[lil_bit]

Is it impossible to have a T at one point in your life, and then to go to college and become a T??? Can this happen? I mean...it's entirely and completely normal to need a little help sometimes...

No, it's not impossible at all! My therapist has been to therapy for quite a while before she became a therapist herself. EVERYONE can benefit from therapy at points in their life. You are completely correct, it's entirely and completely normal to need a little help sometimes!

It is possible to do that. In fact... If you ever wanted to train as a psychoanalysis then a requirement of that is that the prospective clinician successfully complete a course of analysis. The majority of other therapies don't have that requirement, but some therapies encourage clients to have their own therapists - to discuss counter-transference responses and stuff like that.

That being said IMHO there can be more stigma from within the professions that deal in mental health issues than there is without. I'd keep it under your hat as much as possible (though that is just my personal opinion and I'm aware that others have been very upfront about it and that has worked out alright for them).

There are a variety of opinions out there. Some people think that it is inappropriate for people with certain conditions to be therapists (schizophrenia, bi-polar, and personality disorders most notably). Other people think that it is fine so long as you are acting in a professional matter. Other people think that if you have ever received a psychiatric dx then you shouldn't do that. Some other people think that past dx is okay so long as you don't meet current criteria...

Lots of people go into therapy because of their experiences in therapy. There are some psychiatrists (successful ones) who have similarly gone into psychiatry because of their experiences in the mental health system. That being said there is still a lot of prejudice out there. My motto is: It is none of their business. The only thing that is their business is whether I am able to conduct myself and treat my clients in a competent professional fashion.

[MissCharlotte]

Hi lil bit

I think that most T's have been through therapy themselves. Personally, I wouldn't want to see a T who hadn't. It only makes you more aware of yourself. The notion that being in therapy means there is something "wrong" with you is one that is dangerous and untrue. And I agree with Alex. It's your personal business. No need to discuss.

[zombiette]

i'm with alex...i think so long as u have resolved whatever brought u into therapy and are able to keep it in check so that u can conduct urself in a professional manner. or so long as ur not there simply to exorcise your own demons (i have had a couple of Ts who were a bit like that!) i think some ppl who go thru therapy go on to become Ts to help others who have similar problems which i think is a very admirable thing to do. i personally don't know if i could do that myself - i briefly considered becoming a T, and i continue to have an interest in psychology, BUT i think as i am now recovered i might find it a bit frustrating b/c they would be were i was and can;t see the way out...just too close to home for my liking...but i really do admire those who can do that!

[sunrise]

lil bit, yes, it is indeed possible, and not a negative thing at all! You will have more insight into yourself and the therapy process if you have been in therapy yourself. At many therapist training programs at universities in the U.S., it is required that the students have therapy or counseling themselves for just this reason.

[sidony]

My best friend IRL is a therapist, and she has always been in therapy herself (from the time she was a teenager). I actually thought it was the norm for therapists rather than unusual. She says she can even write it off as a business expense since it helps her with her profession (she's been a practicing therapist for at least ten years now). My own therapist counsels those seeking to become T's to get (or stay) in therapy themselves because the experience will help them be better therapists. I don't think it's unusual. I definitely would have no problem with my T being in therapy.

Oh and I think my friend decided to become a T because of how valuable her own experience (as a teenager in therapy) was to her life.

Sidony

[Kiya]

My former t had been through therapy due to life experiences, too. In fact, I felt she could better relate to me because of her experiences. Only once did she tell me she had asked her T the same question I was asking her.

kiya

you should visit a website called Wouded healer ( i think its a book too)

[zombiette]

esther do u have the URL for that website - i thought it might be woundedhealer.com so i tried that but it's not! thanks!

I'm on my way to being a T-- and I see a T and plan to continue to do so for a very long time. I will have my graduate degree in May and right now I am interning as a T. I am pretty good at separating what is going on with me vs. what is going on w/ my patients. I would trade my personal experiences for anything because they made me who I am and allow me to feel more, experience more... and I believe this leads to a deeper level of empathy, understanding, and compassion w/ my patients. I am not going to say I am never triggered by certain things that they demonstrate-- but that's what supervision is for. I'm not much for diagnoses, but just to illustrate a point-- I am technically diagnosed as bipolar, borderline, and GAD-- and I am able to do this type of work. It is entirely possible. In fact, I am in the mist of a depressive episode right now, but somehow I am still able to do ths work. When I am doing therapy, I feel as though I doing exactly what I am meant to be doing.

[MissCharlotte]

Hey Pink,

Once T and I were talking about depression and he said he does some of his best work when he is depressed! (I was wondering how I was functioning so well at work while falling apart otherwise.)

[Perna]

I once asked or said something that my T misunderstood as my trying to "help" her and she got rather waspish :-) and formal and explained that T's have their own T's (thank you very much :-) I have a good friend from high school who is a T and know she sees a T when she needs to.

[Rapunzel]

You can add me to the list of people who have been in therapy and are going into the field. I've been in therapy for years - 3 years currently, and at least 7 other therapists before off and on since I was 19. Sometimes I wonder if I'll make it, but I don't feel nearly as limited as I used to. I always wanted to be a psychologist, and thought there was no chance of that until I had a particularly bad depressive episode, and then found a book by a psychologist who became severely depressed and didn't respond to therapy and medication, and had to have ECT. She was still able to work, and to help others. The book is "Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface" by Martha Manning.

My T used to be mentally ill also. I knew that she really struggled, but she recently told me that she had been in a state hospital, was almost involuntarily committed, and went through 21 different therapists before finally recovering. She's the best that I've found. I don't think most of the others really understood, and if they did, I don't think they thought I could do any better. This one pushes me hard because she has high expectations.

[lil_bit]

thanks so much for the advice and support guys! I've always thought similarly myself, that one can only advice accurately when real-life experience exists.