Maybe? You'd be fascinated by the work. That's a good start. You can be kind of judgmental; I think accepting some of your clients as they are might be your main challenge. I also know you'd be up to that challenge.
Also curious whether it would be hard at first because you're used to going all-out to cause good changes in someone's life, as a lawyer. A therapist's responsibility is less direct. But that must be hard for everyone who becomes a therapist after working on something else.
I think you'd be good at any people skill you chose to learn; you're reflective and thoughtful and you work your ass off and you'd get there if that was what you wanted.
I think the greatest challenge would be getting comfortable living with somebody else's perspective -- even if it's flawed or limited -- even if it's different from your own judgment -- even if it's distinctly worse. There's stuff you and I don't talk about because it's too hard not to fight about it -- which isn't an option in therapy. Then again, this might be something you could do more easily professionally than with people you care about -- there are certainly things I can do more easily in my work life than in my personal life -- I guess it'd be a thing to watch.
I'm also not sure you'd like it, but that's mostly because I'm not sure I'd like it for myself. Every job has its balance of tedium and frustration vs. victory, and for me I think the combination of one-on-one and incremental, unpredictable change would not be pleasurable.
Appending: But if really considering a career change, I think "How good would I be?" isn't necessarily the first question; you'll suck at it, and then you'll work hard, and then you'll kick ass at it, for pretty much any definition of "it."
More-significant considerations, for me:
How much would its rewards satisfy me? How much would its challenges frustrate me? How would I fit in at its workplaces? How would the lifestyle suit me?
I think there are aspects of outpatient therapy you would find very frustrating, but you are a very intelligent and socially astute person and I think you'd be fantastic at clinical evaluation and assessment. With your background, would you have any interest in forensic psychology?
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Also curious whether it would be hard at first because you're used to going all-out to cause good changes in someone's life, as a lawyer. A therapist's responsibility is less direct. But that must be hard for everyone who becomes a therapist after working on something else.
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I think the greatest challenge would be getting comfortable living with somebody else's perspective -- even if it's flawed or limited -- even if it's different from your own judgment -- even if it's distinctly worse. There's stuff you and I don't talk about because it's too hard not to fight about it -- which isn't an option in therapy. Then again, this might be something you could do more easily professionally than with people you care about -- there are certainly things I can do more easily in my work life than in my personal life -- I guess it'd be a thing to watch.
I'm also not sure you'd like it, but that's mostly because I'm not sure I'd like it for myself. Every job has its balance of tedium and frustration vs. victory, and for me I think the combination of one-on-one and incremental, unpredictable change would not be pleasurable.
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More-significant considerations, for me:
How much would its rewards satisfy me?
How much would its challenges frustrate me?
How would I fit in at its workplaces?
How would the lifestyle suit me?
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