Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Therapist

Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Therapist

Sign up for TherapyNotes and get two months FREE:

FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling:

Thanks to all of you who participated in the poll on instagram sharing what you thought were the biggest advantages and disadvantages of being a therapist!

Links Mentioned:

Vicarious traumatization and secondary traumatic stress: A research synthesis

Are you experiencing compassion fatigue?

ProQOL:

Video: Why I Chose the Counseling Profession

Video: 15 Alternative Career Options for Therapists

00:00 Intro
00:45 Advantages of being a therapist
05:11 Disadvantages of being a therapist
11:48 Closing Thoughts
12:15 TherapyNotes Sponsor

LINKS
*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

This video is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field.

Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.

Website:

Spotify:

Instagram:

Music from Epidemic Sound:

This video is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

[tysbestbets]

Obviously she is highly intelligent and you can tell is a great therapist. Very cool video.

[kathydoyel]

Not yet a therapist, but I value the help that I have received in my own therapy journey. I know grad school and pursuing a career as a therapist is the right path for me, . definitely appreciate these videos!

[wondergal]

I know very few therapists who can work without a company that provides the standard benefits of other places. Sure, being self-employed also means self-insured. But so many large practices have gone the route of subcontracting therapists to avoid the expenses of W-2 employment. Therapists do "charge more per hour" but often have to cover the costs of so many things that other w-2 employees do not have to cover. The pushback on rates and even having to constantly adjust to expenses is the biggest con for me.

As for pros, i actually find the requirement for CEUs to keep me in a place of regular learning and i love that. Another pro: i get to choose who I work with and have met professionals all over the US thanks to networking under a common goal-to serve people through mental health.

[cns]

Thanks for posting this video! I relate. I work in group practice, primarily with young adults and people of color like myself. My most significant issues are burnout, lack of financial compensation, and, of course, lack of multicultural competence among other therapists when working with clients they don't understand and have a racial bias towards. Sorry if I sound bitter 😢 I'm not. It's just more oppressive when you work in the South.

[SaraS.-euzm]

Great video! During supervision I considered quitting, not due to my supervisor, but having to share the income with a company was so unfamiliar to me. I am currently in the process of going out on my own and I am hiring a billing company that takes 5% of each claim, which is GREAT considering I'm used to my current business owner taking 50-55% of each claim. Looking forward to building my own practice. Love making my own schedule but one thing I wish I had realized is how long it takes for insurance companies to pay for services. Downfall is never know when insurance is going to pay which leaves each pay check up for instability. I considered not taking insurance but in my area building a client population of 20 clients would be nearly to impossible without taking at least Medicaid. I am noticing an incline in people that want in person which will change my schedule but I am still in control for what in person days I choose and that is a bonus. Goodluck to everyone!

[Lyricbsmith]

I'm only 5-minutes into your video and I just had to pause and say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! I have the benefit of experiencing both sides of being a therapist who works for a nonprofit organization for homeless women AND having my own private practice (which YOUR videos and resources helped me to start!). It's so refreshing to learn and feel validated about the advantages and disadvantages we experience as therapists, and to know that there is a community for us! Thanks for posting!

[josepholiver]

Thank you for this helpful video. I am in the early stages of deciding if becoming a therapist is right for me or not and the disadvantage of balancing being a business owner, handling billing, and providing treatment is something I had not fully considered. Thank you!

[ToniRichter]

My 14 month old is ALL about the Itsy Bitsy Spider right now. lol. She puts her hands together gesturing it's time for the song. She does it at meals, in the car, in her crib AS SOON AS I turn on the lights. It's all about the itsy bitsy spider right now. And yes, I find it such a privilege that people share their intimate stories with me!

[NunaBuis]

I’m glad you added the part about student loans. It’s ridiculous, especially since starting pay is lower than other professions.

[BigPhil]

Pros - being a therapist. Cons -…being a therapist.

[curiousnita]

Family not understanding is a real thing 😂 every time i challenge someone they say I'm being a bad therapist 😂

[henryhealing]

This is a great video :) Only slightly hear the kids :) Thanks for sharing.

[casperTheBird]

I wonder if you would make a video comparing the amount in $$ therapists tend to put into become and maintain being therapists (i.e. school, licensing, supervision) vs how much they make? lol super mathy I know

[cultureal]

Thank you for making these videos as you are making us feel normalized and less ... silly feeling