What is a Mental Care Psychologist? Why I, a Lead Care Worker, Decided to Get Certified and What I Learned

Thank you for visiting ( .ˬ.)”
I am YUME, a Lead Care Worker and Mental Care Psychologist (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)

Since resuming my activities on note,
I have passed the Mental Care Psychologist exam ⤵

What is the flow of the CBT test anyway? And
even the silly mistakes I made behind the scenes of passing ⤵

I am sharing it all candidly (◦ˉ ˘ ˉ◦)

So, what did I learn? What kind of qualification is it?
This time, I will introduce the Mental Care Psychologist certification ✧*｡

■ What is a Mental Care Psychologist?

Mental Care Psychology is broadly divided into three fields.

• Fundamentals of Mental Anatomy and Physiology

• Fundamentals of Mental Medical Science

• Psychological Counseling Techniques

It is a
private qualification where you systematically learn knowledge related to the "mind," such as psychology, psychiatry, and counseling.

The content I learned was broader than I imagined,

【Fundamentals of Mental Anatomy and Physiology】 Field

• Biochemistry and Psychology

• Fundamentals of Stress Studies

• Anatomy and Physiology

• Physiological Psychology and Cognitive Psychology

• Pharmacology

[Fundamentals of Psychiatric Science] Field

• Psychiatry

• Mental Disorders: Over 40 conditions!

• Developmental Psychology

• Psychosomatic Disorders, Hypochondriasis, and Other Mental Disorders

• Basic Knowledge of Psychotropic Drugs

[Psychological Counseling Techniques] Field

• What is Mental Health

• Definition of Psychological Counseling

• Basic Knowledge of Psychological Counseling

• Basic Ethics of Psychological Counseling

• Roles of Psychological Counselors by Professional Field

• Psychoanalytic Therapy

• Client-Centered Therapy

• General Overview of Psychological Counseling

While general psychological counselor certifications focus on "listening skills" and "superficial psychological theories,"
the Mental Care Psychologist® certification
requires knowledge equivalent to a university psychology major level,
including brain structure, the mechanism of neurotransmitters,
the classification of mental disorders based on the DSM-5,
and the mechanisms of action of psychotropic drugs.

What I felt after actually studying it is that
it is not just about "listening skills."
I felt it is a certification that allows you to learn
"knowledge to understand the human heart" from various angles.

■ What is the learning level?

"Since it's a private certification, isn't it easy?"
Some people might think that.

As mentioned above,
the scope of study overlaps significantly with
the foundational subjects taught in university psychology departments,
so I certainly did not find it easy.

In particular,

• Characteristics of mental disorders

• History of psychiatry

• Psychologists and theories

• Counseling theories

• Classification and effects of psychotropic drugs

These areas required both understanding and memorization,
so I studied them over and over again.

The CBT exam tests not only knowledge but also
applied questions such as 'In this case, what is unnecessary and why?',
so there were times when superficial memorization was not enough.

■ Why I aimed for this certification

The reason I decided to pursue this qualification.
As you all know,
it is because I, YUME, experienced adjustment disorder myself.

Mental health issues can happen to anyone.
Having experienced it myself,
I realized once again the importance of mental well-being.
That is why I decided to take on the challenge of this certification,
not just relying on 'experience' alone,
but by acquiring 'correct knowledge'
to become someone who can provide support in mental health.

■ How I want to utilize this in the nursing care field

I currently work as a lead care worker
at a unit-type special nursing home for the elderly.

Beyond providing care to the residents,
I believe that supporting the mental health of staff, training new employees,
and creating a workplace where people can work with peace of mind
are also important roles for a leader.

I intend to apply the knowledge I gained as a Mental Care Psychologist to:

• Mental health support for staff

• Human resource development

• Creating a workplace with high psychological safety

• Better communication

I want to be someone who can utilize these skills to create a "safe environment" for both the people I care for and my fellow staff members.

■ Certification is not the goal, but the start

Obtaining this certification was one of my goals. However, the real start begins here.

Knowledge only has value when it is applied in the field. I intend to continue deepening my learning and growing step by step as someone who bridges the gap between caregiving and mental health.

Thank you for reading until the end (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)
See you in the next article (｡•ᴗ•｡)♡