graduate with Psychology as your major specialization subject. It is also advised that in addition to graduation, a school counsellor should have completed a certified course in learning disabilities.

What are the skills I need to be a good mental health professional?

Apart from academic qualifications, this is one of those fields where your personal skills decide your success. You need to be very patient, a good listener and be able to understand people. Good communication skills are also essential.

Excerpts from The Teenager Today Magazine – Articles by Dr. Vibha Gupta
Read about Neuropsychology & Psychiatrist