Whenever I start a new class for my graduate program, I find myself explaining that I don’t want to get licensed, and I’m just getting my Master’s in Psychology to supplement and legitimize my writing in the mental health space. The most recent time this happened was during a breakout group and one of my classmates was blown away by my decision to go back to school just to help my writing. When she first said this, I thought, “Wow, I guess that is pretty cool. Way to go me!” Then I remembered that while those reasons are true for me now, when I first started the program I one hundred percent intended to get licensed and thought being a therapist would be my backup career. I changed my mind only after learning about the paperwork and liability involved in being a practicing clinician. I also got enough career opportunities to make me feel safe enough not having a strong Plan B in my back pocket. I have no idea if I would have gone back to school knowing from the start that I wouldn’t get licensed. But it’s been shockingly easy for me to rewrite the narrative of my own life without even noticing I was doing so.
REVISING (MY OWN) HISTORY
REVISING (MY OWN) HISTORY
REVISING (MY OWN) HISTORY
Whenever I start a new class for my graduate program, I find myself explaining that I don’t want to get licensed, and I’m just getting my Master’s in Psychology to supplement and legitimize my writing in the mental health space. The most recent time this happened was during a breakout group and one of my classmates was blown away by my decision to go back to school just to help my writing. When she first said this, I thought, “Wow, I guess that is pretty cool. Way to go me!” Then I remembered that while those reasons are true for me now, when I first started the program I one hundred percent intended to get licensed and thought being a therapist would be my backup career. I changed my mind only after learning about the paperwork and liability involved in being a practicing clinician. I also got enough career opportunities to make me feel safe enough not having a strong Plan B in my back pocket. I have no idea if I would have gone back to school knowing from the start that I wouldn’t get licensed. But it’s been shockingly easy for me to rewrite the narrative of my own life without even noticing I was doing so.