Big Things: Happening

Big things are happening around these parts. Big.

Jesse is I’m redesigning the blog. Don’t be scared, those drop down menus at the top are NOT the redesign. It’s the “I just can’t stand it anymore, please fix something until the new layout!” move.

Other, bigger things are also in the works.

I’ve been torturing Jesse with conversations about my ‘next step’ in my career. Moving to Seattle wasn’t so rough on me personally, but it was tough on my job aspirations. Moving to a place where everyone is an engineer who likely makes a six-figure salary is enough to make you question that whole ‘follow your dreams’ bit your parents and teachers gave you.

When we were on our way to Tofino, we stopped at the US/Canada border. It was me, Jesse, a friend of ours who works at Microsoft, and another friend who works at Boeing. The conversation with border patrol went a little like this:

Border Patrol: So, what do you do for a living in Seattle?

Jesse: Oh, I’m a software engineer at Amazon.

Friend 1: Oh, I’m an engineer at Microsoft.

Friend 2: I’m an engineer at Boeing.

Me: Well, I’m a therapist, but right now I’m unemployed.

Border Patrol: Ok, so three engineers and a nothing. Move along.

Yes. That happened. I mostly laughed at it, but honestly, people don’t really respect my profession. It’s fine, it goes along with the whole stigma surrounding mental health care. I picture people imagining me running through a field in a rainbow skirt with a unicorn shirt, butterflies surrounding me, practicing urban foraging, and yelling, “Let’s all just share our feelings and hug!”

HOW AMAZING IS THIS SHIRT, THOUGH?

That’s not how I do therapy.

I’ve been wrestling with the idea of, “Should I get my license?” It seems like a no-brainer, but when you’re looking at another two years until licensure, plus more money to spend on supervision (this thing where you are legally spoken for by another therapist and they become responsible for you until you accumulate the state’s designated hours – oh also, it costs a pretty penny, which I already spent to get my degree), plus all the hoops that go through finding and seeing clients, plus all the legal stuff involved with that… it’s exhausting.

I kept thinking, “Why did I not just become an engineer?”

Oh, I know. I would hate it and be poor at it.

My job at Gottman has been my lifesaver. It’s forced me to stay surrounded by this profession and encourage me to just give myself the time I need to make an adjustment. So, with that all being said…

I’m working on starting a private practice!

I’ll let you know more details soon, but ultimately, it’s smart to get my license. I’m thinking with a pretty big picture here and I’m looking into ways I can best connect with my readers. I’ll let you know more when the time comes. Stay tuned.

About Jen Bingaman, M.A. LMHCA

Hi, I’m Jen. I’m a mental health counselor newly residing in Seattle, Washington. I strongly believe in the mind-body connection as the cornerstone of my professional ideology, along with the healing possibilities of puppies, a good glass of red wine, the smell of a new book, and the importance of travel.