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> I'm not trained with any formal credentials Get trained with some. There is a massively growing demand for therapists. World events and changing culture are

> I'm not trained with any formal credentials Get trained with some. There is a massively growing demand for therapists. World events and changing culture are creating the conditions for widespread personal crises. This has a big effect on the economy and is really an underlying root cause problem for many other visible socio-economic problems. Science now strongly backs modern psychotherapeutic practice, and it can be a rewarding career. Most (good) training is the usual 3-5 year programme involving psychology, reflective practice, clinical work, self-therapy, clinical supervision. You can choose amongst a range of different "schools" (cognitive, behavioural, attachment...) which are increasingly combined and regulated by the same bodies. It;s also hard work to be a professional. For the good programmes selection is actually tough. Would you be able to help people traumatised by witnessing horror? Rape victims? Or neurotic, obsessive patients who break boundaries and call you at 3am? Can you keep absolute compartmentalised discretion on par with doing intelligence work? Good luck.

_zzaw 5y ago
I don’t think that’s what he’s talking about. You’re describing industrial-strength professional therapy; sounded to me like he had more informal counseling/advice/community in mind.
- samh748 5y ago
  Thanks for this. Yeah I definitely won't want to venture into the "serious stuff" exactly for the reasons stated. My experience has been that, it's the in-between severity that seems to lack good resources. The stuff that self-help books try to address and fail miserably at. The struggles people have that are unsettling, but not serious enough to seek therapy. My whole life is living in this middle place, so it took a long time to figure out what to do or where to go for help.
  - nonrandomstring 5y ago
    > My experience has been that, it's the in-between severity that seems to lack good resources. Yes good point, this is an issue with so many services. It's often people in the grey area, falling between the cracks, that get the worst deal - too well to seek help, too messed up to function properly. (I don't want to derail your thread but I think much is down to lack of simple human contact/friendship caused by digital intermediation.) You may be on to something with a sort of "buddy system" for hackers floundering under the stress of the current industry. I didn't mean to put you off seriously looking at training. Just being real. The fact that you reach out already suggests you have the foundation.
    - samh748 5y ago
      Yeah I appreciated the feedback. I love feedback, it's all good information to chew through and think about. :) > It's often people in the grey area, falling between the cracks, that get the worst deal - too well to seek help, too messed up to function properly. Couldn't have described it better!
anm89 5y ago
Couldn't disagree more. The piece of paper isn't some magic wand that makes you able to help people. Assuming this person already has a career they are happy with, and they already feel they can help people, this doesn't add much value.
- nonrandomstring 5y ago
  > Couldn't disagree more. No. You're definitely wrong about that.
omosubi 5y ago
I was in therapy for a while and I don't buy that therapists are good at actually solving people's problems. I saw a couple therapists and a both would often parrot whatever zeitgeisty feel good advice was common on Instagram - stuff like "self care" and the like - these sorts of things just encourage you to sink deeper into whatever problems you have and not address the root cause. I don't have any hard data on this but I imagine the majority of therapists are like this - average and not able to get people to solve their own problems.
- nonrandomstring 5y ago
  @omosubi, this almost slipped past my reply window. I think you got a bad deal and saw the wrong side of it, and for sure there are bad therapists around. That's why I pushed the formal training thing a bit. > I don't buy that therapists are good at actually solving people's problems. You're right. It's a cliche, but they help people who want to change solve their own problems. There aren't "therapists in general" just individual ones. Most all of them are the wrong one for you. > whatever zeitgeist feel good advice was common on Instagram That's bad. If you ever try again shop around mercilessly. Any real therapist will give you a free initial meeting to see if the relationship is going to work. Totally walk out and say "thanks but no" until it feels like something is going on... what that feeling may be is that you hate this person for touching a nerve, or something, but it will be emotional. > encourage you to sink deeper into whatever problems you have and not address the root cause. If you can articulate what you think the root cause is you're already ahead. Sometimes that's months of work to discover. The root cause can bring up really shitty stuff that makes you want to quit. And what you think the root cause is might not be the root. Therapy is not just 5Y analysis. Be prepared to find that some major code needs rewriting. > I imagine the majority of therapists are like this As I said the majority of therapists are the wrong one for you. The usual distribution. You're probably smart enough to know the bell-curve already - some shit, some brilliant, many that are not for you... a few that are. Good luck.

_zzaw 5y ago

I don’t think that’s what he’s talking about. You’re describing industrial-strength professional therapy; sounded to me like he had more informal counseling/advice/community in mind.

samh748 5y ago
Thanks for this. Yeah I definitely won't want to venture into the "serious stuff" exactly for the reasons stated. My experience has been that, it's the in-between severity that seems to lack good resources. The stuff that self-help books try to address and fail miserably at. The struggles people have that are unsettling, but not serious enough to seek therapy. My whole life is living in this middle place, so it took a long time to figure out what to do or where to go for help.
- nonrandomstring 5y ago
  > My experience has been that, it's the in-between severity that seems to lack good resources. Yes good point, this is an issue with so many services. It's often people in the grey area, falling between the cracks, that get the worst deal - too well to seek help, too messed up to function properly. (I don't want to derail your thread but I think much is down to lack of simple human contact/friendship caused by digital intermediation.) You may be on to something with a sort of "buddy system" for hackers floundering under the stress of the current industry. I didn't mean to put you off seriously looking at training. Just being real. The fact that you reach out already suggests you have the foundation.
  - samh748 5y ago
    Yeah I appreciated the feedback. I love feedback, it's all good information to chew through and think about. :) > It's often people in the grey area, falling between the cracks, that get the worst deal - too well to seek help, too messed up to function properly. Couldn't have described it better!

anm89 5y ago

Couldn't disagree more. The piece of paper isn't some magic wand that makes you able to help people. Assuming this person already has a career they are happy with, and they already feel they can help people, this doesn't add much value.

nonrandomstring 5y ago
> Couldn't disagree more. No. You're definitely wrong about that.

omosubi 5y ago

I was in therapy for a while and I don't buy that therapists are good at actually solving people's problems. I saw a couple therapists and a both would often parrot whatever zeitgeisty feel good advice was common on Instagram - stuff like "self care" and the like - these sorts of things just encourage you to sink deeper into whatever problems you have and not address the root cause. I don't have any hard data on this but I imagine the majority of therapists are like this - average and not able to get people to solve their own problems.

nonrandomstring 5y ago
@omosubi, this almost slipped past my reply window. I think you got a bad deal and saw the wrong side of it, and for sure there are bad therapists around. That's why I pushed the formal training thing a bit. > I don't buy that therapists are good at actually solving people's problems. You're right. It's a cliche, but they help people who want to change solve their own problems. There aren't "therapists in general" just individual ones. Most all of them are the wrong one for you. > whatever zeitgeist feel good advice was common on Instagram That's bad. If you ever try again shop around mercilessly. Any real therapist will give you a free initial meeting to see if the relationship is going to work. Totally walk out and say "thanks but no" until it feels like something is going on... what that feeling may be is that you hate this person for touching a nerve, or something, but it will be emotional. > encourage you to sink deeper into whatever problems you have and not address the root cause. If you can articulate what you think the root cause is you're already ahead. Sometimes that's months of work to discover. The root cause can bring up really shitty stuff that makes you want to quit. And what you think the root cause is might not be the root. Therapy is not just 5Y analysis. Be prepared to find that some major code needs rewriting. > I imagine the majority of therapists are like this As I said the majority of therapists are the wrong one for you. The usual distribution. You're probably smart enough to know the bell-curve already - some shit, some brilliant, many that are not for you... a few that are. Good luck.