[Batman94]

Hello everybody! I am a bit new here, but I wanted to ask: Have any of you who have made significant improvements in your own life gone on to do some significant things to help other people?

Personally, I am a college student majoring in Psychology, and I want to go into clinical psychology for grad school. I feel like my own experiences give me more to offer to others dealing with the same or similar problems.

What stories do other people have about this sort of thing? Do any other people here either volunteer or plan on going into psychology to help other people who have some things to work though?

Hi Batman. I haven't recovered enough to really answer that question. I have wondered about it before, though. If I completely recovered from depression and anxiety, I can see myself maybe writing a blog about non-prescription/non-therapy things that are helpful for depression. That's probably about much as I'd want to do. I'm in my 50s now, though. My answer might be different if I was younger.

[gayleggg]

I've tried to use my successes to help and encourage others here at PsychCentral. I still have bad days but try to actively help others here. And it helps me to realize how lucky I am. I hope that am able to help others here.

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[*Laurie*]

After a tremendous amount of therapy, meditation, and getting stable on medication in my 20's-early 30's I volunteered, then was hired on staff, for an excellent counseling center for at-risk teens. I worked as an outreach counselor, so went out into the streets and handed out 'survival kits' (toothbrushes, clothing, etc.), condoms, safe needle use instructions, and generally listened to/counseled teens who were living on the street. If appropriate my team and I got the kids into a youth shelter.

It was very rewarding work. I did it for two years, at which time my own children were in their teen years and I wanted to give them my full attention.

Now, like gayleggg I do my best to help people online. At this point in my life I feel too anxious and tired to do IRL work like I used to do.

Your goal sounds wonderful, Batman94!

[splitimage]

I'm just wrapping up training to become a volunteer on a suicide crisis line. I also volunteer moderate here and on another site for recovering self harmers.
And I'm writing a book on concurrent disorders recovery and how to navigate the treatment system.

I wish helping people could be my full time job, but I can't afford to go back to school to retrain at this point, so I'm limited to volunteering.

splitimage

[indigo11]

I am. Been in therapy since I was 11. Studying anything and everything regarding psychology, human development, and Neuroscience - in and out of the classroom. I've helped a lot of people, sometimes it's been difficult to not get "too involved" with helping others, that I forget about myself sometimes.

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[possum220]

Sometimes helping others in any capacity goes a long way to our own recovery.

Originally Posted by LauraBeth

After a tremendous amount of therapy, meditation, and getting stable on medication in my 20's-early 30's I volunteered, then was hired on staff, for an excellent counseling center for at-risk teens. I worked as an outreach counselor, so went out into the streets and handed out 'survival kits' (toothbrushes, clothing, etc.), condoms, safe needle use instructions, and generally listened to/counseled teens who were living on the street. If appropriate my team and I got the kids into a youth shelter.

It was very rewarding work. I did it for two years, at which time my own children were in their teen years and I wanted to give them my full attention.

Now, like gayleggg I do my best to help people online. At this point in my life I feel too anxious and tired to do IRL work like I used to do.

Your goal sounds wonderful, Batman94!

that's a great thing to do

i'm sure a lot of people benifited from that

[brainhi]

Yes yes yes! Most of my life I have worked or volunteered in areas having to do with struggling brains/struggling lives in one aspect or another. That is also been a huge purpose in my life... being I did not have kids... I have the time to be very involved. The bad news... financially it's always been pretty much a struggle. Even with my financial struggles, it has been totally rewarding in so many ways!

I've tried "regular" jobs and my biggest issue was to see business people getting overly intense about things that - in my view - do not matter that much - to me. I'm not wasting my emotions on things I do not think are important... and those people should not hire me either - LOL

You will bring empathy to the table because of what you have been through. Good Luck!!!!

[-jimi-]

I already help people right and left and always for free. I want the cityfarm boss to magically disappear so I can start volunteering there again.

[Perna]

Jimi, any chance you can write/complain to someone and make that happen? European Federation of City Farms

[-jimi-]

I dare not. If I started a war against her and "her" farm would get excluded from the org, she would come after me. She would ruin my life one way or the other. She is a true psychopath.

[eskielover]

Most people are desperate for volunteers.....unless a personality clash, I would think she would be happy for help that doesn't cost money

[eskielover]

At my age, there is only volunteer stuff....my depression, anxiety, & then trauma & PTSD hit me late in life though the bad marriage that contributed to it started early on, it didn't hit me until after I lost my engineering career.....so at the age of 62, you just sort of touch peoples lives that touch yours whether online or IRL.

However I'm more likely to focus on helping people be aware of the abuse that can happen at the hands of home care people who prey on the elderly & the people who have illnesses like cancer....that was where I encountered the trauma I went through trying to protect my mother from this kind of thing & it didn't happen because she was rich though I'm sure the home care person had her eye on my mother's house along with catching her stealing my mom's ID. Never thought as a successful graduate with a BS that took me into computer engineering that I would ever end up being disabled & dealing with anxiety, major depression, suicide attempts, anorexia, trauma & PTSD all after the age of 42 & after that at the age of 54 be brave enough to leave my bad marriage of 33 years & move 2100 miles away to a place where I didn't know anyone & start over & for the first time in my life truly feel happy while living totally alone with my eskie dogs & surrounded by the most wonderful friends in every area that I am now involved in with my life. For me those people who care & are there for me when I need them & I'm there for them when they need me is critical for my recovery & that's not something that you can really pass on to anyone. It never would have been in my life if I had stayed where I was & it just happened because my life touched the lives of wonderful people that were here already. It's just not something you can will to happen in your life.......we can only impart so much information to others but the work & how it comes together is totally individual.....sometimes all we can really be is an example for them to pattern in their own way after.

[-jimi-]

Originally Posted by eskielover

Most people are desperate for volunteers.....unless a personality clash, I would think she would be happy for help that doesn't cost money

She thinks I should pay her for working for her.

[SillyKitty]

I have a couple BAs (English Lit and History), but I decided to go back for psychology and religious studies. I want an Masters in psych to be a therapist.

[EmptyInside22]

I am currently studying for my BSc in Psychology despite not having 'recovered' from all of my 'issues'. If i get my degree I will be the first one in my family to get a degree, I am the first to work at university level so I guess I am feeling pleased i have got this far but boy is it hard work!

I started out wanting to go into therapy and counselling but I think I wont ever have the confidence needed to be a counsellor so I am slowly revising my plans but there is just so much you can do with a degree in psychology! I would love one day to run a therapeutic community that offers 'walk and talk' therapy, animal/equine assisted therapy, horticulture assisted therapy and areas for meditation as well as conventional counselling. This is a big dream though.

[eskielover]

I am currently studying for my BSc in Psychology despite not having 'recovered' from all of my 'issues'. If i get my degree I will be the first one in my family to get a degree, I am the first to work at university level so I guess I am feeling pleased i have got this far but boy is it hard work!

good for you....that is an accomplishment & yes, it's hard work & I think even harder at times for those of us who didn't have parents who brought us up to think at that intellectual level....not impossible, just a little more difficult. I understand the feeling because back in the 1970's I was the first person in our family to get a degree & my dad didn't even think I should go to college because it put bad thoughts into our minds....& besides, a woman should get married & if she went to college it was to find a guy to marry who was getting their degree so that we could get the MRS.....degree.

I felt I had to fight everyone to get where I got, but it was worth it. I enjoyed my computer engineering career though my lack of ability with calculus did limit the areas I could go into. I grew up in a house with parents that never read or discussed anything...closed minded & opinionated & I always admired the kids who were able to discuss current events intelligently in class......I think I understand more what was causing my parents to be the way they were...almost sure back in the dark ages when Autism spectrum wasn't even known about that was really what my dad was dealing with....didn't realize it until I started researching it to understand what had happened with the marriage I had. It's always good to find a mentor or someone who has gone through the university system who can help guide & help give direction.....would have loved to have known anyone like that when I was struggling to figure out the ropes....I mostly bull dozed my way through fighting for everything I felt like I needed.....but it was definitely WORTH IT because it's an accomplishment that no one can take away.....& sometimes even accomplishing that can help others who might struggle in the same way......wishing you the best with your college education.....hold onto determination & you will get there