Introduction

After four longs years of studying psychology in college, I finally got my BA. I decided that I wanted to get some real life experience in the field of psychology before I moved on to get my masters or PhD because I wanted to be able to really decide what subject I wanted to study. Ultimately I think I want to be a therapist for children and teenagers, so I leaned in that direction. It was more difficult than I thought it would be to find a job with just a BA in psychology compared to a MA. Almost everywhere I looked I saw those words "Master's Degree" in the job description. After careful deliberation I decided to take a job as a mental health counselor in a residential facility for teenage boys. Surprisingly enough, this job does not require employees to have a bachelor's degree in any related field. It actually only requires a high school diploma.

Needless to say, I am more educated than half of the people I currently work with, which can be strange at times. When I started this job everyone would say to me "Why the hell are you working here? Can't you be making big money with a degree?" Actually, not really. With the job market the way it is, I'm lucky to be where I am, and I love it, for the most part. The downside to finding this job is the location, I'm living in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, very far away from cities that I love. If it wasn't for the location, I could see myself staying with this job for a very long time and working my way up through the company. This is especially true since they have tuition reimbursements for employees to further their education as long as it's in the field of mental health. I struggle with this thought often, wondering if I should stick with it and sacrifice some things to further my career.

I feel lucky to have found this job, even if I'm overqualified for it. I have found that I am very good at what I do, and working with teenagers is the best fit for me. Because I am educated in both child and adolescent psychology, as well as behavior modification and conditioning, I feel I have become quite talented at my position.

To begin, let me explain exactly what type of facility I'm talking about. This particular residential treatment facility I'm working at is strictly for teenage boys ages eleven to seventeen. Although in the past they have considered adding girls into the mix, this probably will not occur for quite some time. The boys have a wide variety of problems. Some of them have drug problems, trouble with the law, or have been diagnosed with varying mental disorders. Most of them have been abused in some way, sexually, physically, or mentally. They have a variety of trouble at home and are often times in custody of social services. Additionally, most of the boys at the facility have criminal records. Each of them have been admitted into the facility to deal with different problems. Some of them received a court order to go there, while other boys' families put them there. The center is considered to be a level four lock down facility, which is one step under a juvenile prison. All of the doors in the facility lock so the boys are limited to their access to different rooms. There is a large system of video cameras throughout the building in every area besides the bedrooms, bathrooms, and showers. All staff are trained in Handle With Care, which is a crisis intervention program. It is required by Medicaid that the boys are involved with twenty one group therapy sessions a week with their mental health counselors (MHCs). These sessions include but are not limited to: peer relations, psycho-education, community interactions, daily goals, and social skills. Every day the MHCs plan four groups to hold with the residents. Each group must coincide with the individual resident's treatment goals. In addition, the therapist must have one group therapy session with the boys once a day. The facility must comply with Medicaid guidelines and regulations as to how to document and conduct groups.

In my four and a half months I have worked at this facility, I have been able to apply the skills I learned in college. I have developed a great knowledge of working with mentally ill adolescents and the difficulties that arise in this field. I will be writing more about my personal experiences at this job, as well as issues I have encountered while working in this field.