EVERYONE:
Personal
Growth Topics

TONY'S BASICS:
A Guide
to Feelings

COUPLES:
Analyze Your
Relationship

I can't tell you how often I'm asked:
"What's it like to sit there and listen to people's problems all day?"

Since therapists aren't supposed to talk much about themselves,
I've never taken the time to answer this question thoroughly,
until now.

MY SITUATION

This topic is about me,
not about all therapists,
so it would help if you knew
how my workday is different
from most other therapists:

1) My practice is pretty solid at this point,
so I don't have to work much at building or maintaining it.

2) I work at home,
so I don't have commuting problems,
intra-office hassles,
and many other distractions.

3) My fees are very low and most clients pay by credit card,
so collections are seldom a problem.

THE BAD STUFF

INSURANCE AND CONFIDENTIALITY:
Even though only a few of my clients are on insurance
and it only happens a few times a year,
what bothers me most is dealing with insurance companies.

I believe I'm violating my client's trust to talk with insurers about them.
I believe this even though I know the client wants me to do it.

Having some uninvolved stranger approve or disapprove of such personal work
and decide whether we can continue
is an attack on the whole therapy process.

LOSING CONTACT:
I talk to people about their feelings about the most important things in their life.
And I do this for about an hour every week
over the course of months or even years.
You can't do this without feeling really close to the person.

Then one day we shake hands, they say "Thanks," and our contact ends.
The sadness on that day is brief
since I don't need the person for my own happiness.
But it's bizarre to realize that
there are so many people who I have felt so close to in my life
who I will never see again.

It's wonderful to know they are out there
and to imagine that their lives are better because we met,
but it is a little bizarre to permanently lose contact
with so many people
after so much good has happened between us.

Believe it or not, those are the only bad things about my practice worth mentioning.

THE GOOD STUFF

THE CLOSENESS:
Every workday I know I will have hours of
real, honest, personal, and meaningful interaction
with people I care about.
How many people can say that?

DEMONSTRATIONS OF MOTIVATION AND DETERMINATION:
It's wonderful to see how much people care about themselves and those they love,
and how much courage they bring to the therapy process.

Some people tap their courage
just to overcome the embarrassment
of talking to me about personal things.

Others tap it to overcome dark emotions,
or to get past blocks to greater success.

And some need all their self-love and motivation
just to sustain themselves during crises.

It's beautiful to witness so much determination and motivation on a regular basis.

My faith in human nature is renewed every day.

MY GROWTH:
Clients watch therapists very closely
to see if what we say and do is helpful for them.

This scrutiny gives us continuous feedback
- not just about our competence as therapists,
but also about who we are and how we come across.

All this personal feedback teaches us to be more genuine,
and to develop a style that is a true reflection of who we are.

Being with our clients centers us.

Being a good therapist requires us
to be emotionally present
so we can focus all of our attention on the client while we are with them.
To do this, we need highly effective ways to keep our minds clear.
And using these methods so often every day
helps to ensure our own mental health.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Insurance companies suck (!)
and losing contact with so many people you care about is just weird.

But the closeness,
the beauty of each client's work,
and all the built-in opportunities for personal growth
make being a therapist more rewarding
than any career I can even imagine.

Please Tell Your Friends About This Site.

Enjoy Your Changes!

Everything here is designed to help you do just that!

Tony Schirtzinger, Therapist (Milwaukee, WI) 

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