Defining a helping profession or a helper-- personally I like the term "do gooder" even though some people use it in a mean way-- is complex. This encompasses many professions where people work directly with those who are indigent or have problems that need some kind of intervention-- kids with special needs, immigrants, the homeless, victims of violence and abuse, criminal defendants, parents and children in all kinds of systems, people who have been discriminated against, and those with medical and dental problems-- including mental health issues.

I am in a helping profession by education and by practice-- I work with extremely traumatized victims of interpersonal violence. If I get at least part of the understanding of why you asked this question, the answer is that it does have something to do with what I've been through in my life and the ability to transform trauma from my personal life into helping others. It also has something to do with therapy, as one of the main reasons I see my T is for self care from the stress of hearing the awful things that have happened to the people I work with. Although it often doesn't stir up my own stuff, vicarious trauma is a real thing that I need help managing. I think the stories of trauma are often not as hard to hear as the way that institutions fail those who have experienced it, starting often with school and continuing through other sources of help and the legal system.