06/26/2022
It’s interesting what a taboo topic this is and how so many therapists have come to me privately to talk about how burnt out they are. And how they’re struggling financially unable to make ends meet.
When I graduated with a PhD, I had to work under someone who was licensed. I was paid $30 an hour to see clients. At the same time I had to pay fees to be supervised and get my license. And, I had over $200,000 worth of student loans.
Tiktok is fully of therapists sharing job offerings with masters degrees for 30,000-40,000 dollars. This is a real issue.
Depending on the therapists placement, they also might be forced (or at least incentivized) to see 40+ clients a week—many VA therapists have shared this with me. This goes beyond a humans capacity and pretty much ensures that the therapist is unable to be fully present, invested, and able to be their for their clients in the way they want to be.
We have a blanket statement we tell everyone “get therapy” or “get help” and while this is a beautiful thing that we’re actually having these conversations. I wonder why we’re not talking about how so many therapists themselves are in survival mode. How they’re underpaid, burdened with massive debt, and often working in agencies that don’t model healthy boundaries.
The mental health system is broken. I’ve witnessed it first hand. I’ve talked to thousands of therapists within it.
If the people giving help do not have basic needs met. If they’re worried, struggling, and strapped with debt how are they supposed to emotionally regulate enough to help another? How are they expected to model and teach healthy boundaries and communication if their bodies are in fight or flight?
How are they expected to be there for another person when their body feels the survival alarm going off every time a client cancels, when a student loan bill comes, or when grocery prices go up and their pay does not?
The emotional health of the therapist is the CORE part of people being helped
