[stopdog]

Did therapy make you want to become a therapist?

[junkDNA]

It made me think about it for awhile but I realized it was not for me

[atisketatasket]

I do not want to be a therapist but occasionally the idea crosses my mind - mainly whenever I think of the unethical and unprofessional treatment I got from 2, 3, and Smaug, and say to myself, "if those people can be licensed professionals, anyone can be, so why not me?"

But no. I like my current profession and position. Also while I think I could be ethical, I don't think I would be much good at it otherwise.

[luvnola]

No way! I don't want to spend my day listening to others' problems. Seems a really isolating job too. Plus, listening to the same person week after week, with the same issues week after week would drive me crazy. My therapist changed her schedule to just 2 days a week and stopped taking insurance and she said she is much happier bc her clients can now only make appointments every 2 or 3 weeks, so there is more variety and clients aren't getting so attached (another thing that would drive me crazy)

I wanted to be a therapist before I went to therapy for the first time. My stepmom is a psychologist, and it always baffled me that she didn't want to go into psychotherapy.

Still debating whether or not I want to go back to school though. I'm enjoying teaching for now.

[junkDNA]

Originally Posted by luvnola

No way! I don't want to spend my day listening to others' problems. Seems a really isolating job too. Plus, listening to the same person week after week, with the same issues week after week would drive me crazy. My therapist changed her schedule to just 2 days a week and stopped taking insurance and she said she is much happier bc her clients can now only make appointments every 2 or 3 weeks, so there is more variety and clients aren't getting so attached (another thing that would drive me crazy)

lol i got the mental image of a T flinging leeches off themself

[InnerPeace111]

I am a special education teacher. If I had to choose another profession, it would be social work / therapy. Now I have also heard more than one therapist say that if they had to choose another career, it would be a special education teacher. Funny how that works sometimes.

Nope. I think it takes a special kind of person to be a therapist, and that person is not me.

I think therapists have to have good memory, and well... meds have fried my brain.

"Hi Jonny! How is your diarrhea since we last spoke? Is it gone?"
"No, my name is Michael and I never had diarrhea."

[growlycat]

I never had any interest in being a therapist until recently. I always thought that it wouldn't pay given the time and degree needed (I'd like be able to go back to school but the cost is daunting for an ma or higher). I don't think I make more than my previous two phd ts but I may make more money than Kashi who has an ma. I think I do well considering I have only a bachelors degree.

Kashi makes it sound technically easy but emotionally hard. I think I would get too emotionally involved with patients I worry about and too off put by clients that hate me.

However the idea of being an art therapist of some kind sounds more interesting.

[MobiusPsyche]

I wanted to be a psychologist before I ever saw one. So, no.

I learned that I get too emotionally activated by being present for other people. It exhausts me.

[1stepatatime]

No way... it would be difficult to not express my opinion and to not be judgemental especially if someone says or does something I strongly disagree with.

[precaryous]

There was no, "Ack! Ack! Ack! Good lord, no." choice...

[feralkittymom]

^ This.

I'm surprised that the "no" % is so high given the number of posters here who have the intention of becoming Ts.

I think about it. A lot actually. I am fairly certain I do not have the patience for it - after witnessing how patient t has been and continues to be with me! Also I am soooo emotional I don't know how I could sit and listen to someone who is hurting and not start bawling myself. I would want to take everyone's pain on myself so they didn't have to feel it anymore.

[stopdog]

I thought of ack good lord no, but I was trying to be sensitive. I actually amended the option with Ack in it before posting.

[nottrustin]

I thought about it before my therapy. In my last year of college I realized I wanted to be a child therapist. I was just a about to graduate with a bachelors in management and marketingand. I was getting married shortly after graduation. I still occasionally think about it especially when my coworkers tell me I should.

[Waterbear]

I agree with those above that there was not a strong enough 'no' option so I went with other.

I would never a therapist make. No patience. No memory. No ability to leave problems inside the room. I don't think I will ever have my mental health sorted to the degree needed in order to become a therapist. No ability to really show empathy or even think it sometimes. Too easily distracted. Can't stand things out of order of the 'freeflow' nature of therapy. (It is one of the biggest thing that I have to endure during this process. No structure). No ability not to take things personally. I would get hurt by people's judgements of me and it would affect the way I am with them. Oh, and the fact that I am scared of the vast majority of people when in a one on one situation.

Yeah, not for me, and massive kudos to those that do this job day in and day out, especially with people like me.

[stopdog]

A pollster's lot is not an easy one.

No, absolutely not. I see how much harm and pain a therapist can cause, and I have experienced this therapy pain myself. I don't want to be in the position where I can cause such pain to people.

[magicalprince]

Yeah I thought about it. I've never believed much in therapy but always filled that "free therapist" role with people. Experiencing therapy myself made me see that it could have worked if it was executed properly... Unfortunately my therapist needed to be able to do that and was not... So that deeply frustrated me and made me want to see it done properly. However, I don't think I need to be a therapist to help people in that way either... so I don't have my heart set on it.But know it is something I could do.

[satsuma]

Yes, I have thought about being a therapist and had thoughts that I wished I had this job. I had these thoughts towards the beginning of therapy, because the first year of therapy really changed my life in amazing and profound ways. I knew next to nothing about psychology, therapy and psychologists before seeking one out myself. When I saw the amazing difference that my T and his skills had made to my quality of life, I was really in awe and I thought how amazing to have a job where you can have such an impact on people's lives, and I sometimes thought I wished I also had done the same, studied psychology and become a T like my T. I think that was also linked to my phase of thinking a lot about my T and maybe it felt like a way of wanting to be close, by doing the same profession.
On reflection though I would not be well suited to being a T, and I'm very happy with the work that I do. I never got as far as seriously looking into studying psychology, because I was aware of the reasons for my fascination and I know I'm already in a career that suits me well.
I think one of the many things my T has passed on to me, though, is an interest in psychology.

[feileacan]

I voted for other. It's clear that I couldn't be a therapist. I am so blocked in accessing and managing my own feelings that it will probably take me ages in therapy to get somewhere in that area and I think that a therapist must be very good and comfortable with his own feelings to work effectively and safely with patients. Although being in therapy has definitely generated more interest in psychology for me, my main interests still lie in technical areas.

I have thought about some non-therapist volunteer work though, like life-line or something like this. Not now because my children are still too small so that after my daily work I wouldn't have enough free time left. But I believe I could be useful in such line because I am able to listen non-judgementally without taking on the other person's feelings.

[Myrto]

God no. I mean I like the theory and studying for a psychology degree would be really interesting but I would hate being a therapist. I wouldn't be able to stand all these people whining and complaining week after week. I don't have any patience. I would just tell people to quit whining and do something about their life. Good thing I'm not a therapist.

Originally Posted by InnerPeace111

I am a special education teacher. If I had to choose another profession, it would be social work / therapy. Now I have also heard more than one therapist say that if they had to choose another career, it would be a special education teacher. Funny how that works sometimes.

Can confirm from anecdotal experiences. I am a special education teacher. My T started his career as a special education teacher.

[Out There]

It did flitter across my mind - but no , it wouldn't be for me. But I am interested in alternative therapies that complement and augment therapy so I would look at that , and I would bring my therapy experiences to that. If I did work as a T though , it would be with people damaged by therapists because I know that experience.