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Why did you decide to be a therapist?
I always knew I wanted to be a therapist. Even as a
kid. When people asked me what I wanted to be when I
grew up I’d answer, “A child psychologist.” That was
the language I had for it at the time. Beginning in my
teen years I was the person everyone came to with
their problems. I’d listen and give advice. I know now
that this is not what therapists do. Therapists listen,
sure, but I think their role is not to give advice so much
as to bring out the inner wisdom of their clients to move
them to do what is best for them. Sure, therapists
might give their opinion on certain topics from time to
time, but hopefully it is in an attempt to be educational,
or give a different perspective, rather than a definitive
statement on what the client should do.
What do you like about your job?
I don’t really think of it as my “job” but rather something
I “do” or part of "who I am". I never wake up in the
morning and feel like I don’t want to go to “work”. I’m
excited to get to the office and listen to people’s stories
and help them move to a new place in their life. Being a
therapist is part of who I am, part of my being.
But seriously, what I love about being a therapist is
having the honor of people trusting me with their most
vulnerable selves. I love hearing people’s stories and
giving people the tools necessary for them to make
changes in their lives. Most issues I hear are common
(or normal, if you prefer) but generally people don’t talk
about their issues with others and if they do, the
recipient of the information might not admit that they
too experienced something similar.
What type of therapy do you do?
My training is in Marriage and Family Therapy. I chose
this field because it is very well-rounded and holistic. It
seeks not to pathologize (diagnose or try to pin point
something wrong within a person), but rather looks at
the systems (family-of-origin, career, education,
culture, society, religion, current relationships, etc.) in
which a person is a part of. When identifying these
systems I look for patterns of behavior that are
perpetuated by being a part of those systems. I look
for new ways the client might behave differently and
what that might do to the system.
For example (simplified version): A child starts acting
out (being bossy, yelling, crying, obsessing, etc) when
mom and dad are with the child together but not when
one parent is with the child alone. As a Marriage and
Family Therapist, I would wonder how the mom and dad
interact with each other when they are together and
how that has an effect on the child. If mom and dad
are fighting or there is a hostile energy between them,
the child is observing and picking up on this. Kids
absorb much more than adults are aware of. There is
probably nothing “wrong” with the child, the parents just
don’t like the child’s new, disruptive behavior. But the
child is smart and the behaviors serves a purpose.
The behavior is a diversion to get mom and dad to
either stop fighting with one another or to start
dialoguing with one another, but all centered around
the child. So do you only see couples and families?
Nope. Being trained to think systemically is great
because you can apply it to all clients and situations.
Really it just helps you look broadly at the big picture
rather than narrowly searching for pathology.
However, having systems theory training, in my mind, is
essential to couple and family work. While it might be
difficult for any therapist to work with multiple people in
the room (the more people, the more that’s going on),
training and licensure in Marriage and Family Therapy
specifically requires a therapist to have hundreds of
practice hours with multiple people in the room.
Who is your ideal client?
I love working with people who are ready to help
themselves. Clients get so much more out of the
therapy experience if they are ready to work.
Specifically, the clients I like are the ones who feel
“stuck” or “stagnant” and don’t know what to do but
know they need to do something. That eagerness
feeds my energy to offer the client hope and the tools
they need to add movement to their life again.
If you were not a therapist, what would you be?
I’d be some sort of artist. I love graphic design, interior
design, and fashion. I love to make things and be
creative. I love to look at a room in a magazine or at a
hotel, a piece of jewelry, or a dress and think, “I could
do that.” I love to be inspired by other artist’s work too.
Do you have a great interview question
you'd like Megan to answer?
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