As I mentioned in the intro, I decided not to find another job after being laid off due to a hospital closure. This was a major leap for me, but I knew that I wanted to not only be happy in my work environment but be proud of the work I was doing. Running myself ragged working 40 hours of week in crisis management was not how I envisioned my life as a therapist. I struggled with this decision for a few months. I did the opposite of what every personal finance guru would tell you to do; I decreased my income to less than half in pursuit of being a full-time outpatient therapist.

Why would I do that? Yes, I have financial goals that I would like to achieve; however, my mental health is worth more to me than having a house before my next birthday. I do not have a family of my own so I decided that this would be the best time to truly layout the sturdy foundation that I wanted for my career. I already knew before applying to my masters program that I would not be making six figures seeing clients. I just knew what I wanted my life to mean once I left this earth, so I decided to dive into the deep end with being a full time private practice therapist.

Now being a full time therapist, for me, does not mean that I am seeing clients 40 hours a week. I currently see clients about 10 hours per week. Outside of those 10 hours, I research treatment methods and do trainings so that I am always learning how best to help my clients. I also write notes to track progress and I am involved in a professional organization. These are all things I actually enjoy doing. The flexibility of following my passion for helping people has not been financially lucrative, as of yet, but personally lucrative. This is how I would rather spend my time - making a positive impact in someone’s life because I work the time to truly listen to their story, worked to understand them, and helped them unpack their pain. So yes, I traded my paycheck for my passion and it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made.