[The Happiness of Being a Psychotherapist]

Professional work enables people to become conscious of their self-efficiency, to develop self-confidence and to have feelings of belongingness. How far does psychotherapy as a profession satisfy these desiderata? Psychotherapists are able to make others happier than they would otherwise be, but this does not seem to be sufficient for them to find satisfaction in their work. On average, psychotherapists seem to be fairly satisfied with their job. There are, however, great individual differences partly correlated with therapy efficacy. Dissatisfied psychotherapists should make an effort to overcome their difficulties by supervision and continued training, both in their own and in their patients' interest.