Any INTJ psychotherapists/counsellors?

[lampmeister]

Hi,

I know Carl Jung is often credited with being an INTJ but I'm wondering if INTJ's are represented in the psychotherapy/counselling profession at all?

Personally I think us INTJ's have the potential to be excellent psychotherapists if we can work on ourselves to a degree where the areas we're not naturally so strong on can be mitigated.

Thoughts?

David.

P.S. I understand the word 'counsellor' means something a bit different in the U.S. to here in the U.K.

[sriv]

Yeah.....but looking objectively, INFJs would make much better counselors. Their type description is "counselor".

I would like to know if any INTJ is a counselor and how they are doing.

[Blendy]

I am a former counselor/therapist (MSW). I have always been fascinated by psychology and human behavior, and thought I wanted to be a psychotherapist. I knew it wasn't a typical INTJ career, but went for it anyway. I ended up quitting the field after working only two years, mainly for the following reasons:

1. The work involves CONSTANT interaction with people, who are relating to you in a highly emotionally intimate way. As an Introvert, I found this level of contact incredibly draining. As a T, I found it even more draining to have to try to consistently project a sufficient level of empathy. Going to work, I always felt like I was putting on my "F" mask, and once I got home, I finally felt like I could be "me" again.

2. You are CONSTANTLY dealing with the same emotional bullshit. People not truly invested in change, wallowing in their own misery, rehashing the same stuff OVER and OVER. People directing all sorts of emotions at you (I personally don't take well to overt hostility). Oh, and lets not forget those (overrepresented in therapy) personality disordered clients that go out of their way to make their therapist's life hell. It gets really tedious. Yes, there are some clients who are pleasant, invested in change and a delight to work with. But they are few and far between.

In the end, I realized being a therapist just didn't fit with my personality (INTJ). In school, I loved learning psychological theory, and I thought being well versed in theory and diagnosis made you a good therapist. In reality, being a good therapist is 99% about forming and nurturing relationships with people, something that is generally not the INTJ's strong suit. I have no regrets about my former career choice, because it helped me develop better interpersonal skills and it made me realize I didn't want to be a therapist. And I do think INTJ's can be good therapists, given enough work on themselves. However, in general, I believe people are happiest in careers that utilize their natural strengths.

[moon23beam]

Blendy (blendy?): Thank you so much for this post! This means a lot to me because I'm just graduating with my BA in philosophy & I was seriously considering going for my MSW!!! The point you made really hit home.
When people don't want help but just want to wallow in emotions....*runs away screaming*
Thanks for sharing!

[Starbucks]

As an INTJ and having great interest in Jung and Freud I can honestly say we have a good mind for it. We even have great talent for analyzing every word and the reason why that person chose that word. The weakness I encounter however is the lying. Maybe it is because I live mostly in book but people can lie easily to me. I also seem to miss the obvious conclusions. With the data we get we can do things wizards would be jealous of. But with the wrong data (lying) and the conclusions social people make (not derived on facts) we seem to do not very well. Our strength lies I think with the most extreme and most complex cases. I think if you love what you're doing, you'll make it.

[Paji eh Wong]

I am a former counselor/therapist (MSW). I have always been fascinated by psychology and human behavior, and thought I wanted to be a psychotherapist. I knew it wasn't a typical INTJ career, but went for it anyway. I ended up quitting the field after working only two years, mainly for the following reasons:

1. The work involves CONSTANT interaction with people, who are relating to you in a highly emotionally intimate way. As an Introvert, I found this level of contact incredibly draining. As a T, I found it even more draining to have to try to consistently project a sufficient level of empathy. Going to work, I always felt like I was putting on my "F" mask, and once I got home, I finally felt like I could be "me" again.

2. You are CONSTANTLY dealing with the same emotional bullshit. People not truly invested in change, wallowing in their own misery, rehashing the same stuff OVER and OVER. People directing all sorts of emotions at you (I personally don't take well to overt hostility). Oh, and lets not forget those (overrepresented in therapy) personality disordered clients that go out of their way to make their therapist's life hell. It gets really tedious. Yes, there are some clients who are pleasant, invested in change and a delight to work with. But they are few and far between.

In the end, I realized being a therapist just didn't fit with my personality (INTJ). In school, I loved learning psychological theory, and I thought being well versed in theory and diagnosis made you a good therapist. In reality, being a good therapist is 99% about forming and nurturing relationships with people, something that is generally not the INTJ's strong suit. I have no regrets about my former career choice, because it helped me develop better interpersonal skills and it made me realize I didn't want to be a therapist. And I do think INTJ's can be good therapists, given enough work on themselves. However, in general, I believe people are happiest in careers that utilize their natural strengths.

Thanks for the post. I'm also interested in careers in counseling psychology.

Bendy, were you working for someone or an agency, or were you self-employed?


Aww, I just noticed its a 5 year old post.