u/improbablesky

Hey y'all,

I found a few posts related to my topic by searching, but not a lot.

I would say that in my job that I have a "low volume" workload but each work item is EXTREMELY stressful. Pretty much everything I handle is people being mad about stuff I didn't cause, wouldn't cause, and 50% of the time, can't fix.

I have been diagnosed BP2 and medicated for about two years, and I'm starting to realize that I likely need to pivot to remain mentally stable. I've been thinking about what to do next, and my heart and brain keep going back to being a therapist.

My only concern is, it's gotta be stressful, right? I know that, even if one may not want to, a therapist is likely going to internalize a lot of stuff from their clients. I'm trying to weigh if the pivot to a counselor or psychologist would be right for me. I'm wondering if, maybe if I care about the work I do (and I am inclined to believe I'd care), it would be at least make the stress "worth it."

I guess I'm wondering if anyone with experience or is currently practicing as a therapist/counselor, particularly private practice, can shed some insight into their job and if/how their diagnosis has affected their job and motivation to continue to do their job. I welcome any information about the business side of things, but I'm pretty sure I know how much that's going to suck and what I need to do about it.

Thank you in advance.