Often people ask me why I became a therapist. They ask if it gets tiring to hear people talk about themselves all day. Or if it is depressing to “listening to people’s problems”.

To me, I think they’re viewing it all wrong. When someone is submerged in their own problems, they may likely feel overwhelmed. As the therapist, I am able to view the situation objectively, and from a distance. I am able to help the client hold a mirror up to him or herself, and see a reflection they’ve never seen before. It’s less dramatic than giving sight to the blind, but a similar concept. To me, being a therapist is the most rewarding job I could think of.

I became a therapist because I am fascinated by the human mind. I wanted to know why people thought and acted the way they do, myself first on that list. I have always been fascinated by resilience; the notion that two people can come from the very same family or background, and have completely different experiences (myself and my brother, for example). I dedicated my life to understanding not only my own mind, but the mind of those around me. The mind of those that have hurt me, frustrated me, and brought me to tears. The mind of those that have been able to make me happy each and every time I see them, whether or not those people are “good for me”.

Why have I found myself attracted to people that are “bad for me”, not being able to rationalize with myself when I knew the right decision may have been to walk away from those individuals? Why couldn’t I force myself to love people that did nothing but treat me perfectly? Why was my mind, and the minds of those around me, so…confused? So difficult to change?

And after I thought I had all that figured out, I wanted to know not just the why, but the how. How can I change? How can I surround myself with better people that deserve my time and energy? How can I protect myself from unnecessary pain? How can I learn to forgive and move on and set boundaries and love myself?

I became a therapist to heal. And the first person that needed healing was me. And now that I’ve learned how to heal; how to forgive and move past and be more understanding and set boundaries that protect me, I want to impart that knowledge onto others. Give them the same tools that I needed and had to find for myself. I became a therapist to hold that mirror up to others, so that they too can be the best version of themselves.

I will never change the entire world, but I do know I change the lives of those with whom I work. And as they change, the people around them change. And as they change, the people around them change. That, my friend, is the ripple effect in action. That, my friend, is why I do what I do.