You wake up from your dream to find you’re still living in a nightmare. Trapped, cold, and burdened with so many problems you don’t know what to do. Time and time again, you’ve made an attempt to try and fix your problems. When everything seems so bleak and desolate, a psychologist might be able to help.

When people see a psychologist, it’s because they are dealing with problems they can’t fix on their own. Mike Sayama, current Vice President of Customer Relations at HMSA and former psychologist says that the patients he used to see were “trapped in a vicious circle.” He says that “a circle has no beginning or end”; therefore their problems continued in the same pattern and they couldn’t end the routine. Mr. Sayama says that the people who came to see him were “stuck.” Unable to move forward with their lives, a third party steps in to try to resolve the problem.

Dr. Sherrie Takushi, a clinical psychologist, deals with people who are stuck every day. For her, every day is different because the people she works with are all very different. Like Mr. Sayama, Dr. Takushi deals with people who are stuck. She says that “seeing people in pain” is the hardest part about being a psychologist. Each person is struggling with their own problems and she helps them to find solutions. Trauma is her specialty; foster kids, people who have been through violence or have been abused are some of the patients she sees. Her favorite part of being a psychologist is “helping people realize their full potential.” As a psychologist, Dr. Takushi interacts with and inspires her patients to become unstuck. Dr. Takushi says she enjoys her job because she has the ability to help people make decisions and take control of their lives. Based on her comments, it’s clear that Dr. Takushi sincerely loves her job. She says she was “meant to interact with people” because it was her gift.

Mr. Sayama enjoyed being a psychologist because he was “interested in how people communicate.” He says the pros of being a psychologist were that it was “interesting to talk to people.” The cons, he says, were mainly that many of the stories he heard started to sound the same. His patients all had similar stories and problems, and it wasn’t as exciting hearing the same tale over and over again. Dr. Takushi has a different perspective on the pros and cons of being a psychologist. It is extremely rewarding for her to help people to get out of whatever situation they’re in. The con is that before they can recover, they are suffering, and she wants to help them as much as she can so they can resume their normal lives.

Mr. Sayama also mentioned that people see things the way they want to. He said that if two people were to experience the same thing, they would each have a different story to tell because they each have different points of view. When he would deal with couples who had marriage problems, he said that each of their stories would make it sound like the other person was to blame. In order to help settle the dispute, he would listen to both stories and then bring the two together to help them see that they were wrong in trying to blame each other. Just like in this situation, both Mr. Sayama and Dr. Takushi had to adjust to each individual they provided therapy to. Everyone is different and therefore there is no one universal treatment method that will work for everybody. Dr. Takushi says that she “works with all kinds of people” and has to “adjust to every person.”

Mr. Sayama and Dr. Takushi each had different answers when asked what ideal qualities for a psychologist are. Mr. Sayama says that a good psychologist should be able to communicate well and have a general interest in psychology. Dr. Takushi says that good psychologists should be compassionate and caring but also know when to set boundaries. She said that knowing when to say ‘no’ is very important. However, both of them said that a good psychologist should know themselves well and have worked out their own issues first. It makes sense to say that; you can’t understand someone else if you don’t understand yourself first. And if you don’t clear up your own problems, your opinions might be biased or affected when helping someone else with their issues.

Resolving your own problems first is extremely important since psychologists help people to deal with mental and/or emotional problems. Psychologists study the social and behavioral habits of people in order to learn more about the human mind. They usually work at hospitals, counseling centers, or universities. Some psychologists work as consultants for nonprofit organizations, government agencies, or corporations. Salaries increase as you gain more experience over the years, but a survey taken in 2004 shows that the median salary for psychologists is about $54,950. Before you can be a psychologist, you need to go to school. After graduating from high school, you need to obtain a bachelor’s degree. You also need to receive a Master’s degree and a Ph. D or a Psy. D. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, job employment for psychologists has been predicted to grow about 15% from 2006 to 2016 because of the demand for psychologists. Many people in today’s society have suffered through harsh life changing events that need therapy from a psychologist.

If you enjoy helping people overcome problems they’re facing, then this is definitely the job for you. Aside from the qualities Mr. Sayama and Dr. Takushi mentioned, I believe that a good psychologist should be patient. Sometimes it can take a while for people to open up to you and clearly explain what’s going on. Rather than pushing them to tell you about it, you should wait until they’re ready to talk. An impatient psychologist would be a disaster; that kind of a person would just make people retreat into the shadows more than come out of them. Overall, I believe that if you truly want to help others, becoming a psychologist is a great way to do so.