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Acareer in therapycan be an incredibly rewarding job for someone who likes to interact with and help people. Time spent helping people to lead more productive, functional and happier lives can be deeply satisfying. Still, many people become therapists without knowing or understanding the true requirements of the profession. Understanding what it’s truly like to be a therapist can help you decide whether this profession is right for you.
1. It’s Important to Gain as Much Experience as You Can Before You Become Licensed
2. You Shouldn’t Be Too Hard on Yourself
3. Trust Can Take a Very Long Time to Build
Trust is the foundation of a good relationship between a therapist and a patient, but real trust can take months or even years to build. There are many techniques you can use to build trust, and over time you’ll discover the best methods that work for you.
4. Your Client Base Will Take Time to Build Up
Therapists in a private practice will take years to develop a strong, steady client base. This can make for some tough years at the beginning. Networking, introducing yourself to others and encouraging referrals can help you build up your client base more quickly. Staying organized, maintaining good business practices and offering excellent customer service can help you get referrals. It also helps to have a specialty, especially if that specialty is a badly needed service in your area.
5. Taking Your Own Advice Is Important
Therapists spend a lot of time telling people to take care of themselves without taking time out to help themselves and to pay attention to their own emotional state. This is important for everybody, not just your clients! You’ll be a better therapist and a better listener if you help yourself and tend to your own emotional needs. You may find yourself working too hard in your first years as a therapist, and some of the troubles that your patients experience may start to wear you down. It’s important to take a day off from time to time. Spend quiet time reflecting on your life, your priorities and your goals for yourself. This will help you have a satisfying life and a more successful practice.
6. It’s Not Like You’ve Seen on Television
On television, therapy is glamorized and idealized. Patients lay on large leather couches in an academic-looking office, stare at the ceiling and discuss details of their childhood with an aloof looking healthcare professional. In real life, therapy happens in a variety of different settings, sometimes with a couch sometimes not. In fact, you’ll need to tailor your office to the type of patients that you’ll be treating. If most of the patients you see are children, for example, it’s a good idea to have an office with toys, colorful furniture and small chairs for kids who are still growing. You’ll spend more time playing than sitting, as will your patients.
7. Sometimes It Feels Hopeless
Some patients will seem as if they aren’t making progress. When you encounter a patient like this, the best thing you can do is to reassure him or her that you’re committed to your patient’s success and that you’re here for him or her. However, it’s also important to understand that you won’t be the right therapist for everyone. If your patient fails to grow during therapy sessions, this could be because of a failed connection between you and your patient. In cases like this, sometimes referring the patient to someone else can be more helpful.
8. Body Language Is Crucial
9. The Patient Must Have a Desire to Make Progress
10. Sometimes It’s Depressing
Being a therapist can be depressing, for a variety of reasons. The constant struggle to develop trust, cultivate a relationship and set goals for your patients only to watch them struggle, even after months or years of therapy, can cause you to feel a little pessimistic after time. Therapists must develop a thick skin and a sense of confidence to help them continue to enjoy the profession.
11. Your Job Is to Help People Manage Their Problems at Their Own Pace
12. It Is Not Your Job To “Fix” People
Viewing your patients as broken people who must be fixed can negatively affect your interactions with your patients. Your patients may sense, and resent, these feelings. True, your patients do need help and are asking for help from you. Your job as facilitator is one of helping the patients on a good path. What your patients need, more than anything else, is to take productive action to put their lives on the right track. Keep this in mind at all times while you work with patients.
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Many of these things will be learned after you become a therapist, but it’s good to know these details when going into the profession. For more information, try interviewing therapists in your community. Talking to working therapists about the realities of the job can help you decide for sure if this is the right profession for you.
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