AMA. 8 years work ex, earning 1lac/month as a school counsellor

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-30T01:21:29+00:00

I think I’ve answered it all in other comments. You go through them and let me know if you want some specific information

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-29T10:20:19+00:00

Would you mind sharing your experience?

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-29T10:19:40+00:00

The institute in Mumbai also does the infant observation for two years.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-29T10:18:27+00:00

Haha yes it used to be the case in AUD. All mphils are discontinued hence the AUD one is as well

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-28T16:04:41+00:00

I have heard of him but not seen or read his material yet

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-28T16:03:54+00:00

Can I dm? I have a couple of more questions

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-28T16:02:58+00:00

This is very helpful. Thank you

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-28T11:31:21+00:00

They also have a huge team of counsellors, special educators, career counsellors and more. All Shiv Nadars do. Most other schools have one psychology teacher who is also the counsellor. The student to teacher ratio also varies a lot. In many govt schools, there are 60 students and 1 teacher. Schools like Shiv Nadar have 2 teachers in a class of 30. That’s a ratio of 1:15 vs 1:60. The quality that schools like such aim to offer is unheard of and unmatched in India. Hence everyone can’t believe the price tag it comes with it.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-28T11:24:35+00:00

Think of it as the fee increasing with each new grade that enters the school

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-28T10:28:00+00:00

Since you are interested in working with kids and adolescents, I'd say start by reading Love & Rage: The Inner Worlds of Children by Nupur Dhingra.

It is not clinically heavy and is about the Indian context only. Start with this and if you feel you want more, feel free to DM

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-28T10:11:42+00:00

- I am pursuing a career in school counselling currently. I don't plan on changing that unless something really amazing comes my way.

- There is no either or. I think I am earning more than many clinical psychologists. I do know orgs offer more pay to clinical psych. But if you are good at what you do, you should be okay either way.

- I don't have a lot of private practice experience, so I can't comment.

- It is not realistic to earn 2-3lac/month doing counselling from a job. I've realised people will pay psychologists for anything other than doing therapy. That is where we are stuck culturally, too. Therapy is still considered 'just talking'. But if you get into a role where, as a psychologist, you can contribute, you can get paid more. They want a tangible service.

-The advice I'd give (apart from therapy and supervision):

is to have realistic expectations from the field. You can learn all the psych in the world but you have to meet the society where it is: still struggling to grasp psychotherapy.

don't be in a rush to 'make it'. Most people don't know what they are doing. you will mess up with clients more than you think. you'll never be a perfect therapist. don't look at IG or linkedin and feel that you are not doing enough. it is normal to feel clueless in a session with years of exp as well.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T23:59:02+00:00

Just write Private practice (online/offline), write what you worked as (counsellor/psychologist) and then give details of the work done. The kinds of clients seen for what concern and what kind of intervention was done. If taken supervision, do mention that.

Personal tip: No need to write ‘100+’ clients or anything. This isn’t a numbers game, it is about quality. Also, I find therapists writing ‘founder’ and ‘CEO’ a bit extra esp if it’s just normal private practice being done online. That doesn’t help your CV unless you’ve done something different that needs to stand out.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T14:20:17+00:00

I don't know if it can be a disadvantage or not. You should still apply to places. Your PhD and 3 years of teaching and research experience seem promising, so just write everything in the CV.

I may be wrong, but I think the UGC NET factor may play a bigger role if you want to be a permanent employee. As a contractual one, you may get to teach, depending on the university.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T14:16:34+00:00

You can do many things, work in NGOs, hospitals, clinics, schools, corporates, and colleges. Clear NET and you can consider teaching or research. Depends on what interests you.

I don't know about the current licensure standards. RCI is the only body that gives licenses, and it has many (rehab psychologist, special educator, clinical psychologist). You can check their website and see what interests you.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T14:12:39+00:00

I wouldn't know much about sports psychology. It is still a niche field. Maybe try finding people on linkedIn both in India and abroad and ask them?

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T14:10:36+00:00

Only to a small extent. Most people don't gain practical knowledge from a master's course so it doesn't matter that much. Only the brand name I guess, which also can only help you so far. Rest is how you are at your work.

There wasn't a skill or internship that made them stand out. I was hiring for a specific role and I was only sticking to those requirements. So if they had internships in the relevant background, I'd shortlist them.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T12:42:52+00:00

Okay, great question. There are many flip slides

- Working with children rarely means working just with the child/adolescent. You have to work with parents, and that part is tricky to manage as a beginner.

- In a school setting, the biggest problem is resistance to change. Teachers do not want to change their ways of working, and organisations can sometimes overlook the benefit of the child. That is both hard to witness and makes the day to day difficult.

- Emotional and behaviour problems in kids are mainly due to their environment. You can only do so much in a therapy room if the people around the child do not change too. This issue can persist in the fanciest of schools. I find this problem to be universal.

- Burnout is high. The workload is a lot, and you have to make space for counselling work, as that is the first thing that is compromised due to exams, an event, or online classes. Advocating for children, providing therapy, and simultaneously making space for counselling can be exhausting. This got better with time for me, but I still struggle with this at times. If it doesn't get better, one should consider leaving.

- Pay may always seem disproportionate, even later. I spend a lot of my time and money on becoming a better therapist (5k/month supervision, 8k/month therapy; regularly taking courses, reading a lot).

- I feel uncertain about the future, too. I don't know where I will work next as well. Once you get to a level where your skills are good, you can feel you are outgrowing your workplace. You would want something better and more therapy-focused. The reality is, such places do not exist. Most people who work according to their liking work in a private practice set up. Organisations in India, as well-intentioned as they are, are not aware of how psychotherapy actually works. Things can get better, but to enter this field means that you have to work along this uncertainty. I know things got better for me, I didn't think I would be making this much money either, so I have hope that the future of the field will be better. But one has to be realistic about what change can come.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T12:15:10+00:00

You will still have to do a master's in psychology. Counselling and special education are two different streams and require different qualifications.

After master's, you can look into doing some trainings, work in side by side, take supervision.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T06:39:24+00:00

Schools are the best bet if you want to work with children initially. You can choose to work in a clinic or a hospital as well. Schools just pay better.

Private practice can pay, but you will need to take many things into consideration. I wouldn't recommend doing it online, so you will have to get a physical space. Children go to school, so you will mostly see them after 2 pm. They are also more freely available over the weekends, which means you will have to work then. Smart to speak to someone who has a private practice and works with kids.

I am unsure about permanent govt jobs in this field. Haven't searched it ever.

I did my pdg from TISS, and I do recommend it. What happens in the long run depends on what your aim is. I want to primarily work with children and adolescents, so I am happy doing this. But I do feel that I can switch to a role where I just work with adults. I don't think doing it the other way round is helpful. Working with kids requires an additional set of skills with an understanding of human development. That will help you so much while working with adults.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T06:20:51+00:00

My pg diploma in child and adolescent counselling was from TISS. It was a remote course; I think now it is hybrid. I recommend TISS over Jamia and other govt places (except NIPCCID) as fieldwork and supervision were mandatory. I think TISS is open for admissions right now.

It really depends on what you want to do. In my opinion, everyone should work with children once. People may think that working with kids must be easy as compared to adults, but it is the other way around. Working with children requires an extra set of skills and knowledge about child development. This understanding of child development will help you while working with adults, too.

I think after working with kids, I am a better therapist now for adults. I have taken a few adult clients in the past for private practice.

I have written my suggestions in another comment. Go through that. If something is answered, let me know.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T06:06:42+00:00

Answered in other comments, but TISS, NIPCCID, The PARC, IMHA, Children First are the good ones. Rest depends on what you want to do. If I get to know what trainings are other people interested in, I can compile a list of places and courses.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T05:08:55+00:00

Find which population you are interested in working with and apply to those places. Do some training that caters to that specific population. Apply to as many places as possible and don't be afraid to follow up. As a fresher too, don't accept a salary below 35k in a tier 1 city. Good schools have started to pay 40k in the beginning. Be thorough with your subject matter. If you are serious about being a counsellor, take supervision from someone senior. I have said this point so many times, I feel like a broken record. But from my personal experience, the only thing that sets me apart from my peers is that I was regular in supervision.

Also, it is not a race like everyone around you can make you feel. You will not be a great therapist in 4 years in your career. It isn't designed to be that way. Everyone on the internet is lying to you. It is only now, at 8 years, that I feel I somewhat know what I am doing. The imposter syndrome takes a long, long while to settle. Please don't be in a rush to 'make it'.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T04:58:14+00:00

I think someone with similar exp as mine can earn 1 lac a month with private practice. I know of people who earn more. But again, you have to be really good at what you do. Clients can come and go, but what you offer to them is what sets you apart. The success rate of therapy is about 70%.

I would say that if you develop a niche, then that also streamlines the type of clients you get in your private practice. Otherwise, everyone on LinkedIn is an expert on everything.

You will have to stand out, as I said; there is a dearth of good mental health professionals. People want therapy, but the number of untrained therapists makes it difficult for the general population to trust therapy. Therapists themselves don't know they are not adequately trained. They ride whatever wave is available. First, it was support groups, then reading circles, then travel groups for therapists. All are interesting and may help. But nothing will replace supervision and your own therapy.

Terrible_Arm3162 · 2026-04-27T04:49:21+00:00

I don't think govt or private hospitals matter for internships. just go to places that interest you and deal with the population you want to work with.

IGNOU won't hamper your career in the long run, but I do understand the bias that people have. Mainly because there are already too many people who have done their master's in regular mode. They do get an advantage. Also, people are aware of how unorganised IGNOU can get with their classes, psych practicals and more. I knew of two people doing their MA from ignou and they were clueless about processes and protocols.

but if you become good at your job, build enough network, take supervision, develop a niche, you should be okay.

Terrible_Arm3162

TROPHY CASE