Can you become a therapist if you have mental problems?

I struggle a lot with inner demons and recently got diagnosed with bipolar. I've had self-harm and suicidal problems in the past, and I've also struggled with an eating disorder. Anyways, I'm majoring in psychology and I've always wanted to be a child psychologist or a school counselor or just something where I work with kids and help them through their problems. Can I still do that after the things I've gone through and been diagnosed with?

if you are here in america the answer is yes you can have mental and physical health problems and still have the career of your choice even if that career is in the mental health field...many treatment providers...doctors, therapists psychiatrists have gone into their chosen career because they had problems and they wanted to help/give back for what other treatment providers have done to help them.

You can. I would hope my therapist would be quite stable though.

I think most people in this field have some demons to deal with, and that's why they get into it.

You'll want to be in a good place by the time you start to practice. It can be very triggering. If you are in a good place I think it could be very rewarding and great for the kids.

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my T is bipolar but he is stable. as long as it doesnt affect ur life in a negative way and u take responsiblity in taking care of urself i see it as a benefit

I agree with Michanne.

I think that if you had depression or other issues and you recovered from it - you would be MORE capable to help others. You could better relate to your patients battles than a person who simply read about depression. (you would be MORE qualified).

However, if you are not fully recovered - I think hearing other peoples issues would be far too upsetting to handle and could be dangerous for yourself.

Gods blessings to you.

I would be very distraught if we lived in a world where the answer to that question was "no". Absolutely NOTHING should be denied anyone unless they did something to cause their right or privilege to be taken away.

Just echoing what's already been said - i think unless you've found a way of working through your own personal issues/traumas, a vocation in mental health services may not be appropriate. I mean obviously it can be an ongoing process of recovery but i would be mindful not only of how a client/patients difficulties are affecting you but how your difficulties could affect them. It's a two way street. I wish you all the very best in achieving your goals.

I think plenty of people with mental health issues want to work in the field because it's familiar territory to them and therefore of interest. I say go for it if you have a reasonable measure of stability!

Yes, most therapists in the U.S. need therapists. That said, you should work toward getting to a healthy place so that you can best serve your clients.

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I'm studying psychology too and I'd like to become a child psychologist, and I too was worried that because of my problem I couldn't be good in this work...I'm stable, but I was however worried for this. But some of you said that I could even work better because of this...you made me feel better! Best wishes for your work Rayne Selene

I think for the most part someone with MI would indeed make an excellent therapist themselves, due to the fact that they understand and get what we go thru. There would be the added level of compassion and empathy that would enhance the relationships between therapist and client which would likely be absent coming from a normal person never having gone thru a MI themselves. More would be brought to the table and perhaps it could possibly lend a hand towards successful therapy in the end.

However, I don't think this would be a good fit for just anyone who suffers from the various MI out there. I would shudder to think a clinical psychopath or sociopath in this profession. They don't generally care about people, so to me, they would pose a risk to patients' well-being . They might not have their best interests at heart when treating patients.

I think in your case, you should be just fine. I would embrace your dream and go for it.

Actually, I don't think you can be on psych meds and have any career in USA. For one I had a friend who worked in air traffic control, and she could not take a prozac and keep her job. She had to take SamE and St . John's Wort. I would imagine at high levels of government/military/and even hospital settings it could be an issue. Not trying to be a debby downer. It is very common I agree that people with MI seek to become employees in the mental health field because they can learn more about their own illness and empathize. I also have a friend in AA who is mid-forties and her bipolar, eating disorder and anxiety are very apparent. She has always worked in the mental health field. She lived by me for a year unemployed and moved to a larger city where she hasn't landed a job yet. Unfortunately, for many MI can become worse as you age.

Best of luck. Tnt

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Oh and huge ditto on having worked thru your own illness first. As a recovering addict the stats were about 10 yrs of employment until a former addicted counselor completely burns out on the job. The addiction workers have it really hard because they're triggered daily. It's not common, but some continue to work after relapsing and keep it a secret and there is a rehab here where the director committed suicide. I believe giving back to the community by healing is an amazing feat. It just can take a lot out of a person and they lose themselves.

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Can I Be a Good Psychologist if I Have Mental Health Issues? | Ask the Therapist

I don't agree with the choice of the words "correct" and "cure", but otherwise it's a good answer to the question.

In short, yes, so long as your issues don't interfere with therapy. You're there to help someone else, and you can't be really helpful if you're battling your own demons at the same time.

Perception is everything. Our own personal reality hinges on how we perceive the world we live in. How can we offer a stable reality to a potential client when we are constantly trying to maintain our own? Medications do not "cure" us, and breakthrough symptoms, relapses, are common for people like us. It would really depend on what your condition is. On the other hand, something like chemical dependency, or PTSD which is caused by EXTERNAL stimuli can be overcome, and would be an asset.

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In the USA, the APA guidelines are 5 years without mental defect. I think that is a good guideline even if you don't pursue licensure...

Yes, but I don't want a therapist who has mental problems. Just my personal preference. Not that I would know anyway, but I've known too many mental health professionals who really shouldn't have been practicing because of their own issues.

I don't understand what you mean by the post above? I have ptsd and am an addict in recovery. Ptsd from childhood trauma can go years without treatment and actually causes slight brain damage in some. Vets that get into therapy asap and deal with tragedy with adult coping skills may be different. The mental illness caused me to self medicate with drugs. Which was an internal cause.

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Mental illness can have many different facets and causes. Take an otherwise "normal" functioning brain and introduce toxins or considerable stress, and the brain will defend itself in various ways that can alter your perceptions. Remove these external pressures, and eventually over time the brain can heal itself, even rebuilding pathways.
However, if the cause is genetic, or a defect at birth, the condition is irreversible and requires life long management.
I am not speaking of traumatic brain injuries, from which there is no return.

Yeah I can't see why not.

If the answer was "no" It would be liking telling a parent they can't be a good parent because of their mental health.

I am bipolar, and at times my reality is skewed by paranoia, or grandiosity, sometimes even my defeatist attitude. I rely heavily on my therapist to put things in perspective. I just don't think I could trust her if she had her own battles with the same.

yes you can my own treatment providers (therapist, psychiatrist and medical doctor) have their own mental health problems and are managing it on medication, I am also a treatment provider with a crisis intervention center and hospital mental health unit. we can be on any psychotropic meds on the market as long as those medications are legal ones, and we are under the care of a treatment provider that is licensed by the state to dispense medications...ie we cant get our meds off the street from drug dealers, our friends an family members and all that, that some people sometimes resort to, but we can get the meds from a pharmacy after a treatment provider has dispensed the prescription.

here in the USA we have anti discrimination laws where it is illegal to prevent someone from working the job of their choice based on race, hanicap, sexual orientation and mental illness. in fact here in america we have social service and employment agencies that help the mentally and physically challenged due to physical or mental problems obtain jobs in their chosen careers...example Office Of Vocational Rehabilitation, ARC, Department of Human Services, Social Services/ Good will, St Vincent Du Paul, United Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy Association, NAMI, Catholic Charities, gosh I can go on and on about all the different agencies here in New York City that help those with mental illness get what they need to become the doctors, lawyers, teachers, therapists, psychiatrists....you name it that they want to be....

here in the USA we dont hold our mentally challenged people back, we help them to achieve their dreams.it doesnt matter whether they are on medication or not or what mental disorder they have. its whether they are able to do the job even though they have those things to deal with.

the mentally ill can do anything any normal person can do here in the USA, we have those rights and freedoms here to be what ever we want to be.