Trisha Swinton says mental health therapists should be empathetic, nonjudgmental,
nurturing and compassionate. And they should want to help others.
Swinton is a therapist with a master's degree in community counseling with
an emphasis on marriage and family therapy. She's a licensed professional
counselor as well as a licensed marriage and family therapist.
"I do a lot of work with couples, individuals, kids and families," says
Swinton. "A lot of depression, anxiety related [problems], relationship issues,
divorce... I also have a degree in special education, so I do a lot of work
with special needs kids as well."
Swinton works at a nonprofit agency where she provides mental health assessments
and services to children with special needs aged three to five. What does
she find most rewarding about being a therapist?
"Mainly just seeing when some clients reach the goals they had in the beginning,
become empowered, learn some different mechanisms to reduce anxiety and stress,
and just feel better about themselves," says Swinton.
Swinton recommends that aspiring therapists get as much volunteer experience
as possible. "You can always volunteer with children at a school, at a homeless
shelter, or social services, to kind of get a feel of different things," says
Swinton.
Daniel Keeran agrees. He's a therapist with more than 30 years of counseling
experience. He says volunteering can often lead to paid work, especially if
the person has already taken some counseling courses.
"In my experience, that's the most effective way to acquire employment
in the counseling field -- to actually volunteer not just in one agency but
in a number of agencies, and that will increase the chances of getting employment,"
Keeran says.
Keeran says therapists should have sincerity, empathy, warmth and unconditional
positive regard for other people. "Be interested in people and just like
to understand what makes people tick -- why they do the things they do, and
the story behind their problems," says Keeran. "Being curious about that,
and wanting to know the story behind people's daily struggles or their chronic
struggles in life."
Nicole Gillis-Copping says she loves "everything" about being a therapist.
She helps clients with a wide range of issues, including grief and loss, stress
management, depression, anger management, and relationship problems. You just
need to know your limits and boundaries, she says.
"I've done lots of different jobs in the past," says Gillis-Copping. "I've
managed a program and I've done crisis work and sexual assault work, and so
there's definitely a level of stress with that. There can be red tape when
you’re working within the systems and agencies.
"And now I'm in private practice and I love it because it's a flexible
lifestyle," says Gillis-Copping. "It's a little cushier -- you get to choose
what you want to do, so it's totally fulfilling that way, because you're able
to pick what clients you want to work with and what clients you don't, and
it allows you to just work the way you are trained to work and in the areas
that you like. So I absolutely love what I do."