I sometimes wonder if I got into the wrong field because I love giving advice. I love creating ideas, plans, and ways for someone to achieve their goals. I love giving my input on relationships and basically butting in when I shouldn’t. It’s really the entrepreneur side of me.
I went to school and received a degree in Psychology and Business Administration so I literally had the choice of giving advice or providing therapy. Both service type fields working with individuals.
Why did I choose therapy over business? Because I feel alive when I watch others discover their patterns, beliefs, values, and ideas. I burst inside with joy as my clients find their path and run down it.
Advice is what you get from a friend, parent or mentor. Therapy is the self-discovery process of finding your own truths and listening to your own advice.
Advice is the sometimes a piece of information that you seek for and then totally ignore because it does not truly fit you. Therapy is the piece of truth that has always been inside of you that has taken time to bloom into your knowledge.
When I think about the differences I’m reminded why I chose the field of therapy. Therapy is individualized and not duplicated. Sure some of the skills we teach might be taught to everyone, but the way you choose to use the skills are unique. Only you can deep breathe like you deep breathe. Only I can dance out the anxiety in my own dance it out dance.
Therapist’s are not advice givers; they are answer seekers. They help you unveil your voice so that you can speak your mind to those people who speak over you. They create space for you to feel those emotions you’ve been bottling up for years. They let you cry it out each week if that’s what you need.
Therapist’s are encouragers. They cheer you on as you discover your true self. They give you the space to explore all the ideas you have. They celebrate those small steps and big steps and do not prefer one over the other.
If you’re looking for advice, therapy might be right for you but you most likely are not going to find it with the right therapist. If you’re looking to hear your advice, then therapy is right for you. Therapy will help you begin to listen to the advice you give to others in your life and let you apply it to yourself.
