Becoming a therapist

Recently I was interviewed by a student who is considering a mental health profession as a career. I find the field of psychology to be amazingly rewarding and cathartic. Helping others find mental wellness helps me on my own journey of cognitive health. I offer the interview below.

When did you develop an interest about going into this profession?

I started college as a pre-med student and never thought of psychology as a career. I took my first psych class in my sophomore year and had to declare a department of study. At the time, there was, and I believe still is, a movement to accept nontraditional students into medical school - particularly students who are studying psychology because of the bad press concerning bedside manners and lack of empathy in the medical field. I really enjoyed Psych 101 and thought, I can get my B.S. in psych since I enjoy the field and maybe have a leg up on my competition for a medical school.

How did you develop an interest in the profession?

My first psych class was amazing. Words like cognition, defense-mechanisms, Rogerian counseling and aversion therapy opened a new world to me. I felt I unlocked a door to all of the dysfunction in life and could possibly help people struggling with disorder in their mental health journey - Rutherfordian therapy? I really thought I could become a major force in the field.

Did anyone or any event influence you in this decision?

My first professor, Dr. Wise. He spoke a new language to me. I remember most of the class was too afraid of his intellect to ask "dumb" questions. Finally, in our last week of school a student worked up the nerve to ask, "What does cognition mean?" Dr. Wise was amazed that the student didn't know the term and defined it for the class. We were all thankful for that definition.

What do you like about your work the most?

Working with people with disorders daily is rewarding but overwhelming. When I practiced daily, I also taught at North Idaho College. I needed a reference to the norm. I love the chess game a therapist plays with his clients - listening without judging, then making the next psychological mental move to invoke healthy insight from the client. I love using all learned and personal past experience to help a person better understand herself.

I also love the day therapy is terminated. The client is apprehensive and often afraid to lose the support while I believe they are ready to stand on their own feet. I practice Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which is often brief therapy so I terminate therapy as soon as I believe the client is prepared to be successful on her own, which is often sooner that the client believes they are prepared to terminate therapy. This conversation and support about the potential of the client energizes me.

Considering the advances in medicine, do you think there will be less or more of a need for "talking therapy" in the future?

I believe more. People seldom have an opportunity to really talk with a person who will really listen. Technology creates a world of isolation for many. Talking to a screen, falling in love with an IP address, emailing private secrets to complete strangers and texting instead of talking will create a society of people who struggle to understand facial expressions, intuition, facial feedback and inference-skills required to be successful in our society. People will seek treatment to regain these lost traits.

As for medical advances, medicine prepares a client for therapy, the therapist prepares the client for life. Medicine treats the symptoms but not the cause so, often talk therapy can relieve symptoms while addressing the cause; avoiding medical treatment completely.

Where do you see the profession 50 years from now?

I believe psychology will go through a giant swing focusing on technology and therapy through technology. Once this approach fails, the human approach will prevail. Real people will focus on finding real people for treatment. Technology has giant limitations but, we must attempt to use technology to its fullest before we understand the limitations. And, many people will struggle during this pendulum swing.

What would your advice be for individuals interested in going into this profession?

Self-study. The limitations in a classroom often limits a student from really learning. Read everything about your field. Volunteer to work in mental health agencies, research through peer reviewed journals about things that interest you and be critical but not cynical of the world around you and, don't diagnose all of your family and relatives with mental disorders; they won't like it!

Send comments or other suggestions to William Rutherford at bprutherford@hotmail.com or visit pensiveparenting.com.