You know you want to go to college because getting a degree opens up many doorways. You also know that you want to take an online degree because it is so flexible and convenient, and it means you can have a good work-life balance and still achieve exactly what you want to achieve. Yet you don’t know quite what you want to study. You might have a vague idea, but the actual decision is still proving to be a challenge.
This is why it’s important to consider a variety of different options to ensure that you aren’t missing out on anything and that you make the best choice for you. One option that could be worth exploring is becoming a therapist. For some people, their personalities and preferences would make this a great career choice; read on to see if you would fit the bill.
You’re A Good Listener
What is the most important thing that a therapist has to be able to do? The answer is to listen. Although offering practical advice is crucial, it’s the listening that has to come first, and it’s the listening that is harder to learn than anything else (although it can be done). That’s because it’s often a personality trait, and these take longer to learn as they have to become a habit.
If you’re a good listener and you’re able to convey compassion and empathy while being a ‘shoulder to cry on’, it might be that you are already on your way to becoming an excellent therapist. If you feel you need a little help in this area, then an MFT degree online could be the answer. You’ll learn a lot about how to help people in the right way, and you’ll have a qualification that you can use to your advantage as well.
You Truly Care
You can’t be a great therapist if you don’t actually care about your clients. Of course, caring too much could be detrimental to your mental health, so you do need to draw a line and be careful, but the fact is that you have to show you care – and mean it – if you are going to get the results you want.
Your clients will soon see if you don’t actually care about how they do or what they are concerned about. This is something they can pick up in your attitude, your body language, or it might just be a gut feeling. In any of these situations, they won’t want to keep seeing you, and you might even gain a bad reputation. This is why, if you’re going to be a therapist, you have to truly care about people. Plus, caring will make the job more enjoyable and long-term.
You Can Handle Rejection
Some people will continue to visit their therapist for decades – perhaps for their entire lives. Others will come for one or two sessions and then decide it’s not for them, that they feel better, or that there is a better fit in terms of a therapist out there.
There are many reasons why someone will stop seeing a therapist, and it’s important that you are able to look at this objectively and not become distressed or take it personally. Be professional and let people make their own choices; they have to do what is right for them, just as you have to do what is right for you.
If you can handle rejection, you’re already in a good place in terms of becoming a psychologist, as this is just something that is part of the job.