“Why did you decide to be a therapist?”
As often as I have been asked that question, I still stumble over my words. I don’t think I have ever fully unscrambled it in my brain before now. Let’s process it together now, shall we?
I decided to become a therapist in high school
I have this distinct memory of sitting in freshman English class and deciding I wanted to be a therapist. I didn’t know what a therapist was exactly. I hadn’t taken any psychology classes but knew it was a career centered around compassion and caring for others.
Later that year, I remember being handed an envelope with my name on it. Inside was a letter letting me know that in a school-wide anonymous survey, my name was submitted by students as someone they would trust in or confide in if they were struggling. This was shocking to me. I was not wildly popular but actually blended in. I was friendly to other people and had many acquaintances but not many really close friends.
That letter invited me to join about 15 other people who had been selected as “Natural Helpers” to receive training on how to help other students struggling with mental health. We went to a retreat and had monthly meetings. It was there that I started learning about eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and other mental health struggles.
Helping people changed my life
It was life-altering to be a part of something that was focused on having a purpose, meaning and offering other people compassion. It helped me develop meaningful relationships. It also helped me feel more positively about myself to think that I was helping and caring for other people in need.
It’s crazy for me to think that as a 15-year-old, my career goal never changed. I went to college and diligently went through the course catalog and identified all of the classes I needed to take to graduate, and then I went to graduate school, and here we are now just doing the thing.
Having positive role models impacted my desire to become a therapist
I think another part that interested me here is how I grew up. I had compassionate parents and grandparents. They valued loving and caring for other people, which also became important to me. Another part is being a child was challenging for me, especially in my teenage years. While I don’t work with teenagers anymore, I never want anyone to feel alone or unloved.
I also remember having friends older than me and being told I was a good listener and gave good advice. Obviously, I know now that therapy isn’t about giving advice, but it made me feel that maybe being a therapist is something I could be good at.
Now almost twenty years later, I work with some of my favorite types of people. People inspire me with their determination to be better versions of themselves. People who continue to help me progress and improve myself as a person and as a therapist.
Start eating disorder therapy in Utah
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, you don’t have to keep living this way forever. This Northern Utah Counseling Clinic has an eating disorder therapist who can help. To begin eating disorder therapy, follow the steps below:
Meet with a mental health professional
Begin eating disorder recovery
Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah
When you are struggling with an eating disorder, it’s important to work with someone that has the specialized training and experience to help you with eating disorder recovery. Many parts of Utah don’t have access to eating disorder treatment. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. This makes it so you don’t have to travel to therapy appointments and can receive therapy in the comfort of your own home.
You can access eating disorder therapy if you are located in St. George, Cedar City, Heber, Logan, Salt Lake City, and more.
Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy
Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service provided at this Provo Utah Area Counseling Center. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include binge eating disorder treatment, body image therapy, trauma therapy, birth trauma, and anxiety therapy in Utah.