Psychotherapy and Consulting-What Do They Have in Common

During the years I was contemplating leaving my first career—management of R &D at Bell Labs—I studied social work, was granted a license to practice psychotherapy, and moonlighted for a while as a shrink. My interest in inventing telecommunications gadgets was finally superseded by my fascination with direct communication among actual people. (That I was also navigating the shoals of a midlife crisis doubtless helped propel this change.) Although ultimately I grew impatient with the infamous frustrations of a New York City psychotherapy practice—the “walking wounded” who tended, by the early nineties, to flourish best once they got hold of Prozac; the mounting difficulties with health insurance reimbursement, and the rest—my fascination with interpersonal communication never waned.