If you were a therapist, what would be the hardest part for you?

I wish there was some version of 'take your kid to work day' for adults. I think it would be fascinating to shadow a therapist for a day. It's one thing to know what sessions look like from a client perspective, quite another to get a sense for the rhythm of the day, of seeing different people, doing things that aren't direct therapy, interacting with colleagues, writing up notes and reports, going to supervision, etc.

I've struggled with employment and been unemployed for several long stretches in my life, and I always found myself wondering what everyone's job was like. What is it like to be a banker? A baker? An ultrasound tech? That guy who drives around and services irrigation systems? What, if any, innate qualities does it take to be good at any one of them? Could I do them?

I think these are natural questions to ask, and need not necessarily have some deep relationship to every oddity nestled in the corners of our psyche.

If a therapist after training still felt as people describe here. Than they've not finished training.

whats the hardest part ? Ummm lets see, I think for me the hardest part is leaving work at work. on a stressful day I tend to mull over / re think and bring my work home with me in my mind. Sometimes my work can overflow into areas that it shouldnt. (which is one of the reasons I have chosen to use this sites moderation. I really appreciate the time and energy that the moderators take with my posts and highly value their feedback, especially when I dont notice my posts are becoming too clinical this or that day.)

with my own therapist the hardest thing for her is not knowing how to help someone and terminating with them. sometimes she gets a client who she's not sure how to help because they are pushing all options away. at some point it turns into either the client has started letting her in or its time to terminate because nothing is getting done, nothing is progressing and nothing she can do to help. you cant force someone to accept your help all you can do is offer the help and see if they take you up on it.

How is it a fantasy question? Most of us don't actually WANT to be therapists, and here we're giving some reasons why we might not be suited for the job. And I don't see why the options in the poll indicate wounds - or why therapists should have healed all theirs before taking up therapy.

Any intelligent adult with some self-awareness can ask themselves "would I be good at x, and what problems would x pose for me?" And find an answer without indulging in a fantasy.

I knew even before I went to graduate school that teaching would pose problems for me in terms of relating to students. In the early years of my career, this proved correct.

Um, no. I still get nervous in front of a classroom. It is in the dealing with that that I continue my training.

Training is not just a degree or a course of study completed. That's part of it, but training is also learning on the job from mistakes and developing skills and addressing one's weaknesses.

No therapist is perfectly formed after training like Athena sprung from Zeus's head.

In my jurisdiction - those guys are required to keep up with continuing education to keep their license. So if nothing else, they have to pay for the course and show up - they don't have to pay attention.

I picked "Dealing with insurance companies"

In my job I do all of the above in the poll and that is the most challenging of the poll responses to me. Although "out of session emergency" may apply to. This only comes up a couple times a year in my work and it probably comes up a lot more with therapy. I have young kids, and they deserve my attention when I'm away from the office. So yeah, give me the annoying insurance companies, at least that would only be mine to deal with and keep my off-time for my children free.

Definitely insurance companies. I can barely even handle that as the client. So frustrating.

The hardest part, assuming I had been in practice for at least several years, would be continuing at all, given that I'd likely have seen how disruptive therapy has been for a significant number of my clients…. if you get my drift.

For me the big issue would be taking my client's problems on as my own.

Pobably caring too much about some clients. And probably having ''favorites''.
I can't understand how T's can stay so calm/grounded/distanced. Especially if you have been seeing that client for years. I would have clients who I like more than other and I would care a bit more about some clients. If a client would be in a really bad state, I would offer that client a hug or offer a check-in during the week. I would keep boundaries, but one email during the week, a vacation or a long leave would not be unprofessional.

Ahhhhhh, perhaps that's where we view this whole thing differently! Personally, I don't think someone could function as a skilled therapist if she believed that once she "finished" her "training" that she's be an effective and all-knowing therapist without wounds or issues that might get in the way of her work. I think learning and gaining of knowledge and skill in all professions is an on-going and lifelong chore. I think most Ts would honestly say that they still make mistakes and "screw up". . . . at least I believe that the really good ones are willing to admit to and recognize that they aren't Gods. It's the arrogant and ignorant ones who state that they have never made a mistake and it's the client's fault if things go bad. But then, I don't tend to put Ts on pedestals. . . even if she pops out of the head of Zeus!

I really agree with this. My therapist has been practicing for something like 20 years and he's open about his deeply flawed humanity. He's a great therapist, and he's excellent at keeping his crap out of the room, but he makes it really, really clear that he's well aware that he's got the same types of problems that bedevil all of us ordinary humans.

I think my main issue would be setting boundaries. I am terrible with them in my personal life, and I don't think I'd be any better as a therapist once I got emotionally invested in my clients' lives. I would want to be there for them 24/7, and would end up terribly burned out, which would be no good for anyone.

Everyone says that squeezing your just compensation out of Medicare is a nightmare of paperwork and bureaucracy.

In not saying they don't have flaws. But they have guidelines. If a T was feeling like some here day they'd feel, then they'd not work with that client. If they felt negative, bored, inpatient etc they need to find another job because they really haven't worked in themselves enough to understand how to use that info.
This is just a silly thread.

well, the interaction for sure

was never good at interacting with people

what i'd also find hard is not seeing the person after they've finished the sessions. it would be sad for me never to see the person again

Being patience
with inaction

Which you are neither obliged to read nor to participate in. Just leave us to our silliness if it bothers you that much.

I'd be afraid of saying the wrong thing! Plus I'm not sure I can bear other people's grief that well.

Can't do that. It's against my religion.

I never thought that getting too caught up in someone else's situation would be a problem for me. Interesting to me to see that it seems to be a common thought.
I find it interesting why people do or do not choose certain careers. I find it interesting when those people (the two I pay and having read some others of their ilk) say they decided to do it because they care and wanted to help people. I still can't fully figure out how what they do is helping or caring. This is meant to be mean at them - I am truly baffled. I can see it as a career choice because it is indoors, sitting, great autonomy (if working for one's self - not in an agency), the ability to deflect all criticism back onto the person who hires you, not much math, and one is not much bothered by staying still while people whine on or tell about really horrible things and nodding every so often.

exelent response

Other for me, which means "all of the above". I would not enjoy being a therapist at all - not my thing, not my talents, not a good match for me at all!

Listening to people's problems all day. Not knowing how to help some of them. Listen to some people complain about the same thing every time you see them and not wanting to do nothing about it. Sitting all day. Separating my own issues from my clients