Military Medical Opportunities: Mental
Health Specialist
Duties and responsibilities
The mental health specialist is
primarily responsible for assisting with the management and treatment of
inpatient and outpatient mental health activities. Collect
and record psychosocial and physical data. Assist with care and treatment of
psychiatric, drug and alcohol patients’ .Counsel clients/patients with
personal, behavioral or psychological problems
Salary
As an Army Mental health
specialist, your salary will be determined by your rank as well as your
experience. For example, Army mental health specialists that had reached the
rank of sergeant with three to four years of experience made $2,375.40 per
month in 2012. Salaries increase with higher ranks and more experience. In the Army, qualified students can earn full-tuition,
merit-based scholarships, allowances for books and fees, plus an annual stipend
for living expenses.
Education
Training for a mental health specialist
requires 10 weeks of Basic Combat Training and 20 weeks of Advanced Individual
Training, including practice in-patient care. Training length varies depending
on specialty. Some of the skills you’ll learn are: Patient-care techniques
Emergency medical techniques. The majority of Army
mental health specialists start with a bachelor’s degree in a field such as
psychology, counseling, or social work. Some may even earn master’s degrees as
well.
Reflection
Yes I would like to become a
Mental Health Specialists not only because of its high salary but also because I
would like to help those people that are having mental issues. Meaning they
risk their life for our country and I would like to compensate them by helping
them feel better and not suffer any mental issues.