“It is so easy to listen to people all day”, “All you do is give advice all day or nod your head, your job is so easy”, “Even I’m a therapist to all my friends…They come to me whenever they have problems”.
Being a therapist comes with sitting through the most difficult moments of our clients. I don’t think any description of this profession can do justice to describe how sacred it is to be there and witness someone who is crying their eyes out in front of you. Our view of the world turns out to be disproportionate.
In order for clinicians to thrive at what they do and in their personal lives, we must actively normalise just how dynamic and challenging our work can be and that we, like other humans, need to take care of ourselves. I also believe that we should work creatively and collaboratively to help ourselves and each other.
Doing this day in and day out stirs so much for us too. It requires us to sit through our own discomforts, our own triggers, our own insecurities and so much more.
Aside from life being, well, life for everyone, sometimes being a therapist can just be hard.
Depending on the setting in which you work, sometimes can be all of the time.
Private practice can appear more prestigious, and somehow cocooned from the intensity that agency work can possess, and in many ways that may be true.
However, it can also be isolating and overwhelming.
At the same time, being a therapist can be incredibly fulfilling! It is one of the most rewarding experiences ever.