Feeling professionally alone
I’m a therapist and I’m struggling with something that I can’t quite resolve on my own, so I’m hoping for perspectives from people in the field.
I do belong in my personal life - to my family, my husband’s family, to my friends and even my high school class (we’re still close). So this isn’t about general attachment or not being able to connect with people.
What I’m missing is professional belonging. I have been part of a therapy school for 5 years but it was very traumatic experience for many of us. (No boundaries, no structure etc.)
I deeply want to belong to a professional organization or therapy school where shared theoretical framework exists, there are more experienced people who can guide and mentor without competition or humiliation, there are classmates/peers who feel like “my people”, I feel held while doing very heavy work
I do have a supervisor, therapist and a few supportive colleagues and I’m grateful for them but it still doesn’t feel like enough. I feel like there’s no one behind my back, and in front of me is the suffering of other people that I’m expected to face daily. The field often feels hostile, competitive, fragmented, and very individualizing, especially given how emotionally demanding the work is.
Sometimes this makes me fantasize about leaving the field or changing careers but I’m often wondering if there is something I could do to resolve this issue. That’s why I tried different things and educations but it’s not working. Some of my colleagues feel the same so I’m not sure.
So my question is is it this common and how do you cope with it?
Posted Jan 7, 2026, 3:03 PM UTC