[atisketatasket]

If you've ever asked, or been told, why did your therapist become a therapist? (Or, if you're a therapist or training to be one, why did you choose that career?)

Of my three, two have said that they experienced trauma and suffering themselves and came to know the mental health system as patients/clients themselves. The other one had two psychoanalyst parents and found their work interesting - kind of like doctors' kids becoming doctors themselves.

Poll is multiple options, and yes, I am sure I have left some possibilities out. That's why there's an "other" option - please elaborate.

[awkwardlyyours]

Marked 'other'.

I've never asked. She's never volunteered (blank slate and all that).

But, once when she got on the topic of 'our relationship', I asked her what exactly she was getting out of being a therapist and after some hemming and hawing (and ticking off the usual about caring etc), she said that the 'relationship' with the client is a significant part of the payoff.

I don't know what to make of that but well....

My therapist told me the story once. Being a therapist was not his first career choice. I don't remember what he said was his first choice, but he told the story about how his path changed.

He had a college friend whose mother was a psychologist. She was moving her office, and he got recruited by his friend to help with the move. He said over that weekend, he spent a lot of time talking to her and became fascinated by what she did. That sparked further interest and discovery, eventually leading him to change majors and work toward his eventual doctorate. He didn't have a particularly traumatic childhood. Kind of typical family dysfunction, but nothing too terribly out of the ordinary. He was just really fascinated by psychology and went from there.

I answered "other" on the poll in relation to my most recent therapist. As I sit here typing I am thinking about the other two therapists I worked with. The first actually started in education and went on into therapy. He had a very stable home life, but was motivated to work with students in more of an emotional supportive role beyond teaching. The second therapist was primarily a minister by profession. He went back to school to gain an additional degree as a therapist after encountering many parishioners who were struggling. He saw and felt the need to be able to provide more skilled support for his parishioners in need. He also came from a very stable home; no trauma particularly. Just a calling.

[ruh roh]

My therapist said she got into it to be a school counselor and then discovered that she didn't like the admin scene. Somewhere along the way, she found she also liked to work with adults.

I like that she did not get into this for self serving saintly reasons. She's actually kinder and more helpful than the ones I saw who felt "called."

[stopdog]

I have no idea about the first one - it is indoors, she likes being adored by the clients who do that sort of thing, and it does not involve math is my guess. I would also assume some history of trauma or mental healthy sorts of things going awry.
The second one did not become a therapist until later in life. She has talked about her upbringing and trauma and her own therapy.

[AllHeart]

My t has a desire to help others, believes she can help others, has experienced trauma and a ton of childhood adversity, and, has been a client herself. She still has quite a few issues she should be working out if you ask me.

[junkDNA]

my T was initially a atmospheric chemist. he wanted to go become a priest. he has had a traumatic past. he has been in long term therapy himself, and realized it was something he was interested in... helping others. as far as the priest thing , he said being a T was easier. also he is not catholic anymore

I marked other because I really don't know exactly why. I have never asked. All I know is that she has mentioned several times about doing her own work, about being farther down the same road that I'm on now, stuff like that. Maybe one day I will ask her.

[Mondayschild]

I believe my therapist was originally studying theology was heading in the direction of ministry specifically with kids in mind. I don't remember why changed his mind and became a psychologist. Maybe he didn't, maybe he still will someday.

#Life is a beautiful lie#

[ejayy78]

My t genuinely cares for people (obvious by her personality, the little of it I get to see) and desires them to live a life full of truth and not a life clouded by past traumas or lies. She talks freely about this. So I checked the desires to help others box. I also checked the experienced trauma box because, while I don't know any specific details (thankfully lol), my t has mentioned to me in times where I'm convinced that she doesn't understand me at all, that my story & what I've been through are almost identical to some of the things in her past.

From what I know he was encouraged by his university chaplain to go and work for a therapeutic residential facility, and he did, and loved it, worked there for many years before going into private practice.

[brillskep]

I've never asked my therapist. He once talked about feeling like his previous (similar) profession wasn't enough because he was mostly working in reseatch and didn't have the kind of deep contact he wanted with people. I guess there were other reasons as well.

[annielovesbacon]

We've never talked about it, but now I want to ask her.
My guess is because she genuinely cares about and wants to help people, my overall impression of her is that she is a kind and caring individual.

[Waterbear]

It's not quite the same but in a conversation with middle T who I only saw for 4 sessions we talked about our relationship. Well, I say talked, we used stones and moved them etc. After a bit of toing and froing she moved hers next to mine and said "I would like to be there, next to you, how does that feel?" I said "unknown", followed by silence then " why?"

I have to commend her for her honesty because the reasons were all self satisfaction based. I was honestly expecting something along the lines of "because I want to help you because you deserve to be happy, because you are worthwhile, because I think I can help you be who you want to be" or anything like that. I was not expecting her response but to be fair to her I don't think she was expecting my question either!!

One of the reasons I didn't feel like it would work between us.

[atisketatasket]

It is sort of like the question "why do you want to be President?" One needs to have a coherent answer that doesn't make one seem like one just wants power/is being self-serving.

[nottrustin]

I put a desire to help others. She was studying art in college. She realized she was the go to person for whenever her friends needed somebody to talk to. She liked being able to help them so she figured she should do it for a career and get paid to do so.