Psychology undergrad student needs advice/guidance?

[lil guru]

I'm a 23 year-old woman who recently graduated with my B.A. in Psychology. Now that I'm out of school, I'm having a really hard time finding work in the Los Angeles area. I have held three teaching jobs and have one year of experience working in behavior therapy with children with autism with emphasis in DTT and Floortime methodologies. Almost all the relevant job postings I've come across require a Master's or some other kind of license or certification. I would really like to gain some more experience in the field of mental health/special education. Does anyone have any advice or tips how to better explore my opportunities?

[embroidery fan]

1) Do volunteer work, to find out what specifically appeals to you
2) Get a job an an instructional assistant in the school system, and see all the types of jobs in that setting, so you can decide if any of those appeal to you
3) Work in a non-public school with students of all ages (some have kids ages 6-18); having Emotionally Disturbed, Behavior-Disordered, and Mentally Retarded students. See which types & ages of students you like the best. See what job(s) you like the best, including art therapist, PE teacher, behavior modification specialist, teacher, principal, psychologist, speech therapist, nurse, etc.

[MeInThisWorld]

Look under social services-
such as group home manager
job coach
work shop counselor
also look into Early Intervention-with children from birth to age 3--contact a Special ChildHealth Service

[TAT]

You are going to have to go back to college. You will need to get a psychology or counseling degree. All states require at least a masters degree in order to be able to do therapy. You can in some states do what is called rehab services. These services are about teaching skills such as stress management or parenting skills. you might be able to do rehab skills with special education students. It depends on what California's standards are.

Private schools do not have special education programs