Alexia Cabreras, MS in Collaboration with Melissa Barton, MA, LPC-S
Supervised by Melissa Barton, MA, LPC-S
Why Therapists Get into Counseling
Therapists, we choose this profession for many reasons. The most straightforward answer is often: We just like helping people! But the truth is, everyone has a story about what brought them into this field. For many, it’s more than just being the friend who always gave sound advice & figured a career in counseling might be the right fit for them. When you ask a therapist (outside of session time) what got them into counseling, the answer you may get will vary from person to person. Some have dealt with their own mental health struggles, so they know what it’s like to be sitting on the other side of the couch. Others have loved ones who have struggled or are struggling and felt they could not help, which led to helping others. The possibilities are endless, but one thing is sure: Something indeed led your therapist to be here helping you today.
What we love about counseling
We love a lot of things about counseling! We choose this career because we feel passionate about changing lives and enhancing the world. As therapists, we don’t only provide counseling services, but we are constantly learning and advocating for mental health in one way or another. If we didn’t love counseling, I can promise you; we wouldn’t have chosen to put ourselves through many years of school and clinical hours! Just thinking about how long it took made my skin crawl (just kidding, but seriously, it takes a while!)
There are so many things to love. Changing someone’s life, the satisfaction of knowing that we were part of their journey towards healing and evolving is truly one heck of a feeling. We can feel like real-life superheroes sometimes! When people feel like life isn’t worth living, we have the honor of helping them change their view of the world, value themselves, cope with these feelings, and appreciate the life they get to live.
If you’re lucky, like me, you get to meet others and evolve as a professional. We all know it takes a village. The village of every therapist includes those who keep us going, those who help us grow, those who guide us, and our supporters!
What can be hard as a therapist
Like every career out there, we do face challenges. Some things are hard for a therapist. We are humans just like you, and we can struggle despite being professionals in the field. Have you ever felt like you weren’t enough? Sometimes we feel like this too! Imposter syndrome can eat at us much more often than I like to admit. Let me be vulnerable with you because that’s only fair, considering these are the confessions of a therapist! I constantly compare myself to my colleagues; sometimes, it’s easy to feel less than when you’re young and new to the profession compared to working with others who have triple my experience level. I know of other therapists who share this feeling too. It sucks because this makes it hard for us to value ourselves for who we are and our potential. Even when everything is going right, it can feel like it’s still pretty wrong when imposter syndrome decides to creep on in.
Now…the stories we hear are a whole different ball game. This may be so soooo difficult as a therapist! Some people come to us with stories that can be difficult to process, even for us. It takes someone brave and resilient to sit with us and share their story. It also makes us part of their story, and we get to share that. This still doesn’t mean it isn’t hard to hear. To know the person right across from us had to endure so much throughout their life, and we couldn’t do anything about it at the time. As I said earlier, we are human too! We have feelings and experience them intensely at times because, well… that’s just life!
Why should everyone seek therapy!
Seek therapy because you want to. If you were forced to be here, it might not be a great start to your journey. The truth is, you just won’t be engaged, interested, or motivated. On the other hand, if you want to start therapy, do it! Lucky for you, we have multiple levels of therapists whose rates are…just kidding, I won’t advertise just yet. I still have some convincing to do, am I right? Like I was saying, seek therapy to enhance your overall well-being. Therapy isn’t the only answer to some of the problems that may bring you in, but it’s a step in the right direction. When you seek therapy, you desire to feel better, think clearer, and engage in healthy behaviors, all of which make a difference in your daily life. Give us a chance. Some of us are cool! Maybe not all therapists, but at least the ones here are!
Find your Counselors in Katy, Texas
If you are seeking to find a counselor, we have multiple leveled therapist that can help you. To start receiving counseling services, follow these steps:
- Contact us to schedule an appointment.
- Get to know your new counselor.
- Help your adult child develop the tools they need to make steps towards their goals.
Other Therapy Services Offered with Barton Counseling Services
At Barton Counseling Services, we offer many mental health services in Katy, Texas. We’re able to offer counseling for young adults, counseling for anxiety, depression, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Additionally, she can provide supervision for LPC Interns. Contact our office to learn more!
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