Rachel Rios
School Based Mental Health Provider (LCSW)
Intervention Services, a program of Jervey & Associates Psychotherapy
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
College Freshman: Realized I hated chemistry and was not passionate enough about becoming a doctor to justify suffering through pre-med classes.
Throughout College: I did a bunch of volunteering and explored topics I was passionate about: immigration, learning Spanish, community advocacy, education.
College Senior: I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I applied and was offered a job with Teach for America. However, I had a bad feeling about it, and did AmeriCorps instead.
During AmeriCorps: I worked in an after school college access program. I loved the times I got to work one on one, but didn't enjoy teaching a whole class. Decided against teaching.
During AmeriCorps: I talked to friends in law school, and realized the idea I had of being a lawyer was very different from the reality of the profession.
I decided to get a degree in social work because of the flexibility of the profession and focus on social justice. I was tentatively interested in mental health counseling, but wanted options.
I swore I would not work with kids, and then promptly accepted a job working with kids, trusting my gut and allowing myself to change my mind.
Education
High School
William G Enloe High School
William G Enloe High School
Career
School Based Mental Health Provider (LCSW)
I provide counseling to kids PK-12, including individual, group, crisis intervention, and consultation with staff.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Non-Profit Organizations
Education
Helping People
Day to Day
I spend the majority of my day working with kids, either individually or in small groups, providing counseling. I also spend time consulting with and supporting staff and collaborating with parents. I connect families with resources when feasible and sometimes work with our contracted Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in caring for kids. I'm lucky because my job has relatively little paperwork, but there are still basic ethical and legal requirements of documentation that are necessary.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
You really need a masters degree of some kind to provide mental health care. Look at different programs and talk to lots of people about the pros and cons of different options (Masters in Counseling, Masters of Social Work, etc.)
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"You'll make no money (which is somewhat true). General lack of knowledge about the profession and stereotypes about social workers. You'll just burn out and be miserable. "
