Dr. Jameca CooperForensic Psychology Consultant, Emergence Psychological Services · Board Certified Counseling Psychologist and Forensic Psychology Consultant

ask yourself this… #psychologist #clinicalpsychologist #counselor #psychologistcareer #therapist

24 Jan 2025 · 1 min

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In this brief monologue, Dr. Jameca Cooper warns anyone considering a career as a psychologist, therapist, or counselor to first resolve their own personal issues. She emphasizes that therapeutic work involves constant exposure to clients' pain and trauma, and that unresolved personal baggage can lead to being easily triggered, overwhelmed, or burned out. The core message is that self‑work is a prerequisite for longevity and effectiveness in the mental‑health field.

Chapters

Are you thinking about being a psychologist? Well, if you are, ask yourself this: are you ready to deal with your own shit first? Because that's necessary to be a good psychologist, to be a good therapist, to be a good counselor. Now, I know some who are out working and they haven't dealt with their stuff because they get easily triggered by this, that, or they're easily burdened by the work that this is. This is heavy work and you're dealing with a lot of people's pain and trauma. So the one thing that you need to be a good therapist, a successful therapist, somebody that can be in the field a long time, is you need to deal with your own shit first before you get in here and start trying to help other people.