A Peek Into My Life As Therapist

I love helping people. My heart goes out to broken, lost people in need of grace, wisdom, and healing. I feel privileged and honored knowing what people really think, feel, and do when their guard is down, and be part of their healing journey.

But, I have secrets. Let me tell you some. For one, I feel vicarious pleasure when I accommodate my self to lives I don't or can never live. Yet these unintended "gifts" provide knowledge that help me better understand myself. There is continuous re-arousal  and reinterpretation of my own life's anguish in the midst of doing therapy work.

Here is another one - when I'm not in sessions or working, I mull over cases. At odd moments, I wonder about how counselees are getting along, what directions they're heading, the things that were done or not done during the week. It can be hard for me not to feel compassion and carry around inside of me those wounds or traumas people share needing recovery.

It's strange to think that I work hard while sitting still. It can be emotionally and physically exhausting and tiring to remain immobile and attentive. If only I could separate from the chair or cubicle! That's why I like outdoors or the malls where I do a lot of moving before and after sessions. My existence outside the chair or cubicle even with my counselees could be as meaningful and fruitful work as the time I spend enveloped within it.