[ilikecats]

Do you think being a therapist is a real job? A comment on another thread made me think about this. What qualities would make a job count as real? Why would being a therapist count or not count?

Personally, I think being a therapist is a real job. But I find it interesting that some people disagree, and I'd like to hear your opinions.

[stopdog]

I was playing with ATAT. It was a joke.

[JaneTennison1]

It's a job, they make money so to me it's as real as anything. Not like they are Santa lol

[ilikecats]

Originally Posted by stopdog

I was playing with ATAT. It was a joke.

Oh, okay. But I'm still interested in it. Some people might really think that. Like there are some things that I don't think count as real jobs, while other people do. Like professional athletes. To me, those aren't real jobs. So some people might really think being a therapist isn't a real job, and I'd just like to hear opinions about it.

[atisketatasket]

Originally Posted by ilikecats

Oh, okay. But I'm still interested in it. Some people might really think that. Like there are some things that I don't think count as real jobs, while other people do. Like professional athletes. To me, those aren't real jobs. So some people might really think being a therapist isn't a real job, and I'd just like to hear opinions about it.

Some people do really think that. Is it a job to show up, listen to people's problems, maybe help them, maybe not, then eventually send them on their way, healed or not? I wouldn't say it's not a job, but I would say that the lack of at least a semi-objective performance evaluation system as most jobs have make it less of a job to me than, say, road grader.

Pet peeve alert: I would say professional athlete is a job, more so than therapist. I went to middle and high school with a future world-ranked tennis player, and believe me, she treated it like a job, one she loved, but a job nonetheless.

[Inner_Firefly]

Originally Posted by ilikecats

Oh, okay. But I'm still interested in it. Some people might really think that. Like there are some things that I don't think count as real jobs, while other people do. Like professional athletes. To me, those aren't real jobs. So some people might really think being a therapist isn't a real job, and I'd just like to hear opinions about it.

What an interesting point! How come you think professional athletes are not real jobs? Do you mean a real job must be in an office or something?

I personally think therapist is a real job for sure. Mine has to sit still, and listen with full attention to my rambling for 50 mins, if that's not a job I don't know what is...

[ilikecats]

Originally Posted by atisketatasket

Some people do really think that. Is it a job to show up, listen to people's problems, maybe help them, maybe not, then eventually send them on their way, healed or not? I wouldn't say it's not a job, but I would say that the lack of at least a semi-objective performance evaluation system as most jobs have make it less of a job to me than, say, road grader.

Pet peeve alert: I would say professional athlete is a job, more so than therapist. I went to middle and high school with a future world-ranked tennis player, and believe me, she treated it like a job, one she loved, but a job nonetheless.

That makes sense about the lack of a performance evaluation system. And I understand why people think being an athlete is a real job. I know it's a lot of hard work and takes a lot of skill. I just feel like it doesn't serve a function the way being a therapist does.

[atisketatasket]

Originally Posted by ilikecats

That makes sense about the lack of a performance evaluation system. And I understand why people think being an athlete is a real job. I know it's a lot of hard work and takes a lot of skill. I just feel like it doesn't serve a function the way being a therapist does.

I take your point, but you could say it serves an entertainment function, or a psychosocial function - offering a physical paradigm or an example of qualities like endurance for others to imitate.

[ilikecats]

Originally Posted by Inner_Firefly

What an interesting point! How come you think professional athletes are not real jobs? Do you mean a real job must be in an office or something?

I personally think therapist is a real job for sure. Mine has to sit still, and listen with full attention to my rambling for 50 mins, if that's not a job I don't know what is...

I feel like professional athletes aren't real jobs because they don't serve a function. Not the way being a therapist, teacher, cook, janitor, nurse, lawyer, etc. serve a function. I do think that athletes work hard and are admirable though. I just wouldn't consider it a job as much as other things.

[ilikecats]

Originally Posted by atisketatasket

I take your point, but you could say it serves an entertainment function, or a psychosocial function - offering a physical paradigm or an example of qualities like endurance for others to imitate.

That's true. I guess it's entertainment in the same way actors and singers entertain. I hadn't thought about that. I'm not really a sports fan, so I've never been entertained by them. But I see what you mean. I do think being a therapist is more of a job though.

[JustShakey]

I would say that only the person who holds the job can decide if it is real or not. Technically anything you are paid for doing is a real job, but a 'real' real job is something that you feel empowered/validated/insert what you want from your career here by. That's individual and subjective.

[BayBrony]

Yes Its a real job.
This hits a spot for me as recently on an unusually nice day for December my T said she was jealous that I got to "go play in the sun with horses all day"
Its one of the few times I got really peeved with her. I love what I do but I've been out past 3 am on emergency calls twice this week, stood out in the rain suturing up a wound, got kicked by a cranky donkey etc. I was like " yes I play with horses in the sun all day just like all you do is zone out and occasionally repeat things while someone talks"

[atisketatasket]

I will say that it really irritates me when people - often state legislators looking to balance budgets - start questioning whether university professors really do "work."

[magno11789]

I think it is a real job. They get paid money and pay taxes. If they are in private practice they own a business and have a business license. I think therapists are evaluated to an extent. They are evaluated by their clients. If their client has a problem they can either tell the therapist and the therapist can change or the client can quit. As clients we are technically their boss since we are paying them. If they lose too many clients they might have to ask themselves why. What makes any job a real job? Every job out there is different.

[Permacultural]

therapists work with their minds and their emotions, regulating both to evaluate and treat their clients difficulties. There are people that excel in this type of work, people that coast through the day, and people that hate their work and it is obvious.

Therapists are accepting of behaviors that most people would judge, criticize, and even punish. They get into details when most people would run away. And they put their own freedom at risk every time they close the door.

Many therapists have worked in mental hospitals and prisons. They have been verbally abused, inappropriately touched, had bodily fluids thrown at them, been assaulted, hospitalized, and some killed by their clients. They have had clients follow them home and ring their doorbell at 3 am.

And then they are yelled at by their boss/client and are told they can't be trusted because they get paid and are doing it for the money.

I don't know if it's necessarily a job, but I'd say anyone who gets into a field with these sorts of potentials is definitely working.

[Salmon77]

I think it's really wrong-headed to try to define what is a "real job" and what isn't. Imagine someone telling you your job isn't "real" for whatever reason. Too much fun, not enough physical labor, doesn't pay much, whatever.

If a person works and gets paid for it, of course it's a real job. It's insulting to say otherwise.

[ilikecats]

Originally Posted by Salmon77

I think it's really wrong-headed to try to define what is a "real job" and what isn't. Imagine someone telling you your job isn't "real" for whatever reason. Too much fun, not enough physical labor, doesn't pay much, whatever.

If a person works and gets paid for it, of course it's a real job. It's insulting to say otherwise.

You're right. I'm sorry if I've offended anyone, I certainly didn't mean to. I just thought of this question based on a comment someone else said while they were joking.

[spring2014]

hi ilikecats,
being a therapist is a real job.im studying to become a therapist in the near future . my therapist inspired me to become a therapist cuz of the skills that I learned with my therapist to become one. she taught me breathing exercises and coping skills that I use in between sessions with my therapist . I would be lost without my therapist by my side.






Diagnosis: Anxiety and depression
meds : Cymbalta 60 mgs at night
Vistrail 2 25 mgs at night for insomnia with an additional 25 mgs=75 mgs when up past 1:00 in the morning

[nottrustin]

It is. While some think it is easy it isn't. There is a reason it has a high burn out rate.

[Cinnamon_Stick]

Yes, being a therapist is a real job. Mine has changed my life. I think therapists have to deal with a lot.

[atisketatasket]

I think it is often not thought of as a job enough that it is a legitimate question.

The thread is interesting in drawing out what people think are the defining qualities of a "real job."

[UglyDucky]

Originally Posted by ilikecats

Do you think being a therapist is a real job? A comment on another thread made me think about this. What qualities would make a job count as real? Why would being a therapist count or not count?

Personally, I think being a therapist is a real job. But I find it interesting that some people disagree, and I'd like to hear your opinions.

There's much more to being a T than showing up to listen to people, help or not help them, then terminate the process. I listened to an audio book titled, "On Being a Therapist," and was fascinated. Too, I've done some research on just how much education and training PhD psychologists have to complete to become licensed, and I have much more respect for their profession than I did years ago. PhD psychs don't earn as much money as one would think, if they are in private practice (I don't know much about social workers). Yes, definitely, at least a PhD psychologist in clinical practice performs a real job.

[unaluna]

I am guilty of having spitefully accused my t of not having a real job. Mostly in relation to him and my brother not doing manly jobs, and their not having started working at their adult careers at as tender an age as i did (21). So i dont want to hear from them now that im slacking off, when they took forever to grow up and were still going to school when i was being corporate.

[Nammu]

Oh sure, people decide to sit day after day with needy, insecure people with dependency issues for the fun of it, after spending good money to get a license to do so. By this logic babysitting isn't a job either.

[vonmoxie]

I picked other, because:
A) Reality and realness are subjective states that are probably out of scope for the purpose of this discussion.
B) How seriously a person takes being a therapist varies from job to job, from person to person, and across the breadth of their career. For instance, it's my opinion that maximum security prison psychiatrists probably have a more difficult job than say, someone who works 10 hours a week out of their house. But each can choose the degree to which they invest their efforts towards their patients' best outcomes, and it's probably their personalities which determine whether their job is a real job for them. Different things come easily for different people.