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Balancing Act: The Ups & Downs of Being a Therapist

So you’ve picked up your degree, passed your licensing exam, taken a deep breath, and plunged into your career as a therapist.

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Congratulations!

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If you’re having a mix of excitement and misgivings about how you will be spending the next few decades, you’re not alone!

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The best things about being a therapist

Is the life of a therapist all rainbows and butterflies? Sorry, no. But I strongly believe that it is an excellent career choice. Here are the best things I experienced in my 25 year career as a clinical psychologist:

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An enduring sense of being truly helpful to my fellow humans
Interesting work. (OK, boring on rare occasions, but what job isn’t? As they say, “Why do you think they call it ‘work’?”)
Having an answer to the question “Why on earth did [INSERT NAME FROM NEWS STORY HERE] do that!” more often than the average person
Working in a quiet, comfy office rather than a factory floor or a cube farm
Job security. In the best of times and the worst of times, people need therapy
A pretty decent income
Respect from the community
More independence than the average worker
An opportunity to exercise empathy and connect with your fellow human beings much more often than most people get to experience

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The worst things about being a therapist

On the other hand, despite the real advantages listed above, there were occasional drawbacks, some of which I hadn’t anticipated:

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Worrying if I had said the right thing, or given the right advice, or given ANY advice instead of letting them struggle with a decision themselves. I’d failed to realize that if there was an easy solution to a client’s problems, or a clear choice among their nerve-wracking options, they would have figured these issues out themselves.
Worrying that a depressed client might act on their sadness before the next session.
Discovering that at parties, upon learning of your profession, some people will nervously edge away from you.
Conversely, discovering that others at parties corner you for the next hour, asking for you to agree that their spouse or boss or neighbor is mentally unstable.
Not being able to say much about my day at the dinner table because of confidentiality concerns.
Being uninterested in conversations at the end of a day of back to back sessions, causing your spouse to wonder why you are being so quiet.
Having to abandon all social media posts for (realistic) fears that your clients will see your photos and judge you harshly.
Being told “I don’t need a therapist, I need a spouse!” when you try to give helpful interpersonal advice.
Wincing at the depiction of therapists and mental illnesses in most films.
Tons of paperwork. Followed by more paperwork.
Realizing that insurance companies are far more interested in profits than in the welfare of their customers.
Easily recognizing sociopathy and narcissism in politicians, and wondering helplessly why others can’t see it.