Emersyn To be honest, this certificate is neither a golden job that can help you step into the psychology industry, nor is it a completely useless IQ tax. Whether it is useful or not depends on what you use it for, and it cannot be generalized.
First of all, we need to clarify a major premise. The mental health instructor certificate we are talking about now is no longer the entry-level qualification certificate for second- and third-level psychological counselors certified by the country in the early years. Most of them are training certificates or vocational skill level certificates issued by formal industry associations and institutions with training qualifications. They do not have the legal effect of "with a certificate, you can independently carry out psychological counseling." This is the basis of all discussions.
When I was doing public psychological services in the community two years ago, I met Xiao Zhou, a social worker on the street. She usually had to take care of things such as caring for the elderly living alone and mediating families with rebellious teenagers. When talking to residents about emotional problems before, she was always afraid that she would be wrong if she said something wrong. So she took a weekend to sign up for a systematic examination class. After studying for more than three months, she not only mastered the basic knowledge of psychology. , and also practiced practical skills such as empathy techniques, preliminary identification of common emotional disorders, and preliminary handling of crisis incidents. After getting the certificate, the street was asked to hold "parent psychology classes" and "emotional counseling salons for the elderly". She was the first one to choose her as a lecturer. Now the community psychological service project she is responsible for has also won the district's civil affairs award. For her, this certificate exam is well worth it.
But I have also seen people step on the traps. Last year, a young girl studying accounting came to me for advice about entering the industry. She said that she spent more than 6,000 to apply for a "guaranteed pass" to get a certificate. The agency promised that with the certificate, she would be affiliated and become a psychological counselor and earn more than 10,000 a month. As a result, she submitted her resume to more than a dozen psychological institutions. , she didn’t even get an interview opportunity - when a formal consulting agency recruits people, the first thing they look for is whether they have a long-term system training background, how long they have accumulated cases, and how many hours of personal experience they have. With just a training certificate, you can’t even touch the threshold for entry into the industry. Of course, she thinks this certificate is just a pure IQ tax.
There are already two extremes in the evaluation of this certificate in the industry. Many practitioners who specialize in psychological counseling feel that the assessment standards for this type of certificate are inconsistent, and some institutions sell the certificate to cut leeks. It also misleads laypeople to think that "you can do consulting with a certificate" and disrupts the order of the industry. Therefore, this type of certificate has always been unpopular. However, many people who work in grassroots psychological services, primary and secondary school teachers, and corporate HR find it very practical. After all, they do not need to do in-depth case consultation, but only need to use basic psychological knowledge at work. The certification process can just systematically complete the knowledge system, and the certificate can also be used as an official proof that they have received relevant training. It can be used whether they are applying for relevant projects or evaluating positions.
To put it bluntly, if you have the idea of "getting a certificate and switching careers to become a psychological counselor to make a lot of money," then I advise you not to spend this wasted money as soon as possible. If this certificate is exhausted, it will only be regarded as your first "certificate of completion" for entry into psychology, and there are still thousands of courses to make up for later. If you are working with people and want to systematically learn some psychology-related skills, and get a certificate that can help your work, it is really useful to choose an institution with reasonable fees and formal qualifications to take the exam. Just like if you buy a trekking pole, it is enough to climb a small hill in the suburbs. If you want to climb Mount Everest, you can't rely on just one trekking pole, right?
