It would be a little weird if dentists never got their teeth cleaned. Or if doctors skipped their own checkups. The same logic applies to therapists. The people who spend their days helping others work through emotional challenges? They do the work themselves too.

Most therapists have been to therapy at some point, and many continue going throughout their careers. This isn’t something they hide or feel weird about. If anything, it’s a sign they actually believe in what they’re offering you.

If you’re on the fence about starting therapy, knowing that therapists go to therapy themselves might be reassuring. It suggests they’re not just selling something they don’t actually use. They’ve sat in the client chair. They know what it feels like to be vulnerable with a stranger, to talk about things that are hard to say out loud.

This also means they understand the anxiety that comes with starting therapy. They’ve been through the awkward first sessions, the moments where you don’t know what to say, the worry about being judged. When your therapist has that firsthand experience, they’re often better at helping you through those same feelings.

Research suggests somewhere between 60 and 80 percent of therapists have been in therapy at some point. Many started during their training, where personal therapy is often required. But plenty continue going even after they’re fully licensed and practicing.

Some go to work through personal challenges, just like anyone else. Therapists deal with breakups, grief, family conflict, and all the other experiences that bring people to therapy. Having professional training doesn’t make you immune to life being hard sometimes.

Others go specifically because of their work. Listening to people’s struggles all day can be emotionally heavy. Having their own therapist helps them process that weight so it doesn’t build up over time.

A therapist who has done their own therapy work tends to be better at their job. They understand the process from the inside out. They know how scary it can be to share something you’ve never told anyone. They’ve experienced what it feels like when therapy actually helps.

This also means they’ve dealt with their own issues. Everyone has personal history and patterns. Therapists who go to therapy are actively working on theirs, which makes them less likely to bring unresolved baggage into your sessions.

A therapist who believes in therapy enough to do it themselves is probably more invested in making it work for you. They’re not recommending something they’ve never tried. They know from personal experience that sitting in that chair and doing the work can actually change things.

There’s sometimes this idea that therapists have everything figured out. That they’ve reached some level of mental health perfection where they no longer struggle with anything. That’s not how it works.

Therapists are humans who happen to have specialized training in helping people with emotional challenges. They still get anxious before big events. They still feel sad when relationships end. They still sometimes snap at their partners after a long day. The difference is they have tools for understanding and managing these experiences, and often they learned those tools partly through their own therapy.

Knowing your therapist is a regular person might actually make it easier to open up. You’re not confessing your struggles to someone who’s never struggled. You’re talking to someone who gets it because they’ve been there too.

Having been in therapy themselves often makes therapists more empathetic and patient. They remember what it was like to not know what to talk about in sessions. They remember feeling nervous about whether therapy would even work. They remember wondering if crying was okay.

This experience shapes how they show up for you. A therapist who has sat in your chair understands that showing up is hard. That opening up takes courage. That progress isn’t always linear.

It also means they take therapy seriously. They’re not going through the motions of a job they don’t believe in. They’ve experienced the benefits personally and want to help you experience them too.

If therapists go to therapy, you might wonder whether they talk about their clients. The answer is no, not in any identifying way. Therapists are bound by strict confidentiality rules, and those rules apply regardless of who they’re talking to.

Therapists do sometimes consult with supervisors or colleagues about their work, but this is done without revealing identifying details about clients. And when therapists are in their own therapy as clients, they’re focused on their own experiences, not yours.

When you’re looking for a therapist in Philadelphia, you don’t need to ask whether they’ve been to therapy themselves. Most have, and it’s generally considered a sign of professional development rather than a red flag.

What matters more is finding someone who feels like a good fit for you. Someone you feel comfortable talking to, who seems to understand where you’re coming from, and who you trust to help you work through whatever brought you to therapy.

The fact that therapists go to therapy should give you confidence that the process works. The people who know it best, who’ve studied it and practiced it for years, believe in it enough to use it in their own lives. That’s a pretty strong endorsement.

We offer in-person therapy in Philadelphia and Haddonfield, with online sessions available throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Schedule Free Consultation