Why I Became A Therapist

One of the greatest strengths that I have found working as a therapist is that it is crucial to be open with the people that I work with. As people working with people, it is important to “show your human”; a quality that is often advised against when learning to become a therapist. In the spirit of this transparency, I felt it was important to share my story of why I chose to became a therapist.

When I was a teenager, I remember being pushed into therapy by my parent. At this time, I was frequently angry and dealing with symptoms of depression that I had trouble understanding. When I was pushed into therapy, I found myself not enjoying it. Truthfully, it just made me angrier until I decided to terminate against the advice of my therapist at the time.

After this point, I had several therapists that I had trouble finding a good fit with. I went through several consultations, had multiple sessions both in person and online, and never found someone who I truly felt comfortable with. This led to a sense of hopelessness around therapy while I continued to struggle with my own mental health.

As I continued to struggle, the final attempt I had to try therapy was attending an inpatient facility as a patient. During this experience, I was able to find a group of clinicians who were determined to help me reach my goals and supported me along the way. Following this, I told myself two things: I would continue to be motivated to work on my mental health; and I would help people who may be struggling in the way that I had.

This was the push I needed to pursue my degree in psychology and shortly after, pursue my degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Since then, I have been successful in treating individuals who have experienced a variety of experiences including trauma, anxiety, depression, life stress, grief and more.

I share this story to normalize the stigma around mental health, particularly among professionals in the community. It is often believed that if someone is a mental health therapist, they have not experienced the other side of being in the client position and of walking in a client’s shoes. However, this is often not the case. I also share this story in the hopes that those reading will continue to seek support if they are struggling, as everyone deserves a person to walk along side them through their journey of healing.

If you are ready to begin your steps to healing, click here to connect with me so we can start your journey together!