Your job is…Easy

“Your Job Is Easy — You Just Sit There and Talk to People”

Why Minimizing a Therapist's Work Is Not Only Wrong — It's Harmful

Mental health professionals are often misunderstood. To the outside world, it can look like therapists just “sit and talk.” But this simplification dismisses the complex, emotional, and highly skilled labor that happens in every session.

Sometimes people are genuinely curious and open to learning what therapists really do. Other times, their comments reflect a deeper misunderstanding—or even a lack of respect—for the mental and emotional work involved. If you’ve ever heard someone say, “Your job must be easy,” this post is for you.

Here are 10 funny but real comebacks that also educate and advocate for the mental health field. 👇

1. “Right. And surgeons just stand there and wave sharp things around. No big deal.”

Just like you wouldn’t minimize someone holding a scalpel, don’t minimize someone who holds space for grief, rage, trauma, panic attacks, and shame for 8 hours a day—then wakes up and does it again.

2. “Would you like to absorb other people’s worst days for a living and still have to pay rent on time?”

Because that’s the job. There’s even a term for it:
Vicarious trauma is a well-documented occupational hazard for mental health professionals. According to the American Counseling Association, up to 50% of clinicians experience symptoms such as emotional exhaustion, hypervigilance, and intrusive thoughts.

3. “Yep. I sit there. With a poker face. While someone describes their deepest shame. For 6 sessions. Then tells me they don’t think it’s working.”

And then I take a deep breath, regulate my nervous system, and do it again. Empathy is a muscle—and we’re basically emotional bodybuilders.

4. “Would you call it ‘just sitting’ if you cried in your car on your lunch break, practiced mindfulness between appointments, and reviewed emergency protocols in your sleep?”

Because that’s Tuesday.

5. “Fun fact: Studies show that therapists who work with trauma survivors are at high risk for compassion fatigue and secondary PTSD. But yes, I’m mainly here for the vibes.”

A study published in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy found that therapists working with trauma clients often experience secondary trauma symptoms and physiological stress responses.
(Source: PubMed)

6. “Would you say the same to a firefighter who never touches the flames but still breathes the smoke?”

Because therapists absorb emotional smoke every day—and still show up to do the work again.

7. “I’d love to invite you to just ‘sit and talk’ with five people in a row who are suicidal, grieving, or unpacking abuse. Let me know how your nervous system feels after that.”

Hint: your sympathetic nervous system will be fully activated. Therapists learn to manage this reaction—while helping others calm theirs. That’s dual regulation, not small talk.

8. “Imagine being a human who also has emotions—but has to perfectly manage them while navigating six people’s existential crises and writing court-proof documentation by 5pm.”

That’s not multitasking—that’s emotional calculus.

9. “Do I just talk? Sure—just like chefs just stir stuff, and therapists just absorb intergenerational trauma while keeping their nervous system in check.”

Vicarious trauma happens through empathetic engagement with another’s distress. It activates the same biological stress responses (i.e., the fight-or-flight system) as direct trauma. Therapists are trained to co-regulate their clients’ nervous systems while constantly managing their own.

10. “We’re the only profession where burnout is both expected and quietly endured. So yes, we sit there. And somehow hold it all together so our clients don’t have to.”

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network reports that emotional exposure leads to high rates of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, especially in therapists serving high-need populations.

BONUS Comeback:

Use your clinical skills. Sit in silence. Make strong eye contact. Then gently say,
“I’m curious what made you say that.”
Lean in like you’re about to witness a pivotal breakthrough.
(You probably are.)

Final Thought

Mental health work isn’t “just talking.” It’s deep emotional labor, clinical expertise, nervous system management, and legal liability—all rolled into one hour, repeated back-to-back. If you’re a therapist, we see you. If you’re not, now you know.

🔁 What would you add to this list? Drop your best comeback or insight in the comments.

Categories: 

Therapist

Burnout

Profession