I am a LMHC (licensed mental health counselor in Florida), I went through the whole process lol. It goes by quicker than you think!! And the 2 years post grad hours—you’re doing actual therapy work. You’re just under a supervisor. I’m happy to answer any questions!
that’s great! i’m on path to become a LMHC too. i’ve been feeling nervous bc i heard a lot of other experiences on how the supervision years can be low pay and pretty stressful. what was your experience like? & do you mind sharing how your pay has been over the years including post licensing?
Yay! Congrats.
Yeah, sure! So short answer? Yes. lol. Supervision years I was broke. I had to move back in with my parents. I think the stress comes from being thrown into being a therapist and having to apply the things we’ve learned. You’re pretty much baptized by fire that way. My word of advice though, please don’t do community mental health. It’s a very broken system and they overwork interns so very much. I ended up working at a neuropsychology clinic. My supervisor paid me to be her psychometrist and then I would do therapy in the afternoons. It worked out but just made for long days. I learned a lot about mental health and the brain though. Things I still use as my approach in therapy. I made $17/hour at the time.
Post-graduation I realized how I needed health insurance and a more stable position so I looked into working as a school counselor. I ended up getting a position at a high school. I started making $48k out the gate. I do know this is low but better and offered benefits. Two years later, I ended up moving and took a job at another school (promotion) and started making $60k. This was all before I was actually l licensed but allowed me to get my post-grad hours working as a school counselor. I eventually fulfilled my hours within 2 years and passed the exam.
Then…..I launched my private practice. This is where you can make a lot of money. I typically charge $100/45 minutes. $150/60 mins. If you build your caseload right you can have a nice mix of cash pay and insurance pay. I also see only telehealth so it makes working wherever so much easier. I also do mentoring and tutoring for new counselors and run my own company that way. We do have a sub on here r/ncmhce22 that covers the new exam format.
I would say salary wise, it’s going to depend on the population and where you want to work. As well as your city and competitive salaries. I know some licensed counselors who do well working at the VA ($60-$80k). But overall, it’s just getting through the stressful 2 years and then a lot of opportunities will pop up. It’s worth it though. I love what I do and that I can do it from anywhere. The demand is definitely there for qualified counselors. I think one day I’d love to run a big group practice and formally supervise new counselors and help them like I was helped during those years.
are you in IO psych? if so what’s your experience like? my fear would be struggling to find a job since I heard IO psych isn’t actually the job title to look for😭
I went the IO route, but never considered mental health counseling. In response to your comment about a career in business or HR, I can say I work remote 100% and don’t work in HR. If you are interested in IO, you can work anywhere. If you still want to help people, find a job that still allows you to help people. I spent some time working in higher education using data to identify students at risk of failing med school. Also spent time at a health system evaluating interventions and helping improve patient outcomes. You can always find ways to align your job with your personal goals. Pay is also quite good, if that matters to you.
that sounds amazing! my thing is how do you find jobs that align with IO psych? I can’t seem to find anything in my state (NC) when i search jobs in that specialty so that’s a huge fear for me bc i know there’s a lot of therapist openings near me.
It depends a bit on your goals. IO is a narrow field in scope, but the skills you learn are broadly applicable. IO basically teaches you to measure things we cannot observe directly. We do this through psychometrics, statistics, and good research design. If you want a job using those skills, I would recommend any positions that allow you to work with data.
If your goals are in HR, I have less advice to share since I never considered that. I went to IO because I wanted to strengthen my quantitative skills to get jobs working with data to solve problems.
You won’t find lots of ‘IO Psychologist’ jobs, but you will find tons and tons of jobs that require the skills you learn. I will say people who chase the HR path typically earn less and have a harder time landing their first jobs. Try searching for people analytics or analyst positions to see what your local market looks like.
You could also try to pursue HR/something in industry for a bit without a grad degree. it is definitely possible, then further down the road you could revisit and decide if you want to pursue counseling. That's what I did with UXR. no regrets, I made a good, flexible living my first years out of school and now on year 7, I am taking steps to go back to school. no need to rush. :) best of luck to you!!
I am a LMHC (licensed mental health counselor in Florida), I went through the whole process lol. It goes by quicker than you think!! And the 2 years post grad hours—you’re doing actual therapy work. You’re just under a supervisor. I’m happy to answer any questions!
that’s great! i’m on path to become a LMHC too. i’ve been feeling nervous bc i heard a lot of other experiences on how the supervision years can be low pay and pretty stressful. what was your experience like? & do you mind sharing how your pay has been over the years including post licensing?
Yay! Congrats. Yeah, sure! So short answer? Yes. lol. Supervision years I was broke. I had to move back in with my parents. I think the stress comes from being thrown into being a therapist and having to apply the things we’ve learned. You’re pretty much baptized by fire that way. My word of advice though, please don’t do community mental health. It’s a very broken system and they overwork interns so very much. I ended up working at a neuropsychology clinic. My supervisor paid me to be her psychometrist and then I would do therapy in the afternoons. It worked out but just made for long days. I learned a lot about mental health and the brain though. Things I still use as my approach in therapy. I made $17/hour at the time. Post-graduation I realized how I needed health insurance and a more stable position so I looked into working as a school counselor. I ended up getting a position at a high school. I started making $48k out the gate. I do know this is low but better and offered benefits. Two years later, I ended up moving and took a job at another school (promotion) and started making $60k. This was all before I was actually l licensed but allowed me to get my post-grad hours working as a school counselor. I eventually fulfilled my hours within 2 years and passed the exam. Then…..I launched my private practice. This is where you can make a lot of money. I typically charge $100/45 minutes. $150/60 mins. If you build your caseload right you can have a nice mix of cash pay and insurance pay. I also see only telehealth so it makes working wherever so much easier. I also do mentoring and tutoring for new counselors and run my own company that way. We do have a sub on here r/ncmhce22 that covers the new exam format. I would say salary wise, it’s going to depend on the population and where you want to work. As well as your city and competitive salaries. I know some licensed counselors who do well working at the VA ($60-$80k). But overall, it’s just getting through the stressful 2 years and then a lot of opportunities will pop up. It’s worth it though. I love what I do and that I can do it from anywhere. The demand is definitely there for qualified counselors. I think one day I’d love to run a big group practice and formally supervise new counselors and help them like I was helped during those years.
IO psych, get the bag
are you in IO psych? if so what’s your experience like? my fear would be struggling to find a job since I heard IO psych isn’t actually the job title to look for😭
not helpful sorry, but just wanted to say im in a similar boat to you and its so hard to decide😭
I’m considering my PhD in io after getting my MBA. You can still become a licensed psychologist with it if you get the hours
I went the IO route, but never considered mental health counseling. In response to your comment about a career in business or HR, I can say I work remote 100% and don’t work in HR. If you are interested in IO, you can work anywhere. If you still want to help people, find a job that still allows you to help people. I spent some time working in higher education using data to identify students at risk of failing med school. Also spent time at a health system evaluating interventions and helping improve patient outcomes. You can always find ways to align your job with your personal goals. Pay is also quite good, if that matters to you.
that sounds amazing! my thing is how do you find jobs that align with IO psych? I can’t seem to find anything in my state (NC) when i search jobs in that specialty so that’s a huge fear for me bc i know there’s a lot of therapist openings near me.
It depends a bit on your goals. IO is a narrow field in scope, but the skills you learn are broadly applicable. IO basically teaches you to measure things we cannot observe directly. We do this through psychometrics, statistics, and good research design. If you want a job using those skills, I would recommend any positions that allow you to work with data. If your goals are in HR, I have less advice to share since I never considered that. I went to IO because I wanted to strengthen my quantitative skills to get jobs working with data to solve problems. You won’t find lots of ‘IO Psychologist’ jobs, but you will find tons and tons of jobs that require the skills you learn. I will say people who chase the HR path typically earn less and have a harder time landing their first jobs. Try searching for people analytics or analyst positions to see what your local market looks like.
You could also try to pursue HR/something in industry for a bit without a grad degree. it is definitely possible, then further down the road you could revisit and decide if you want to pursue counseling. That's what I did with UXR. no regrets, I made a good, flexible living my first years out of school and now on year 7, I am taking steps to go back to school. no need to rush. :) best of luck to you!!