Hi deliquesce!

I think it is wonderful you are considering the mental heath field! I am also a student in the same field. I have some friends who are T's and I guess the most important thing they have told me and others is to get your own issues worked out as much as possible before you EVER get in a position where you are being a T, whether just in training or other wise.
If you have had any trauma in the past, make sure you get that worked out because your work can very easy trigger your past. I think T's owe it to their future clients to make sure they can be as strong as possible. It takes a huge about of strength to be a good T. The best T's are the ones who have had lived through some pain in their life, but only if they worked on their issues. I know too many students who haven't worked on their past, or even strong enough to handle their own life, who are practicing on other students as practice T's. This is so dangerous, to the both the student and the T in training, and so unprofessional.

All T's will encounter problems, just like everyone else in their life, but you have to make adjustments to make sure you don't hurt others. My one prof. who is a full time T said that when he was going through his divorce, he stopped taking any couples or individuals that are having couple problems.
For me, I am working on my child abuse past, to desensitize the trauma I experienced. It is very hard work but one I feel is very beneficial to myself and my future clients. Nobody is perfect, but if you don't work out your issues before trying to tackle others, you will be like a time bomb waiting to explode. Who will be hurt? Your client.
So for me, who can't really afford therapy because my heath benefits are so poor, I use my student loans to help pay for therapy. I feel it is really part of my training to be the best T I can be. Good luck deliquesce. There are many good books to read, even part of this site there is a student message board for T's in training. There are books recommended on there that are very good ones.