Why I Love Being a Therapist: Get to Know Jaimi Douthit
Why do I love being a therapist?
It is important to remind ourselves that sometimes, doing the best we can is totally okay. Being a therapist has allowed me to see people trying their hardest and giving themselves no credit for it! I often find myself reminding my clients that we are doing the best we can and we have to give credit for that. It never surprises me that just pointing this out to a client can bring tears forward. You are kicking ass!
Being human is hard! We are beyond tired; we are exhausted and burnt out. I enjoy providing the tools my clients need to start their recovery from this seemingly bottomless pit so many of us find ourselves in. For me, having compassion and empathy is key.
I often find myself driving home and thinking about how proud I am of my clients – whether it is for their efforts in session, progress they are making or just their ability to show up and face their challenge; I am so proud of them. Therapy changes lives, I see it everyday and I love working hard to bring that forward to my clients.
As proud as I am of my clients, one of my most favorite things is seeing them be proud of themselves. I can bring the tools and techniques into session but it is their bravery, hard work and acceptance that allows them to see those tools make change. I truly enjoy seeing clients build trust, communication and challenge themselves with establishing and maintaining boundaries.
I see a variety of clients and that means sessions are unique to fit each individual as needed. I think it is important to laugh with your therapist; we are on the same team and although we will definitely have hard sessions, we will also have sessions full of light and excitement. I love seeing clients excited to succeed, excited for progress, excited to make change and really thriving in it!
I tell my clients that a part of therapy is learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable – our defense mechanisms and brains have worked hard to hide and avoid the traumas, the hard realities and discomfort of changing the unhealthy and toxic parts of our worlds. I will never tell you that these changes are easy, but worth it? You know it!
Facing these gross feelings is so incredibly worth it. It feels good to see a client feel better, to identify why they feel better and how they changed their worlds to maintain it. I didn’t choose to be a therapist, this career chose me and I am forever thankful to every challenge and difficult day I have had that allows me to understand my client’s pain and why their challenges are so heavy.