Some people will tell you, "I became a therapist because people were already coming to me and confiding in me and asking advice so I went to school to keeping what I was already doing."
This is not my story, not how I got here. I think I got here to become something I wasn't, like an act of penance. I would love to say that listening was an attribute frequently attributed to me growing up, but it wasn't. I was much more likely to be talking over whoever was trying to talk instead of hearing what they were saying. More than once I heard my father say, "you could be replaced by a broken record."
Being a therapist, for me, is training. Training to use my ears more than my mouth. Training to wait and contemplate instead of jumping to conclusions. Training to be more interested in what I can learn from others than teach them. Hopefully one day all of this will sink in and I will become more like the person I would like to be, self-sacrificing, humble, patient, and kind.
Is this one of those times where I should just listen to be comforting, or should I go ahead and disagree with you? It's hard to tell sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI always thought it was a little harsh of him to call you a broken record. You are a very kind, sweet person, and very patient.
You can disagree with me on this one:). I was feeling pretty down on myself when I wrote it.
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