So the other thing that felt weird about the “contrived” story at (enter time) is that it felt a lot like I was bragging. Let’s be honest, I had no idea what I was doing and it’s amazing to think about the difference between what I *thought* I wanted to do and what I actually want to do. Being a therapist is a job just like any other job. It can also be a calling or a vocation. I’m thankful that I actually like doing my job and I think it called to me. On another note, this may be the first video where we’ve never used After Effects, which is sort of wild. If you liked it, please let me know. It’s a whole lot easier to do videos like this, but I understand if it’s not as entertaining or interesting. Anyway, thanks for watching!
Beautiful video. The raw story telling was refreshing. I have a finance background but can relate to wanting to help people change, that’s the same thing that drives me.
Thank you Micah! I am struggling making my motivation letter for a Masters in Counselling program sound genuine and your video was super helpful. Love the simplicity and authenticity behind your video. All the best in your career!
It was excellent timing for me to find this video. I'm about to graduate with degrees in English & psychology & I'm about to start the grad school application process & I have lots of doubts. It's incredibly good to hear someone say that we're all just winging it-- it's easy to look at "real" grown-ups & wonder why I'm not like them, but maybe we all have more in common than what it seems superficially. Thanks for posting such an authentic video
This is three years later, but I'm currently in the middle of doing my own english and psych bachelor combo and Its not too often I hear about other people doing the same. I'm dreading my own grad school applications ill be doing in a year or so, but it was nice to have this video and this comment making me feel less alone. I hope youre doing well!
Appreciate the sincerity in your path to where you are. People like simple narrative but knowing how other handles doubts and external circumstances is what actually help someone to navigate through life. Thanks for taking the time to make the video!
I really relate to a lot of the things you are saying, thanks for sharing! Talking about your doubts really stuck with me. I've known I (probably) want to do psychology since I was fifteen or so. I'm only just getting around to studying it ten years later, after finally realising that I'm going to have doubts, and may end up changing my mind, and that's okay. You seem very self aware and genuine. And your channel rocks!
I’ve been considering this profession because, like you, I’ve always been quiet, introverted, and a thinker. I have a great deal of empathy for people also. I enjoy listening more than talking and have an interest in using language to manipulate thoughts and alter behavior. Not sure if that makes a good therapist though. Do you know anything about the for profit schools that offer these programs online?
Your in the right profession, you seem very happy, relaxed and comfortable with everything your saying. I like listening to your thoughts and explanations. Money is not everything in life.
Good video, and a question I’ve asked myself a lot. This question is addressed in a roundabout way in the book “Voices from the Field,” but I think it’d be great to get perspectives from people in a variety of fields. I’d love to see a video in which this question is asked to social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, addiction counselors, etc.
I truly appreciate the causal atmosphere you created to help most of us who are layman be relaxed and understand your profession better. Did you know the origins of enthralled? In Middle English, enthrallen meant "to hold in thrall." "Thrall" then, as now, meant "bondage" or "slavery"; it comes from an Old Norse word, "thraell," which is probably related to an Old High German word for servant. In the 16th century, the first known figurative use of "enthrall" appeared in the following advice, translated from a Latin text by Thomas Newton: "A man should not . . . enthrall his credit and honour to Harlots." But we rarely use even this sense of mental or moral enslavement anymore. Today the word is often used in its participle form, "enthralled," which sometimes means "temporarily spellbound" ("we listened, enthralled, to the old woman's oral history"), but more often suggests a state of being generally captivated, delighted, or taken by some particular thing. .....Just thought it was interesting.
At about 10:30... um... really good boundaries - more like REALLY GOOD boundaries!!!! I'm a very empathetic person and a good listener and I'd be a dreadful therapist because by nature my boundaries are very porous. Also, I think that as a therapist you do have to be very comfortable - even happy - with being quiet, with not sharing things verbally yourself. The confidentiality side of things means you hear a lot of difficult things that can be difficult to continue living with, so you need to find ways to support yourself through that if talking things out is not an option and have other means of expression and letting off steam. You can't be vent to your friends about a bad day when it was a bad day because other people were having a bad time and that information is confidential.
But in your point of view, does a therapist need to be completely free of mental issues, because I think only a certain amount of people would be able to be this way (they would have to have economic stability, good home and family, etc.)? In that case, psychothic people wouldn't be able to become therapists? I'm really not judging or trying to be obnoxious, Im just trying to understand. I'm a psychology student in a foreing country and I have these doubts. Are therapists people who never go through panic attacks, periods of sadness or lose faith in the future? I would love it if you answer me, I really like your videos!
That’s an excellent question! I don’t think you need to be free of mental health issues to be a therapist, but you need to be stable, in control of your mental health, and have insight into your issues in order to avoid hurting your clients. Does that make sense?
Just came across this video & channel! 🐈 🧬 Very inspiring & a unique job well done (esp. w. the special attn & unconditional patience you give to your cats during both classical + operant conditioning). I have both a Psych degree & 2 cats of my own, so I could really appreciate your content already. Thanks! Keep it up, man. BTW, do you offer online therapy sessions?
Hey Danielle! Thanks for the nice words. I'm glad you like the videos! I don't offer online therapy sessions, but there are a lot of options out there for therapy. I'd recommend using Yelp or doing a Google search for folks in your area and then contacting them to see if they accept your insurance. A lot more places do online therapy now, if that is most convenient for you. Good luck!
So... I want to ask something, but I need to figure out how to phrase it. I came upon your videos through your cat videos, btw, although I am a student of psychology myself, too. My question is something like this: How do you feel about politics and social psychology and the influence of society/culture/economics/etc on mental health? Maybe you make your position clear in other videos - I haven't watched through everything, yet, so if you have, I have missed it. But the reason I ask is because the influence of politics and the social factors contributing to mental health issues are becoming increasingly interesting to me. And I find that there are certain forces and trends working to push the study of mental health issues towards it being reduced to "malfunctioning brain equipment". This individualizing of the issues seems to be a little too neat/opportune/... (I lack the exact word in English). I know that you can't enact societal change from within a therapy session - you can't even change negative things in the life of your client - you can only work with them and how they process things and work with and within the boundaries of their life. But if you perceive mental health to be linked to larger societal structures, what do you do? Does it frustrate you, and what do you do with this frustration? And how about the question of who can afford the help of a therapist? This economic factor skews the availability of help away from those who might need it the most. ...if you read that and have any thoughts to share, I would be very happy. I know this was only tangentially related to the specific topics you brought up, I hope you forgive that. And I really liked this video and your cat videos. I am subbed now.
Very informative and personable video. However, I'd have liked you to at least explain a little more what you mean by saying you can't help anyone else if you're not keeping your own mental health in check. You say you talked about it a ton in grad school, but only give this one short line. I was a little bummed to hear that, as it seems hypocritical to be ruling out a large percentage of the world from practicing a field where you're meant to have a lot of empathy for those with mental health issues. And what does "in check" mean? Zero mental health issues are allowed? What if grad school helps people works some of these out? Asking for a friend...
Lemme guess people that speak with you... Even the slightest... Yes I do think suicidal thoughts.. but have no intentions to do any self harm.. you'll automatically send them to a psych ward.
So the other thing that felt weird about the “contrived” story at (enter time) is that it felt a lot like I was bragging. Let’s be honest, I had no idea what I was doing and it’s amazing to think about the difference between what I *thought* I wanted to do and what I actually want to do. Being a therapist is a job just like any other job. It can also be a calling or a vocation. I’m thankful that I actually like doing my job and I think it called to me.
On another note, this may be the first video where we’ve never used After Effects, which is sort of wild. If you liked it, please let me know. It’s a whole lot easier to do videos like this, but I understand if it’s not as entertaining or interesting. Anyway, thanks for watching!
Beautiful video. The raw story telling was refreshing. I have a finance background but can relate to wanting to help people change, that’s the same thing that drives me.
The world always needs more good therapists! Glad you like it! Thx for sharing
Thank you Micah! I am struggling making my motivation letter for a Masters in Counselling program sound genuine and your video was super helpful. Love the simplicity and authenticity behind your video. All the best in your career!
It was excellent timing for me to find this video. I'm about to graduate with degrees in English & psychology & I'm about to start the grad school application process & I have lots of doubts. It's incredibly good to hear someone say that we're all just winging it-- it's easy to look at "real" grown-ups & wonder why I'm not like them, but maybe we all have more in common than what it seems superficially. Thanks for posting such an authentic video
This is three years later, but I'm currently in the middle of doing my own english and psych bachelor combo and Its not too often I hear about other people doing the same. I'm dreading my own grad school applications ill be doing in a year or so, but it was nice to have this video and this comment making me feel less alone. I hope youre doing well!
Appreciate the sincerity in your path to where you are. People like simple narrative but knowing how other handles doubts and external circumstances is what actually help someone to navigate through life. Thanks for taking the time to make the video!
I really relate to a lot of the things you are saying, thanks for sharing! Talking about your doubts really stuck with me. I've known I (probably) want to do psychology since I was fifteen or so. I'm only just getting around to studying it ten years later, after finally realising that I'm going to have doubts, and may end up changing my mind, and that's okay.
You seem very self aware and genuine. And your channel rocks!
I’ve been considering this profession because, like you, I’ve always been quiet, introverted, and a thinker. I have a great deal of empathy for people also. I enjoy listening more than talking and have an interest in using language to manipulate thoughts and alter behavior. Not sure if that makes a good therapist though. Do you know anything about the for profit schools that offer these programs online?
Thanks for this. The way you talked about doubt really stuck with me.
Your in the right profession, you seem very happy, relaxed and comfortable with everything your saying. I like listening to your thoughts and explanations. Money is not everything in life.
Good video, and a question I’ve asked myself a lot. This question is addressed in a roundabout way in the book “Voices from the Field,” but I think it’d be great to get perspectives from people in a variety of fields. I’d love to see a video in which this question is asked to social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, addiction counselors, etc.
In high school, I had a teacher leave that exact phrase ("still water runs deep") in a comment on one of my report cards. It always stuck with me.
I truly appreciate the causal atmosphere you created to help most of us who are layman be relaxed and understand your profession
better.
Did you know the origins of enthralled?
In Middle English, enthrallen meant "to hold in thrall." "Thrall" then, as now, meant "bondage" or "slavery"; it comes from an Old Norse word, "thraell," which is probably related to an Old High German word for servant. In the 16th century, the first known figurative use of "enthrall" appeared in the following advice, translated from a Latin text by Thomas Newton: "A man should not . . . enthrall his credit and honour to Harlots." But we rarely use even this sense of mental or moral enslavement anymore. Today the word is often used in its participle form, "enthralled," which sometimes means "temporarily spellbound" ("we listened, enthralled, to the old woman's oral history"), but more often suggests a state of being generally captivated, delighted, or taken by some particular thing.
.....Just thought it was interesting.
Brilliant video
You guys are absolute legends!
So inspiring and beautiful
Lol, thank you. 😭
I appreciate this video. Thank you
Great video. Thank you for the heads up. How can one with a mater degree in educational psychology transition to a mental health therapist ?
At about 10:30... um... really good boundaries - more like REALLY GOOD boundaries!!!! I'm a very empathetic person and a good listener and I'd be a dreadful therapist because by nature my boundaries are very porous.
Also, I think that as a therapist you do have to be very comfortable - even happy - with being quiet, with not sharing things verbally yourself. The confidentiality side of things means you hear a lot of difficult things that can be difficult to continue living with, so you need to find ways to support yourself through that if talking things out is not an option and have other means of expression and letting off steam. You can't be vent to your friends about a bad day when it was a bad day because other people were having a bad time and that information is confidential.
Thats really motivating. What have you specialised in your masters?
But in your point of view, does a therapist need to be completely free of mental issues, because I think only a certain amount of people would be able to be this way (they would have to have economic stability, good home and family, etc.)? In that case, psychothic people wouldn't be able to become therapists? I'm really not judging or trying to be obnoxious, Im just trying to understand. I'm a psychology student in a foreing country and I have these doubts. Are therapists people who never go through panic attacks, periods of sadness or lose faith in the future?
I would love it if you answer me, I really like your videos!
That’s an excellent question! I don’t think you need to be free of mental health issues to be a therapist, but you need to be stable, in control of your mental health, and have insight into your issues in order to avoid hurting your clients. Does that make sense?
Just came across this video & channel! 🐈 🧬
Very inspiring & a unique job well done (esp. w. the special attn & unconditional patience you give to your cats during both classical + operant conditioning).
I have both a Psych degree & 2 cats of my own, so I could really appreciate your content already.
Thanks! Keep it up, man.
BTW, do you offer online therapy sessions?
Hey Danielle! Thanks for the nice words. I'm glad you like the videos! I don't offer online therapy sessions, but there are a lot of options out there for therapy. I'd recommend using Yelp or doing a Google search for folks in your area and then contacting them to see if they accept your insurance. A lot more places do online therapy now, if that is most convenient for you. Good luck!
I want to be a therapist too : )
So... I want to ask something, but I need to figure out how to phrase it. I came upon your videos through your cat videos, btw, although I am a student of psychology myself, too. My question is something like this: How do you feel about politics and social psychology and the influence of society/culture/economics/etc on mental health? Maybe you make your position clear in other videos - I haven't watched through everything, yet, so if you have, I have missed it. But the reason I ask is because the influence of politics and the social factors contributing to mental health issues are becoming increasingly interesting to me. And I find that there are certain forces and trends working to push the study of mental health issues towards it being reduced to "malfunctioning brain equipment". This individualizing of the issues seems to be a little too neat/opportune/... (I lack the exact word in English). I know that you can't enact societal change from within a therapy session - you can't even change negative things in the life of your client - you can only work with them and how they process things and work with and within the boundaries of their life. But if you perceive mental health to be linked to larger societal structures, what do you do? Does it frustrate you, and what do you do with this frustration? And how about the question of who can afford the help of a therapist? This economic factor skews the availability of help away from those who might need it the most. ...if you read that and have any thoughts to share, I would be very happy. I know this was only tangentially related to the specific topics you brought up, I hope you forgive that. And I really liked this video and your cat videos. I am subbed now.
Great questions and issues to address, I also struggle with how too narrow therapy can be.
ASD as kid?
Very informative and personable video. However, I'd have liked you to at least explain a little more what you mean by saying you can't help anyone else if you're not keeping your own mental health in check. You say you talked about it a ton in grad school, but only give this one short line. I was a little bummed to hear that, as it seems hypocritical to be ruling out a large percentage of the world from practicing a field where you're meant to have a lot of empathy for those with mental health issues. And what does "in check" mean? Zero mental health issues are allowed? What if grad school helps people works some of these out? Asking for a friend...
Lemme guess people that speak with you... Even the slightest... Yes I do think suicidal thoughts.. but have no intentions to do any self harm.. you'll automatically send them to a psych ward.
Absolutely not. That would be a gross overreaction. Lots of people have suicidal thoughts. That doesn’t mean they’re going to act on it.
Meh. I too wanted to be one.
What happened?