I'm also intending to become a therapist. I had another career as a professor but it was too intellectual and sorta mean-spirited. It was my own experience in therapy and then volunteering as a suicide prevention and crisis counselor, which I partly took on due to my involvement with Zen Buddhism and wanting to alleviate suffering and take social action, that experience convinced me that I was able to do the work and handle the stress. I actually also found great reward and satisfaction in helping others and seemed to have some natural abilities to handle even surprising things (like a homicidal call!). Even though I have a trauma history that is severe, I never got triggered or felt pushed too hard and there were really serious calls that required sometimes hours of non-stop attention. Lots of people go into the field because they themselves have either had some experience or known others. Just be careful to stay steady. Schools who know your history might become nervous about it. That happened to me just recently. I've decided to keep more quiet about my experiences in the future. And also be careful with clients who do not necessarily need to know the truth about you. Your ability to connect will prove itself without having to say anything.