When men become therapists following a former career.

What is it about?

Becoming a therapist is a personal and relational endeavour. For men changing career it can involve uncertainty, isolation, intimacy, respect, marginalisation and meaning. This paradoxical blend is like being a pilgrim - one who has left home and become homeless and is at home in their homelessness. This new position feels both chosen and given. The men enter a way of being that feels alive and conscious whilst unfamiliar and anxious. Adopting an existential hermeneutic phenomenological position, this short paper reveals some of the ideas explicated in a much larger doctoral research study.

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Why is it important?

Understanding the experience of these men has several possible benefits: 1. It highlights the complex position of being a 'pilgrim' as a meaningful way to manage life changes at crossroads or in difficult times including issues of identity and relationships. Being a pilgrim is a useful metaphor in therapy for those struggling with uncertainty. 2. It helps training centres become more aware of gender as part of a multi-cultural approach to training - thereby supporting men through training more effectively. 3. As a secondary effect this could lead to re-framing counselling services to be more male-friendly for the many men who choose alternative outlets for their emotional problems including alcohol, drugs, violent crime and suicide.