I am not sure where the profession of counselor/therapist would rank on a list of rewarding jobs compared to others; I can only speak from my own experience in regards to the aspects I like the best about my career. I thought I would let you in on a few of them.

Getting to share a client’s progress and good times Certainly a person does not typically start therapy because they have a great deal going right in their lives. But when therapy does what it is meant to, aspects of their lives change for the better and it is awesome to get to be a part of that. It feels good to laugh and smile with someone who started out perhaps sad and tearful. This is not about taking credit for the change, just being able to celebrate it.

Being there to get through the hard times Being able to console and empathize so that a person does not feel they are alone can provide a good feeling. For a variety of reasons, individuals do not feel they can share certain things with people in their lives, but keeping things bottled up tends to be unhealthy and is not recommended.

Meeting people I would not otherwise get the chance to know I meet such awesome people. Some of whom end up teaching me things. Some challenge me to grow personally and professionally.

Gaining a whole new respect and appreciation for the work others do. Certainly the job of a therapist can be hard. Through my work talking with clients about their occupations and related stress, there are jobs that I never took the time to empathize with the time, energy, and lack of financial compensation that come with them.

Such an honor to be trusted with the confidence given. Many people have a difficult time trusting others and for understandable reasons based on their unpleasant experiences. I see it as a privilege to be told things that someone may not have ever told another person. It is my responsibility to convey trustworthiness and it is something I take seriously. I would like to think that I prove myself to be deserving of this trust and provide an exception to ones belief that they can’t trust anyone.

This list is certainly not all-inclusive, but I hope this gives you some further insight into the reason I do what I do as a therapist.

Rita Hansen is a licensed professional counselor with Sioux Falls Wellness Counseling. She can be reached by calling (605) 610-9228.