Why I Love Counseling

I do not love it when clients come in for their first appointment and tell me what they've diagnosed themselves with.

I love it when a client comes in and shares that they are uncomfortable in counseling, and then find, after 50 minutes, that I'm really not so bad and they actually like me.

I do not love it when clients won't let me get a word in edgewise.

I love it when clients really buy into the squirrel-ier aspects of counseling: moving from chair to chair, doing art in session, visualization exercises.

I do not love it when clients no-show me five times in a row and then walk into the office in complete crisis and demand my attention.

I love it when my clients say very insightful things, and I end up being the one who is learning.

I do not love it when I can't stop thinking and worrying about my clients when I leave the office.

I love it when my client's laugh at my jokes.

I do not love it when I feel the sad and difficult emotions my clients express, and then I have no way to sort through it because it wasn't my emotion in the first place, so I have to watch a sad movie so that I can cry. Or I accidentally end up being nasty to someone I don't want to be nasty to because I wasn't self-aware enough to deal with it head-on. 

I love it when my clients are comfortable on my couch, and move the pillows around and lounge.

I do not love it when I'm anxious about something else and my client's difficulties make my anxiety worse.

I love the look on each client's face when they have an "aha!" moment.

I do not love when clients seem to drop off the face of the Earth and I get no closure.

I love helping.

I do not love when people outside of work say "you're just analyzing me" because they don't like what I'm saying. I love my job, but it's really hard, and I'm not interested in continuing to work when I leave work.

I love it the assertiveness that I've learned through learning to be a counselor. I can be really good at bringing up things I don't like without getting upset.

I really don't love when I realize I have been being the exact opposite of assertive.

I love the self-care component of counseling - I have a really great excuse to do things just because I feel like it.

I really really do not love when I realize that I have not been taking care of my emotional self at all and that it's been affecting everything else in my life.

And people want to know why counselors need counselors!