19/06/2023
Newbie: Why do we pick the profession we are in? What drives us to wake up everyday and go to work? Many will give the following reasons: Money, fame, advance in med/tech, social justice, politics, to help others. I’ve tried a few different paths along my career journey: insurance, vet tech, and CNA. It was the CNA jobs I had propelled me to go back to school in 2016 at 26 yrs old to get my Masters degree to pursue professional counseling. Despite my amazing experience during grad school and all the friendships I’ve made, I do have to divulge the first lesson I learned post-graduation and starting my first “official” therapist job as an LPCA in January: School teaches you all the theories, methods, and famous psychologists. But when you do the actual work, forget most of what u learned in school - you learn as u go, from your mistakes & from your clients. You will experience imposter syndrome (I still do!). Despite all of that, here are my top five therapy truths that I’ve learned in these past six months: 1 our job is not to “fix” people, they have to do the work. 2. Others do not get to dictate what ur counselor path should be. 3. Diagnosing is tricky - the DSM is ur friend, use it. 4. Insurance companies are a pain. 5. You ARE making a difference!
I invite you to share your therapist stories (no client names/info, please!), advice, & self-care tips here. I would love to build up this little community among my counseling friends and others in the field who can help us newbies out! I’m excited to finally grow into a profession that I am loving and hone in on my skills and learn new ways to help others. Thanks for reading & engaging on this blog!
*Disclaimer - posts here are not intended to give any medical advice or diagnose. Please refer to your physician. Please be kind with your comments and posts!
