ABSTRACT
Lisa might have been relieved to know that her feelings were not unique and are shared by many of her colleagues. In a large national survey of clinical psychologists, 4 out of 10 said they would choose a different career if they had their lives to live over (Norcross & Prochaska, 1982). Over the years, I have heard therapists express Lisa’s concerns in one form or another, whether these are done in a joking manner or in earnest. “I think I’ll close up shop and open a catering business,” a therapist will say. Being a tour guide, making flower arrangements, working in a bookstore-fantasies of these and other less stressful jobs are common in casual conversation among clinicians.
