Our Stories: Why We Became Therapists
Why We Became Therapists!
Our team of bloggers and therapists are sharing their authentic story with you this week: Why We Became Therapists?. No two paths are ever the same and each of our contributors shares why they decided to become a therapist. This is our most real blogpost yet and we hope it inspires you to follow your dreams and aspirations.
# 1 Amanda Patterson, LMHC, CAP, NCC
It’s actually a funny story why I became a therapist. My sight was set on law school for a long time. I wanted to be a lawyer after seeing how rich Cher’s father was in the movie, Clueless. To me, being rich was one of the most important things when choosing a job. For more than 5 years, I told everyone, everywhere that I was destined to become a high-powered lawyer. In high school, I joined the debate team and got near straight A’s in order to become a hot commodity for colleges. When picking a project in my biology class, I picked a psychology experiment to work on. I wanted to go to law school, but I didn’t want to be a history major. Psychology was a common major for law school attendees so I decided to major in Psychology.
My first year of college, at FSU, I decided that I really enjoyed my psychology courses. It was in that first year that I made the decision that I no longer wanted to be a lawyer. Back then, I couldn’t put my finger on it. Now, I realize that I am a feelings person and that what calls to me is working with people, one on one, on their feelings. I ended up transferring colleges and landed at Nova Southeastern University where I continued to major in Psychology. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Being a therapist and going to graduate school didn’t seem appealing at the time.
After graduation, I took a job working with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. It wasn’t a bad job but I’ll tell you that graduate school began to look more and more appealing to me. A friend of mine was getting her master’s at Nova at the time and spoke highly of it. I decided to check out the program and apply. I got in and the rest is history.
I absolutely loved the master’s program and decided this is what I wanted to do with my life. Being a therapist is such an awesome job! I get to help people with their feelings. I get to help people get their marriages back on track. And best of all, I get to do it in an office that is nice and comfy and reminds me of a living room. Now, I might not be as rich as Cher’s father from Clueless but I consider myself rich in so many ways.
Amanda Patterson, LMHC, CAP decided to become a therapist while attending Nova Southeastern University. She saw the need to help people achieve the life they wanted to live, while creating a life of her own. She completed her master’s in Mental Health Counseling and started a career in the juvenile justice arena. Since then, she has started a private practice in Pembroke Pines, Florida, specializing in depression, anxiety relationship issues, and substance abuse. Amanda is a believer in holistic treatment and she practices veganism, meditation and yoga in her life. Find out more about her practice here. For a free 15-minute consultation, call or text Amanda at 954-378-5381 or email her at amanda@amandapattersonlmhc.com.
# 2 Anthony Naguiat, LMHC, MCAP
I wish I had an exciting story about why I became a therapist, but it really boils down to the simple fact that I’ve wanted to be in a helping field since I was a young kid. When I was younger, I had the usual “I want to be a Doctor” goals, and for a time, was pursuing a pre-medical degree before changing my major to Psychology. At the time, I was really enjoying my Psych classes and found that it could be something worth pursuing further.
Fast-forward to today. It’s 2016, so it’s been 11 years since I graduated from Undergrad, 9 years since I graduated with my Master’s Degree, and 6 years since I’ve been a Licensed Psychotherapist in Florida. In that time, cliché or not, I can say that my favorite part about becoming a therapist has been helping people and seeing clients achieve growth.
In my early work with kids and families, both as a therapist and as a supervisor, it was an awesome feeling to see many kids and families have better relationships, and also help kids learn to express themselves more. Later, in my work with College Students at NSU’s Student Counseling Center, I helped students through the transition from family life/high school to college life and independent living. Again, seeing many clients become more social, raise their grades, and become more confident as adults was great. Another opportunity was working with substance use and co-occurring disorders. Again, it was rewarding to see people work toward recovery and begin to get their lives back together.
Another plus of being a therapist comes from being able to meet many unique people, help them through different issues, and also learning from them. I’ve learned so much from colleagues and clients alike, and continue to every day. Early on, being a therapist even helped bring me out of my somewhat introverted shell! I look forward to seeing what the future brings as a therapist!
Anthony is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and Master’s Certified Addictions Professional (MCAP) in the state of Florida. He is also a Qualified Supervisor for Registered Mental Health Counselor Interns and is currently in private practice in Boca Raton, FL.
He helps teens and adults to stop worrying & reduce panic, have better control over self-harming and strong emotions, feel less depressed, have better relationships with others, and cope with life without abusing substances for those in recovery. As an LGBT Affirmative therapist, he also works with people who identify as LGBT, and their families if appropriate.
His approach to therapy is brief, positively focused, and solution-oriented. Anthony utilizes Dialectical (DBT) and Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT) skills to help clients improve their ability to regulate emotions, as well as manage stress and crises.
Anthony is a Board Member of the FL Southeast Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
For more information, please visit www.NaguiatLMHC.com or call (561) 289-2810 for a free consultation. Also check out www.facebook.com/naguiatlmhc.
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