Therapists aren’t superheroes.
I was having a conversation with a friend yesterday on the topic of “unspoken truths” within the mental health space. Facts that many know to be true, but many don’t like openly discussing or making real.
My friend brought up a point, I think I’ve always known, but never deeply reflected on : that therapists are just normal people.
Not normal in a mundane or boring sense, not normal in a non-special way. But normal in the sense that they are humans, often with exactly the same limitations as those that they treat.
They’re not superheroes. They can’t cast magic, or read your mind. They do amazing things, but also make mistakes. They hurt and cry. They get overwhelmed and struggle. The job of a therapist is surreal, almost otherworldly, when you take a step back to think about it.
I have frustrations towards the therapeutic industry. I have frustrations towards therapists as a whole in some ways. I believe there to be problematic therapists. I believe there to be problematic views therapists as a whole take. But, it was in this moment talking with my friend, I realised some context I’ve been sorely missing.
It’s so easy to view your therapist as this magical presence in your life. They do magical things. They quite literally change people’s lives. Mentric was launched to try and change the mental health landscape, and in the process, maybe alter some therapists’ approach to what they do. But in undertaking such a mission, bringing to life valid frustrations with the way the industry operates, I perhaps forgot to reflect on the immense good that is done by many within it.
I can only imagine what it is like to go home as a therapist some days. I feel drained after just one session - sure it’s my own - but it must affect them deeply too. They are exposed all day to the worst of the human condition. The stories they must hear, day in and day out. The emotions they must witness: the hurt, the pain, the trauma. I can’t see how that doesn’t absorb in some way, how some of that doesn’t soak in. It must leave marks.
I think of my therapist. I think of what she’s done for me. I think of what a pure heart she has. And I realise how many others there are like her. Even those that aren’t the “best” - they might try their best, and they do it for beautiful reasons. A friend of mine wants to become a therapist to “help those that are misunderstood”. I imagine many therapists have similar pure intentions. In pursuit of any changes to the mental health industry, it would be so wrong to disregard that.
Sam.