Given my struggles with mental health ever since I was a teenager, I have always been interested in the mental health field. However, it was really only after my accident that I considered entering the field. As my physical state improved, my mental health deteriorated drastically. The lack of mental health support during my recovery made me realize that my experiences could be utilized to make that void just a little bit smaller.

I knew I wanted to become a psychotherapist but what is the best way to get there? Initially, I got a Masters in Psychology thinking that, maybe, I would do a PhD. I was not interested in research so much; thus, a PsyD, a doctorate with a clinical focus, would be the best choice. However, PsyDs are typically unfunded and the cost was prohibitive for me. So what to do? Well, I could become a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), who does psychotherapy and diagnoses. The route for that is to do a Masters in Social Work (MSW) and then fulfil the requirements for licensure (typically takes about two years to accumulate the necessary hours, examination etc.). So now I’m more than halfway through an accelerated MSW program with a focus on mental health and trauma. Not surprisingly, I am interested in disability, trauma, and severe depression.

As I was/am intending to do micro-level, clinical work, I thought I would not really care for the other coursework in an MSW. Surprisingly, I found myself really interested in the social justice aspect of social work and all the systemic issues that create a society of Power, Privilege, and Oppression. I am particularly interested in healthcare accessibility and affordability as a social justice issue. The American healthcare system is so fucked up, and of course, minorities and marginalized populations disproportionately suffer the most.

While I am a big proponent of therapy (and medication, if suitable) and more experimental treatments, I am not a fan of the way mental health “vernacular” has entered the everyday lexicon. It is great that there is no longer much stigma around mental health issues but words like “trauma” and “triggered” are overused/misused so often these days; it is really irritating.