Psychotherapists have to be licensed. In order to get that license we have to go through years of training that involves obtaining advanced degrees, attending psychotherapy training institutes, going through our own psychotherapy, as well as practicing therapy under the supervision of a master in the field. We have to study child and human development backwards and forwards and develop an understanding of ourselves and how each word we say and each expression we make affects our clients. We are required to get that license to make sure we are qualified to deal with people’s minds and emotions and to prevent our doing harm to them.
Parents do not have to be licensed. They are not required to go through rigorous training or any training at all; nor are they required to get a license to make sure they are qualified to deal with their children’s minds and emotions and to prevent their doing harm to them.
You need a license to do practically any kind of occupation these days and many types of recreations. You have to have a license to drive a car, go hunting or fishing, get married, or be a fingernail expert, physical therapist, or masseuse. But anybody can be a parent, no license needed.
Being a good parent is infinitely more difficult than being a fingernail expert, and the pitfalls are much more devastating. Indeed, parenting may be the most complex occupation of all. Bookstores are filled with thousands of books advising parents how to raise their children. These books tell is that parenting requires a plethora of skills and qualities, among them empathy, self-awareness, patience, love, perseverance, understanding and a hundred and one other things. You have to know how to communicate constructively, know and say the right thing at the right time and understand when a child needs or does not need help.
[For more of this story, written by Gerald Schoenewolf, go to http://blogs.psychcentral.com/...rained-and-licensed/]
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