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Help Wanted!
Could I Find My Purpose In A Therapist’s Office?
“I probably need a career coach, not a therapist.” I said to my new therapist, before I sat down on the couch in her office.
The therapist smiled warmly at me from her armchair as I perched on the edge of the sofa opposite. She remained silent. I was relieved she was letting me speak and not asking any questions.
“You see, I have an urgent career problem.” I continued. “I need you to help me figure out what kind of work I should be doing.”
Over the preceding six months, I had torpedoed my career as a nonprofit fundraiser by quitting two good jobs at inopportune times — and lying to my employers. The second time I quit — on the very day I was due to start work — my irate boss threatened to sue me for breaking the contract I had signed and promised to tell everyone in the New York nonprofit world that I was not to be trusted, and certainly not to be hired. I needed someone to solve the problem I had created, and I was willing to give this new therapist a chance.
“And just so you know, I’ve been to therapy before.” I told her, with a generous smile.
“I don’t need to talk about my childhood. I’ve already covered that. It was difficult — there’s a lot of mental illness in my family. But the other therapists I’ve seen…
