Don't Become A Therapist Until You Read This

People who become therapists want to make a difference in the world. They see the suffering of others and believe there are psychological solutions to the problems they face.

But starting a business in this field isn’t without risk. It might not involve any dangerous equipment, but it is an industry where you are still playing with fire. People’s mental health and psychology can be volatile, which makes getting into the business a dangerous game.

Besides that, there are also other challenges. Therefore, we’ve written this post. While becoming a therapist can be a lucrative business, it can also be something that brings you down. You have to be absolutely sure you want to do it and protect yourself properly if you set up a proper practice.

If you think that a single year-long course is what you need to succeed in therapy, think again. Most people have to work for several years to become qualified and even then, a practice may not be willing to take them.

Most clinical psychologists unfortunately have advanced degrees. That’s great for the people who go through it and come out the other side, but it’s less appealing to individuals who still have the majority of their journey ahead of them. Most trainees have a job on the side to finance their studies or prevent their debt levels from increasing unsustainably.

On top of the training is also the emotional demands of the job. It’s hard for people to keep pace with what clients ask from them. Many are going through extremely turbulent situations in their lives and require therapists to be the healthy and composed people who help them. However many individuals find that there is considerable emotional labor involved in the work. It’s hard to listen to other people’s problems all day without seeing the world as a darker place.

As sites like Protectivity.com point out, legal and ethical issues are involved in becoming a therapist. Clients will sometimes sue you for liability if you give them the wrong advice. Individuals may even slip and fall over while on your premises and decide to get solicitors involved.

For these reasons, therapists must also consider protecting themselves with the proper insurance. Having cover in place is usually a legal requirement, but paying a premium provides peace of mind, knowing that a random accident or off-handed comment isn’t going to end the business.

Finally, many therapists have to deal with job realities they didn’t imagine before starting work. The ideal situation is to join an established practice or start one in an affluent neighborhood where a lot of people require therapy. But the actual settings for work can be quite different and include community centers, hospitals, and mental health institutions. This reality can diverge significantly from expectations.

Furthermore, clients can be different from what budding therapists might expect. Often the issues that come up aren’t those covered in training and require on-the-job learning and adaptation.