How Many Therapist Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb?

Have you seen those articles that list the worse paying degrees?  Counseling is always on the list, usually at the top.  You’ve never seen a conversation stopper until you’ve seen someone in a group announce that they’re a therapist.   How about the philosophical game where you list a bunch of professions in a life raft and you have to decide with limited resources who can stay and who gets thrown over.  There is usually a hot debate about whether you’d want a doctor or a carpenter, both needed if you need to start life on a deserted island.  There is NO debate about the mental health professional.  We’re tossed over immediately without any debate at all.   There are so many shrink jokes that there are whole websites dedicated to them.  So with that in mind, why is this blog entry about me being thankful for my job?  Because I’d counter that I have the best job ever and I’m incredibly grateful for it.

Kids are brutally honest.  (Sometimes even painfully so.  If I get a new hairstyle, I can always depend on my kid clients to let me know their frank opinion about it).  So, when I tell a kid that my job is to listen to people and help them solve problems, they think it’s the coolest job ever.   I have to agree.  I get to see people overcome obstacles so they can reach goals they never thought were possible.  I get to see a struggling artist leave their day job to pursue the artistic career they’ve always wanted. I’ve held the hand of trauma victims as they’ve found the strength to move forward.  I’ve witnessed couples moving beyond their problems and recommitting to their relationship, parents repairing relationships with their teenager, and a child getting their first A because they’ve learned new tools to help them focus. 

While I enjoy being able to be a part of someone’s healing, I also feel it’s an honor to see them through some of their most difficult moments.  I have the privilege of being the one to lend an ear to the employee that just lost their job, to the new mom that’s at her wits end, to the spouse that just buried their loved one, to the gay son who just came out to his family, to the teenager that just found out they’re pregnant or to the parent that just found out their child is using drugs.  While these moments are painful for both me and the client, I feel it’s a huge compliment that they feel comfortable enough to have me accompany them on their journey. 

So in closing, I want to thank everyone who has been a part of my journey that has led to where I am today.  I’m incredibly thankful.  And to my clients who have shared their best and worse times with me, thank you for trusting me.   Wherever your journey takes you, I hope that you are in better place having dedicated your time and resources to improving your mental health.  I can't think of a better job.  I can’t close without at least one therapist joke.  So…how many therapists does it take to change a light bulb?  Just one, but it takes nine sessions.  J  Have a great day!