Can I be a good clinical psychologist if I have psychological issues?
No, you cannot be a good psychologist and help people if you are not perfect in every way! Kidding, kidding! However, you may have a Mental Ideal of “the perfect shrink” that could get in the way of your practicing therapy. For just one example, you might get so heavily into second-guessing yourself (diagnoses, suggestions, interpretations) that you tie yourself up in knots and aren’t any use to your clients. At some point in your PhD program someone will ask you if you have had any kind of therapy. (And there goes your wish not to self-disclose!) And IF NOT, how about it, so you can become aware of issues that might limit you as a therapist. It’s similar to the very old question in Catholicism, “Can a sinful priest conduct a valid Mass?” (The assumption being, I guess, that the priest’s sin would cancel out the effectiveness of the Eucharist.) You do NOT have to be perfect for this job! Your interpretations, interventions, etc., can all be fine and just what the client needs…even if
