What do you think Ts would do if they could not be therapists?

Have you ever wondered about this? I actually started to think about this once I saw the thread about similarities between therapists and priests (http://forums.psychcentral.com/psych...riesthood.html).

I remember somebody asking a famous professional athlete (can't remember the name now), what would you do if you could not, say, be a basketball player and the guy said right away he would have tried another professional sport. I think therapists too would want to be in professions that help people. But I think they want to provide the close, one-on-one, very personal kind of help, and maybe they even "need" to do this (likely not as much as a client needs to see a therapist).

But to sit there, day after day, hour after hour, deal with one client after another, and not burn out or go crazy, to walk through the minefield of triggers and so much pain, it takes a special person with great motivation for this kind of work. I don't know what other profession can give them exactly this. Or maybe I'm reading too much into this...

I am more interested in what therapists did before they became therapists - my old chief executive became a T, a man of intimidating directness and awesome intelligence! I reckon he would be "sort of kill or cure!"

Haha, that's equally interesting interesting to me, but wow, chief executive, I'd be scared to be the client, lol.

I would fancy a guess that teaching would be a possible profession.

My exexT was AWFUL!! She preyed on the vulnerability of her patients. She then became a nursing home administrator where she was equally awful and did the same things. Now she works as a front desk agent at a Marriott. I bet she's awful there, too. I know she still has her T and NHA licenses, but I don't think she practices a lot in those fields anymore. Current T knows about her, says she sounds evil, and thinks perhaps she will burn in hell.

Lawyers. evil grin in Stopdog's direction
Seriously though, all the lawyers I know IRL fancy themselves pshrinks, so maybe it's more like if they couldn't be a lawyer, they'd be a T.

This is an interesting question. It made me realize that many of the therapists I've seen were also other things while also being licensed therapists--artist, priest, writer, teacher. So I guess that means I am drawn to therapists who don't wholly identify as therapists. And it would account for some of the nuttiness. Maybe I need to rethink this now that I'm looking for a new one.

We are called "Counselor"

I think my T would genuinely be lost. She has said she always knew she wanted to be a therapist, her whole life. I think that career fits her personality perfectly. But if she somehow couldn't ever be a therapist again, I could see her being a teacher.

My t used to be a railroad engineer, before becoming a t. I don't know how good she was at that job, but she is a great t as far as I am concerned!!

Interesting question. I really don't know.

My t would be a vet because she likes helping animals.
My husband (also a t) would be a youth pastor because he likes helping teenagers.

My therapist used to be an engineer.

The woman said she was a baker.

Executioner in a prison? Something like that probably.

They would have to do actual work for a change.

My T actually dropped out of law school...

yikes

I can see cbt t as an actor, motivational speaker or tv pitchman

I can see him talk-yelling like the late Billy Mays, pitching a sham-wow type product.

T is a psychiatrist so I guess he'd go into some other branch of medicine

Mine is a guy with a big full beard in flannel and comfy shoes, he'd make beer. We already talked about it.

Some of them would be bartenders, except for serving alcohol, job are in a similar field. Get paid to listen to people's problems.

I'm a T-in-training, and I think it is my calling because walking through pain with my clients is a joy to me. People come out the other side and they are different than before, and I get to see that and be a part of it. I'm not afraid of their triggers or their pain. I feel satisfaction when I stay present with that pain, bring a little bit of ease to it.

I think if I wasn't a T I'd be something that let me connect with others and help them achieve their goals in another way. A teacher, a social worker, something like that.

I'm also a trainee t, before that I was /am a young persons counsellor and support worker, domestic violence worker.....
Though I think I'd have made a darn good architect

My T used to be a medical secretary, so I guess she'd continue doing that.