Hi,
My advice would be to think long and HARD about if you honestly, REALLY want to go in this direction. In my experience, jobs such as this (especially) are something that really need some drive and passion behind them....otherwise I fear they are doomed for failure.
I am always sceptical about career advisors, questionnaires or computers that just spew up a career that is deemed apt for that particular individual. What if the person has never dreamed of that particular career? What if the job may be suited to their responses, but when they are in it, they are not suited to that job??
I speak from some experience here. I left college without a clue of what job I wanted to aim for. All I knew was I wanted to work with children, so I got a job in a nursery as an assistant (for 6 months I thought) while I decided what I wanted to study at Uni. 5 years later I was still there, mainly as I got stuck in a comfort zone really. I was then unceremoniously made redundant when the nursery closed down, without any warning or notice, or redundancy settlement. I had to take my boss to court. The whole thing was a nightmare.
I made my mind up there and then that the next career I chose was going to be a secure one, where that NEVER happened to me again.
I casually saw an advert in my local newspaper for a Diploma in Child Nursing. Within 5 minutes I had decided that was the thing to go for........boy was I wrong. Within a year of qualifying as a nurse I knew I was in the wrong job. I simply could not deal with the pressures of the job and the stress, but i put my head down and got on with it. I stuck in it 10 years, but my mental health has been badly impacted.
Sorry to bore with my story. I know my experience is not necessarily everyones, but I am just trying to demonstrate that certain jobs bring with them a LOT of responsibility, a LOT of stress and a LOT of burdens, even subconscious ones. These are the jobs that require not just a vague interest or notion that it might be an appropriate job for you, but a real bloody-minded passion for.
I do have to say that I think Child Psychology/Psychotherapy is one of them.
Working with children in any shape of form can be challenging, but children with psychological issues is very challenging. It demands a lot from someone, and my worry would be if that someone is themselves vulnerable.....just not sure about how a job like that would impact them.
Without wishing to sound like a total cynic and downer, I do agree though that your own experiences would doubtless be very beneficial for you and them, as you could really connect with them, how they are feeling and offer insights that others could not. You could truly empathise with them, and this will bring something to your time with them.
I would just worry though that their issue may be a little too close to home for you, and trigger a flare up/relapse or suchlike for you.
Bottom line is that this is a decision only you can make, hon. Choosing a career is a personal and important decision. xx