SCHOOLTEACHERS, UNIVERSITY FACULTY & STAFF
I come from a family who valued education, and as such, have believed strongly in the value of education myself. Thus, I do have a lot of respect for those who have chosen to work in the education system–as school teachers, professors, and staff who are supporting the educational mission of their schools and institutions. In fact, this may be one of the reasons why I ended up spending the majority of my career as a psychologist in higher education to date. In my role as a staff psychologist in a university counseling center on four different university campuses, I have provided consultation and outreach services to university faculty and staff, as well as counseling services to students. While providing a variety of psychological services to university students, faculty, and staff, I have also gained a direct experience of what it is like to work in an educational setting–as a staff and as an adjunct instructor. As much as I have enjoyed working in higher education, I have also observed and/or experienced various challenges that are unique to those who assume various roles in educational settings. If you work in a school or university setting and reading this, how many of the following experiences feel familiar to you?
Being busy taking care of your students (and their parents) while having no time to take care of your own needs (and your families)
Struggling to maintain multiple roles within your school (e.g., being required to teach so many courses while also feeling pressured to serve on various committees)
Having difficulty maintaining your sanity dealing with difficult students, departmental politics, and demanding parents
Struggling to make ends meet to take care of yourself and your loved ones while feeling “overworked and underpaid”
If you have experienced any of the above and are looking for someone who can provide genuine empathy, I can give you plenty of that–based on my own experience as a psychologist and as an instructor. At the same time, I do not assume that your experiences / struggles in educational settings are comparable–in fact, my preferred approach would be to enter into your world and understand your world and experience from your perspective, while offering my perspective only when it’s helpful to you. Regardless of what type of school or university you’re part of, if you’re experiencing any of the above and they are impacting your mental health, I hope you will consider counting me as part of your support system.