[Lrad123]

I take of cancer patients. I love my job and take it seriously. Even though I get sick of work sometimes, I also feel like it’s my saving grace and I am incredibly thankful that I fell into this line of work. My therapist has said a few times that we don’t end up in helping professions by accident. I assume he’s referring to something in our past experiences that has led us to seek relief in some way by helping others get through a hard time. For me it might be that my parents were distracted with events in their own lives leaving them unable to be attuned to me, so now I spend my work hours taking care of others and giving them my full attention in ways that I didn’t have. I clearly fulfills a need for me. I’m curious how many of us have ended up in helping fields? It doesn’t even have to be medical or psych fields, but any fields including teaching, writing, or volunteer work, etc.

[WarmFuzzySocks]

I am in a helping profession, and considering moving back toward direct service with children and families because I enjoy that daily contact.

For me, it is about seeking fulfillment. I find working in my chosen field interesting and rewarding.

[stopdog]

What professions count as helping? Don't all professions help in some way. I would not consider therapist a helping profession for example nor my person's oncologist. I found most of the people we dealt with at the hospital to be in the how to eff stuff up profession.

[nottrustin]

I am the office coordinator for a psych hospital. I love that my job allows me to work with people who are experiencing such difficulty to helpfully get well.

I take care of children and do tutoring on the side. I have been contemplating returning to school to become a LMHC though. I love my job but overall feel unfulfilled and like I could be doing so much more.

I'm a special education teacher. I find my work very fulfilling.

I answer emails that come into our company's website mostly about our member's insurance benefits. Sometimes I call them when it's too complicated to respond in an email.

oh and I'm also certified in Reiki and a shamanic practitioner but those are just on a personal level.

[LonesomeTonight]

I hope to eventually be in a helping profession. I currently work as an editor, but got a master's in health science (focusing on community health) a few years ago, with the hopes to work in public health. And I'm a Certified Health Education Specialist. Applied for a couple PhD programs in Maternal and Child Health this year, got rejected from one, the other...is still pending I guess? (had interviews, but assuming I didn't get accepted). So, trying!


Also, I'm an INFP, and pretty much every career recommendation for me is in the helping professions...

Originally Posted by LonesomeTonight

I hope to eventually be in a helping profession. I currently work as an editor, but got a master's in health science (focusing on community health) a few years ago, with the hopes to work in public health. And I'm a Certified Health Education Specialist. Applied for a couple PhD programs in Maternal and Child Health this year, got rejected from one, the other...is still pending I guess? (had interviews, but assuming I didn't get accepted). So, trying!


Also, I'm an INFP, and pretty much every career recommendation for me is in the helping professions...

Me too as an INJF!

[WarmFuzzySocks]

I am an INFP also.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I am a peer support specialist. I work In community mental health clinic

[Lrad123]

I’m an INFP too! If you take the quick & silly Star Wars Meyers-Briggs online quiz on FB we are all Luke Sywalkers. Not bad! (My husband is ESTJ which is Darth Vader - poor guy).

[Lrad123]

Originally Posted by stopdog

What professions count as helping? Don't all professions help in some way. I would not consider therapist a helping profession for example nor my person's oncologist. I found most of the people we dealt with at the hospital to be in the how to eff stuff up profession.

Yes, probably most professions could have a helping component to them. In my opinion, therapists are definitely in a helping profession although some are better than others. Same can be said for the medical field. Sorry you had a bad experience with an oncologist.

[Lrad123]

Originally Posted by LonesomeTonight

I hope to eventually be in a helping profession. I currently work as an editor, but got a master's in health science (focusing on community health) a few years ago, with the hopes to work in public health. And I'm a Certified Health Education Specialist. Applied for a couple PhD programs in Maternal and Child Health this year, got rejected from one, the other...is still pending I guess? (had interviews, but assuming I didn't get accepted). So, trying!


Also, I'm an INFP, and pretty much every career recommendation for me is in the helping professions...

From one INFP to another: Rejection sucks. Keep trying though. I won’t even tell you how many tries it took me to get into my field. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

[chihirochild]

My job is traditionally thought of as a “helping profession,” though it appears to lie outside of SD’s definition

[velcro003]

I teach 2 year olds. I don't consider it "helping," more as "taming" profession. haha.

I am an ISTJ, so i don't know what that means career-wise.

[chihirochild]

I’m an INTJ. The NTJ part fits okay with the doctor thing but sometimes having to deal with people all day makes me thoroughly exhausted (especially since I have such a strong drive to NOT be like the stereotypical ***hole doctors that I had to deal with in my training—I spend a lot of my energy on emotional labor.)

Of course, one might argue that I intentionally chose a job that requires some degree of emotional intimacy because I struggle with this in my personal life... so really I have only myself (and my dismissive attachment style) to blame.

One thing that makes me feel good though is that sometimes the emotional labor actually helps someone, or at least makes them feel slightly less ******—I took care of this super crotchety guy in the hospital a few weeks ago—dude hates and mistrusts doctors. Spent a LOT of time with him explaining about his disease and why we were doing various tests and stuff. He got sick and had to be readmitted a few days ago and asked the admitting doc “hey is that chihirichild doc around? I liked her. She was no-bull***, smart too.” The admitting doc called to tell me because she was so tickled.

[stopdog]

Originally Posted by Lrad123

Yes, probably most professions could have a helping component to them. In my opinion, therapists are definitely in a helping profession although some are better than others. Same can be said for the medical field. Sorry you had a bad experience with an oncologist.

It was not a bad experience - as far as dealing with western medical people goes. The oncologist was not terrible or a complete jerkwad. I just would not characterize it as a helping profession.

Are you trying to find out what professions hire therapists?

[growlycat]

Originally Posted by Lrad123

I’m an INFP too! If you take the quick & silly Star Wars Meyers-Briggs online quiz on FB we are all Luke Sywalkers. Not bad! (My husband is ESTJ which is Darth Vader - poor guy).

I am also an infp but in a creative field. I think if I were in a caring profession I’d give until it hurts. I don’t know if I have the boundaries to work in a caring field. What I do does not save lives.

[MobiusPsyche]

I am a professor in a helping profession. I couldn't do the actual job of dealing with people every day so I teach it instead. I teach research, policy, the more hands-off aspects of the profession. Hands-on would ruin me.

[LonesomeTonight]

Originally Posted by growlycat

I am also an infp but in a creative field. I think if I were in a caring profession I’d give until it hurts. I don’t know if I have the boundaries to work in a caring field. What I do does not save lives.

Yep, I get that. At one point, I wanted to be a social worker (like the kind going to people's homes, not clinical). My mom said I couldn't do it because I would care too much and get too involved. It bothered me, but she's probably right...would be the same if I was a T, I imagine. I'd be waking in the middle of the night looking at my e-mails/texts at 3 a.m. to make sure my clients were OK. My boundaries would likely really suck...

[Lrad123]

Originally Posted by growlycat

I am also an infp but in a creative field. I think if I were in a caring profession I’d give until it hurts. I don’t know if I have the boundaries to work in a caring field. What I do does not save lives.

I think INFPs are supposed to be creative, right? I’m in a medical field so not sure how traditionally creative I am, but I’d like to think there’s at least a little bit of an art to what I do and that I’m able to think outside the box. I wish I were more traditionally creative though, and I definitely appreciate the arts.

Regarding “giving” in a caring profession, I’ve learned to create emotional distance between myself and my patients otherwise I wouldn’t be able to function (I’d give and give and give) and I’d be consumed by their stories (they are cancer patients). That doesn’t mean I don’t think about them when I’m at home or sometimes in the middle of the night or whenever. I am immensely touched by just about every patient who lets me into their lives and it is incredibly fulfilling. I think that’s why I have a little bit of an easier time with that concept in therapy. I have had the feeling of being left alone with my feelings after a session while I know my T is moving on to the next thing. But then I remember that it’s not personal and it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care.

[LonesomeTonight]

Originally Posted by Lrad123

From one INFP to another: Rejection sucks. Keep trying though. I won’t even tell you how many tries it took me to get into my field. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Thanks! I also applied to tons of jobs after getting the master's--like 50 or more. Finally got an interview (and for a federal government job!), thought it went really well...ended up being their second choice. Stepped back for a while from applying for jobs and just kept doing the editing freelance. Suppose I should get back in the market again at some point...I do serve on the executive board for a local public health organization and am pretty involved with that, so I'm doing something in the field at least! Just not getting paid for it.

[velcro003]

Originally Posted by chihirochild

I’m an INTJ. The NTJ part fits okay with the doctor thing but sometimes having to deal with people all day makes me thoroughly exhausted (especially since I have such a strong drive to NOT be like the stereotypical ***hole doctors that I had to deal with in my training—I spend a lot of my energy on emotional labor.)

Of course, one might argue that I intentionally chose a job that requires some degree of emotional intimacy because I struggle with this in my personal life... so really I have only myself (and my dismissive attachment style) to blame.

One thing that makes me feel good though is that sometimes the emotional labor actually helps someone, or at least makes them feel slightly less ******—I took care of this super crotchety guy in the hospital a few weeks ago—dude hates and mistrusts doctors. Spent a LOT of time with him explaining about his disease and why we were doing various tests and stuff. He got sick and had to be readmitted a few days ago and asked the admitting doc “hey is that chihirichild doc around? I liked her. She was no-bull***, smart too.” The admitting doc called to tell me because she was so tickled.

OH interesting! My job exhausts me, and my T is constantly amazed I can do it at all with my personality type (Thanks T ). I also am dismissively attached, and do find emotional reward in my job that I dont' get outside of it.

[velcro003]

Originally Posted by LonesomeTonight

...I do serve on the executive board for a local public health organization and am pretty involved with that, so I'm doing something in the field at least! Just not getting paid for it.

That should give you an in-road on a possible job, no?