People often ask what it's like working as a Psychologist. I find this difficult to answer, but today, I found myself in a reflective space which has enabled me to think about the answer to this question. For me, working as a Psychologist is like riding a roller coaster. It seems challenging when I first hear of where my clients are at, but as we work through it, it's often a rewarding ride. Some roller coasters are bigger and scarier looking than others. Some rides last longer than others, and some roller coasters have more ups and downs than others. Either way, I find myself trying to work with my client to find a way to work through it. My main role is thus to connect with people and guide them through the challenges that the roller coaster presents at that point in time. By doing this we psychologists help facilitate change, but not everyone is ready for change, even though they present to therapy. In this instance, i find my role shifting to helping people prepare for change, which involves providing support through their challenges. These processes themselves are why our work is challenging, but rewarding. What we're essentially doing then is trying to guide, anticipate, and help our clients tolerate the discomfort of the roller coaster along the way. We hope that the conversations we have with them and the tools we provide allow them to begin to feel like they can start to do these processes for themselves so the roller coaster isn't so terrifying.

~ Dr Celin Gelgec.