People from my personal and professional life often ask me why I became a therapist and I usually take a pause before answering. Counselling and psychotherapy is quite a unique field and it is hard to articulate all the small and large things in my life that led me here. We all have a myriad of reasons that have led us to our chosen career paths and each person’s story helps us understand them on a deeper level. If you ever wondered why someone might become a therapist, perhaps my story might provide some insight.
From an early age, I knew I wanted to help people. I was always drawn to those who were suffering and frequently found myself asking people if they were okay or if they would like to talk. I always found these conversations invigorating for me and had the privilege of learning the power of being with others in their pain. During my first week on my undergraduate degree, I learned of a resource my school called the Peer Support Centre where students provided one-on-one non judgemental listening to support to their peers. I intrinsically knew this was for me and I wanted to be a part of it. My time spent sitting with my fellow student’s joys and struggles are still some of my most powerful moments from university.
After university, I knew my time providing individual support was far from over. I began volunteering for my local distress line and found that my desire to support extended past peers to members of my community at-large. This experience was invaluable as it taught me how to connect with people from all ages and stages and gave me a chance to connect with people I may never have been able to otherwise, to learn about lives that varied greatly from my own. I knew I wanted to spend my life doing this.
While being a therapist and sitting with other people’s pain can be quite challenging at times, this work is my calling and I feel so lucky to have found something that feels so worthwhile and fulfilling. It is truly an honour for me to sit across from people in that chair and seek to help people feel profoundly understood and supported. It is a tremendous gift to be able to help people find empowerment and to be able to see themselves more clearly and I am so grateful I get to walk alongside people during pivotal moments of their lives.