Nonlinear Lines and Why I'm Not a Therapist

I'm asked a lot about why I’m not a practicing therapist. You would think after 3 years of grad school, a bunch of debt, and a deep belief in the power of therapy that I would jump at the chance to start a practice or join an agency.

There are three main reason why I don’t currently practice:

1. I realized over the past 3 years that I have a deep yearning for autonomy in my work life. After what seems like a million different jobs and a lot of professional wandering, I realized the professional endeavors I enjoy the most always come with a high degree of autonomy. Jobs where I’m able to move around, work when my brain can focus, and shift my schedule as needed.
2. I don’t like sitting for long periods of time. For whatever reason, I don’t function well in a chair. I need to be able to move around. There are ways around this in therapy, but most traditional therapy is very “chair based” and that isn't where I thrive.
3. This is probably the most important reason: I believe deeply in the need for both rivers of help that are narrow and deep and those that are wide and shallow. Let me explain: I see essentially two models for cultural and personal change. First is narrow and deep. This looks like impacting a few people deeply. I would consider therapy to be narrow and deep as a therapist goes in depth with 20 or so clients. The other model, wide and shallow, would look more like writing a book, speaking in front of crowds, using a platform to cause someone to consider a problem in a new way. This second model is where I find my passion: bringing messages of hope and healing in public ways.

The point I’m getting at is our paths aren’t linear--they don’t always (or very often) look like a straight line. And the pressure to be able to show others a straight line is one of the most unfortunate parts of American culture. Life is messy, it includes a lot of twists and turns, and anyone who says different is either lying or confused about the reality of earthly existence.

Like anything else in life, the jobs we choose are all about what we value and why. For me, my values have led me toward autonomy and the opportunity to develop a message that can touch the hearts of many. A lot of this stems from spending much of my life feeling boxed in, and now wanted to feel free to shift and move as I walk through life--in addition to a desire to change the world in positive ways.

The question is, what do you value and why? What drives you in your professional life?  And is this value something that feels healthy and makes you happier or does it only make life more difficult? Once those answers are clear, the next steps is the messy path of life will become more obvious.