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Old Sep 12, 2015, 08:05 AM
SarahSweden SarahSweden is offline
Grand Poohbah
 
Member Since: Jun 2014
Location: Sweden
Posts: 1,706
Thanks for sharing.

How did you finance your studies if I may ask you? As I canīt get any more study loans it feels like a dead end to try to change careers. Even if this woman you met got a license to give therapy by having a masters degree, the problem is still there Iīm afraid. To get a master, I would have to study for five years, just as long as if I study to become a psychologist and the money isnīt there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lizardlady View Post
Sarah, I changed careers and became a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in my 40s. Here in the US counselors/therapists can only diagnose and provide therapy. Psychologists can do that plus test people. A person can becoem a therapist with a Master's degree. You have to receive a doctorate to become a psychologist. You might want to investigate the rules in Sweden. I used to work with a woman from Sweden. She had a Master's degree and was considered a therapist there.

To answer your question about what it was like to change careers. I used to train horses and teach people to ride. After a couple of bad injuries I was concerned that if I stayed in that profession I would end up crippled. I met with a career counselor (he was actually a psychologist) who administered some tests. That lead me to go back to college and take some psych classes to see if that's what I really wanted to do. I also needed the psych classes to prepare me for a counseling program. I went ahead and applied to grad school, took three years worth of classes and got my Master's degree. I am happy as a clam with this profession.