DeepSummary
This episode features conversations with several therapists and therapists-in-training who share insights and advice for those considering a career in mental health. Clinical psychologist Dr. Rick Hanson discusses the day-to-day experience of being a therapist, key traits needed, the importance of self-awareness and ongoing personal growth, and preparing for the licensing process.
Therapist Lori Gottlieb reflects on transitioning from an entertainment career, the emotional intimacy of the therapist-client relationship, the vulnerability and uncertainty inherent in the work, and learning to just be present with clients. Terry Real talks about his own path into family therapy, the messiness of therapeutic work, and the need to do personal growth work as a therapist.
Associate therapist Elizabeth Ferreira discusses her background in somatics, the importance of liking chaos and yourself as a therapist, and learning to hold space while not absorbing clients' suffering. Graduate student Taylor Banfield shares her experience going back to school after engineering, sitting with clients for the first time, and the significance of boundaries.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Being an effective therapist requires strong self-awareness, comfort with one's own psyche, and a willingness to engage in ongoing personal growth work.
- Tolerating ambiguity, uncertainty, and emotional intensity is essential, as the therapeutic process often involves sitting with disharmony before facilitating repair and change.
- Building an authentic human connection while maintaining appropriate boundaries is a core challenge that takes practice.
- Different therapeutic modalities offer varied approaches, but meeting clients where they are and avoiding a rigid agenda is valuable across orientations.
- Graduate training for therapists should provide both theoretical knowledge and opportunities for self-reflection to prepare for the emotional demands of clinical work.
- Becoming a therapist is a long journey that requires resilience, as the initial experience can be overwhelming before confidence builds over time.
- Understanding one's own limitations and not attempting to take clients beyond one's current capacities is crucial to practicing ethically.
- Pursuing a career as a therapist can be deeply meaningful and facilitate personal growth, but also requires embracing the inherent chaos and complexity of human experiences.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I think the beauty of therapy is that you have another session. I have a podcast called dear therapist, where we do actual sessions with people. So we have one session with them. Yeah, but I feel like we have almost three opportunities, even though there's one session.“ by Lori Gottlieb
- “I think chaos is the simmered down juice. Like, if we boil things down to its absolute element of what is actually at the core of something, chaos is the force that shows up in the room. Chaos is the predecessor to change.“ by Elizabeth Ferreira
- “So I think a big conversation my first year, whether it was in my practicum or in any of my classes, has been how do you maintain boundaries as a therapist? And that encompasses a lot of things.“ by Taylor Banfield
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Episode Information
Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson
7/31/23