Appreciation

One of the many woes of a psychologist is the "lack of appreciation".

Granted that we are in a "non-profit" industry, sometimes barely making enough to make ends meet (contrary to popular belief that psychologists mint money). But sometimes, when we come home from a long day, listening to people's messed-up life stories, their pain, their losses, their insecurities, their frustrations, we need someone to tell us,

"You did a good job".

I get this message from my client when he or she says,

"I think I am feeling much better now and do not need to come in anymore."

This message sometimes takes days, more often, months to come to me. The biggest reinforcement for a psychologist comes from the fact that their patient visibly looks different, expresses greater satisfaction with life, and is able to deal with daily stressors without any assistance after having expressed at some point that life is not worth living amidst tears.

It helps when someone appreciates your hard work and the efforts you put in bringing your patient to that point in their life. It also helps when people do not criticize you for being a psychologist and avoid you like plaque for fear that you will analyze their life story to shreds. This appreciation has come to me through this blog.

You say thank you for writing this blog and giving you a perspective that you did not give close attention to in the past. I say thank you for giving me the appreciation that boosts me to work harder in this industry. We share a symbiotic relationship.

A special thanks to Keshi who announced her appreciation (and almost got me out of business through the first part of her post) on her blog. Good things come in small packages, I guess. And when unexpected, they create joy which know no bounds.

Thank you all!!!!