As we wrap up 2009 I found it interesting, but hardly surprising that US News & World Reports announced marriage and family therapy as one of the 50 best careers for 2010. Why? Because counseling works! I can’t tell you how many times I have seen individuals and couples in horrible distress who feel more hopeful after just one therapy session. Most people are in therapy for a lot longer than one session of course and I am certainly not claiming the positive results are due to my “personal brilliance”. However when we think about the three most important characteristics in a counselor; those being “empathy, warmth, and genuineness,” (William Miller), it’s hardly surprising that people respond well to therapy, which is why the field is growing. The best advice I can give anyone considering therapy is that if you think you need it, you just might. I love what Sydney Smith said, “Resolve to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment.” That is what it is like to be a therapist 7 days a week, so what’s not to love!
