I finally made one of these meme-thingies since I didn’t find an already made one that I felt really spoke to what I do:
So this is me as a master’s level therapist on the track to be a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT), or as close to my experience as I could get through googling pictures. A common misconception is that MFTs treat only couples and families, and that is far from the truth. Although the license was originally created for the purpose of keeping marriages and families together, it has since widened considerably to include all types of relationships. As for me, I work mainly with adult women who have experienced some type of sexual or domestic violence. The following is a description for what I intended my pictures to convey.
What my friends think I do – I earned my master’s degree in Boston and Robin Williams is one of my favorite actors ever, so this movie is one of my favorites. For this one, please picture the part where the therapist keeps telling Will that “it’s not your fault…it’s not your fault.” Cue uncontrolled sobbing and the massive bear hug. *sniff*
What my parents think I do – This picture was exactly what I was trying to find :)
What society thinks I do – When I tell people what I do, I usually then brace for either a variety of awkward therapy jokes or for that person’s life story to come pouring out. My favorite (read: not favorite) joke is when people ask, “Haha, are you analyzing me right now?” My answer: “Haha – you really don’t want me to.”
What my clients think I do – I was torn with this one. The above picture shows what my clients who like me and want to be in therapy think I do. I had another picture with a dude in a suit looking condescendingly over his glasses and writing notes on a pad of paper – this one would represent what my court-appointed clients think I do.
What I think I do – I looked long and hard for a picture of a beautiful woman (me) wearing a daisy wreath in her hair and a white cotton dress frolicking happily through a sun-bathed green, grassy meadow. On my good days, that is what I do (and how I look). But I guess triumphantly climbing mountains will have to do.
What I really do – I work at a nonprofit. We have computers older than I am that break down more often than I have bowel movements. We have way too much paperwork to deal with. We have budget cuts and a lack of normal office supplies. We have lots of calls from clients, social workers, court, other therapists, parents of clients to listen to and respond to. We also have several different service locations and we’re constantly driving between them. Find me a picture that accurately shows all of that.
So this is what I do in a nutshell. And, for the most part, I love it!
Psychobabble 