WI Graduate and Current Student on Being Well Podcast

You're considering becoming a therapist, but you're aware that graduate school is a huge investment of time, money, and energy, so you want to make sure this work is the right fit for you. Short of holding your own informational interviews with several therapists, how can you determine whether to take the plunge?

In the episode of the Being Well podcast entitled "So You Want to Be a Therapist?" host Forrest Hanson interviews five clinicians "to learn the lessons they wish they'd known when they started" their career in the mental health field. The first interview is with Forrest's father, Rick Hanson, who graduated from the Wright Institute's former PhD program. Hanson discusses the reality of the daily life of a therapist, and urges would-be therapists to build awareness of "the full mess of your own psyche" before working with clients.

The final interview in the podcast episode is with Taylor Banfield, a current student in the Wright's Clinical Psychology (PsyD) Program. Taylor came to the Wright as a civil engineer with a desire to become a therapist and will soon embark on her second year in the program. She describes her experience with the admissions application process and imparts some wisdom that she has gleaned from her first year in the program, including this gem in response to one of Forrest's questions: "If you don't like setting, maintaining, and thinking critically about boundaries, you probably shouldn't become a therapist."

Thank you to Rick Hanson and Taylor Banfield for representing the Wright Institute so thoughtfully!

Curious to learn more? Listen to or watch the episode on the Being Well website.

If this advice resonates for you, we'd be happy to connect. Click here to request information about one or both of the Wright Institute's programs. If you're in the same situation that Taylor was in just over a year ago and are trying to determine whether to pursue a PsyD or MA program, we invite you to click here to schedule a meeting with Johnny Pitts or Shayna Quilty-Yoder in our admissions department.