I honestly don't know whether my T has mental illness issues of her own. It's my opinion that most individuals go into this field for a reason beyond wanting to help others - often, they either appreciate the help they received and want to pay it forward to others, wish that they had received better care and understanding, or stood witness to someone close to them experienced either of the above. So, in saying that, I would venture to guess that she has some issues of her own or someone close to her has or has had struggles.

My therapist does share little bits of her life with me, but it is in passing. We are still relatively new to working with one another and, admittedly, I am a handful and much of our session is her trying to get me to take (or not take) an action of some sort. She will insert her own experiences in here and there, but her focus is on me during the session and only brings things up about herself, in my opinion, strategically. And, that is okay with me. She divulges enough to make me feel comfortable, but I remain the focus of our time together.

My dietitian has shared with me that she is in recovery from an eating disorder. We have never spoken at length about her experience, but she will offer anecdotes and insight when it's appropriate to do so.

Both my T and dietitian do model healthy coping skills and reactions to emotions. They will name their emotions, at times, and share the skills they're using to get through the feelings into a more rational head space. They don't hide their emotions - my therapist wouldn't be very good at that because her facial expressions give her away. But, at the same time, they do not make their feelings my problem. I never feel as though I have to take care of them and they remain strong in the face of whatever I throw at them. They're consistent and patient. And, I'm learning from both my therapist and dietitian that emotions are a part of living life. And, instead of trying to run from them, embracing them and allowing myself to learn how to cope with them will help me have a life worth living versus simply existing.

I do believe both receive counseling of their own as well as continued supervision/clinical support. And, I can honestly say that I would be uncomfortable if they weren't. In the end, I don't care whether they have their own mental health issues or not. What matters to me is that they would seek appropriate care so that they can be healthy for their clients. And, neither my T or dietitian have given me a reason to doubt their stability or ability to care for me. In fact, they've proven time and time again that I, too, can learn to face my emotions instead of ignoring them or refusing to sit with them, understand them, or work on them.