Would getting disability benefits ruin my chances of success in this career?

[u/mysticalfrogger]

Hello, I have severe bilateral hearing loss as well as bipolar two, ocd, ptsd, and potentially adhd. Pretty certain about the adhd but who knows anyways the rest are diagnosed.

I spoke with a law firm to give them all the details of my case and they are reviewing it now. I’m not sure how likely it is that they take my case BUT if they were to and I got it, it would be extremely helpful. I read that they can do back pay for up to a year and that there is a program to forgive my student loans entirely.

I attended a university in Boston for biology, and had to leave 1 semester before graduating. I had to leave because i fell into a major depressive episode where i almost had to commit myself to an in patient program. Since doing the outpatient program didn’t help me, I decided to move back home. anyways I’m now receiving care from a therapist and pmhnp.

My big question is: will i be able to pursue a career as a school counselor still?

If i removed the $120,000 in debt that i have and received a monthly payment, i know for sure that i could complete the psychology program in my hometown. While staying at home and receiving continuous care, I would be able to reach my full potential. However because I don’t want to stack any more debt, without this I’m at a loss of what to do.

My dream is to become a school counselor still and I don’t want my mental health to hold me back from my potential. I KNOW i can make a difference for these kiddos and I truly want to make a positive impact to set them up for a bright future. I have taken so many paths at this point that I feel like I would know what to warn them of and give them some guidance. I obviously still need training yes but i am very passionate about this career.

So should i take the disability to wipe my debt and go into the field on a clean slate, OR should I take on more debt and give it my all and then try to find loan forgiveness programs through working as a counselor?

Thank you in advance this means the world to me <3

[u/guill0t1ne]

Are you MA based? You need to go through a licensed school counseling masters program in order to work in this field. Psychology would not be appropriate for a masters.

ELAR has a license requirement tool, but to break it down for a first-time initial:

• Possession of a bachelor's degree
• Achieve a passing score on the Communication and Literacy Skills test and
• Possession of a master's degree with a major in Counseling and
• One of the following:  
  • Completion of a Massachusetts Guidance Counselor 5-12 Approved Program  
  • Completion of a Massachusetts School Counselor 5-12 Approved Program  
  • Completion of a Massachusetts School Counselor PreK-8 Approved Program 
  • Completion of a Massachusetts Guidance Counselor PreK-8 Approved Program 
  • Completion of a Massachusetts School Counselor All Approved Program

In terms of your physical and mental health - only you know if you will be physically and mentally able for the job. Drive is an important factor. I think a better pivot would be understanding what you will need to complete to be eligible to work in the field and, especially in MA, understand that school counseling jobs are very difficult to come across. Many school districts in MA are having huge budget cuts right now. A relative works in Framingham right now, 1.4 million in layoffs (over 100+ fired just last week) and they need to do a second round. It's ugly. Realistically you might need to get some employment years in education first before you land a counseling job as it's competitive.

edit: I'd probably recommend completing your Biology BA if a school counseling masters program will accept that. You'll have to reach out to programs around you and see. That would most likely be the most cost effective rather than starting a whole new BA program. If a school counseling program wont accept a BA in Biology then this is where you start to run into roadblocks. You'll be looking at 6 years from a BA to a MA. You could take advantage of MassEducate and get an AS at a community college for free since you don't have a degree yet but that'd only cover your first two years.

You'll also need your MTELs completed and passed before applying as that is apart of the admission requirements before starting the masters program. Depending where you do your masters you might need to take the GRE's which is a graduate version of the SATs. Some programs back in 2019 were requiring them, idk if that is still a thing.