ABSTRACT
More than any profession one can think of, psychotherapy involves the whole person. Who the therapist is-his or her dreams, fears, strivings, and Achilles’ heels-directly impacts how, and how well, he or she will perform the work. As therapists ourselves, we have had an insider’s view of therapist professional development. In observing our own development over the course of our careers and observing friends, colleagues, interns, and trainees, we have become interested in trying to define the “life cycle” of a therapist-from graduate school through retirement. What are the clinical, personal, and practice development tasks of each phase? What are the pitfalls? We have paid particular attention to the financial planning issues at each phase and looked at the way they are integrated into the larger picture.1 Certainly, we cannot claim to have found the definitive answers to these questions. However, we hope you will share some of our fascination with the questions themselves. We hope this section will be a springboard for reflection on where you are in your own professional development, so that you are in a strong position to plan for your future.
