Hi friends –

This past week, we hosted our second annual Behavioral Health Workforce Summit in Washington, D.C.

It was a beautiful gathering of clinicians, healthcare leaders, and policymakers — all of us united by a shared goal: to build a stronger, more sustainable mental health workforce.

As I took the stage to kick off the event, I shared a story that had been sitting with me all weekend — one that felt small at first, but kept tugging at my heart.

Over Memorial Day, I had taken a quick trip to Hickory, North Carolina with my best friend, Sarah. Her parents live in a cute little house on the lake, and we had plans to spend the weekend out on the pontoon boat, getting tan and sipping something sparkling.

But the weather didn’t cooperate — it was chilly and gray — so we hunkered down indoors, played trivia, and watched a few episodes of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.

In one episode, Stanley visits a fishing village in Abruzzo, a region tucked along the Adriatic Sea. He’s learning how to make Brodetto, a traditional fish stew, and chatting with a local fisherman. At one point, the fisherman says something that made me hit pause and rewind:

He said, “If I could come back and live life again, I’d choose to be a fisherman again.” He went on to say that, for him, the rewards far outweigh the money. He said the sea gets into your heart.

That line stopped me in my tracks.

Because it made me think — if I could live my life again, knowing what I know now… would I still choose to be a therapist?

I didn’t have to think long about it - the answer is yes.

Because just like the sea for that fisherman, this work — the work of therapy, of clinical supervision, of showing up for people in their pain — has gotten into my heart.

It’s not always easy work. The path to licensure is long and often confusing. The emotional labor is real. And the compensation doesn’t always reflect the depth of the care we give.

But even with all that, I’d choose this work again. It has shaped who I am — and who I’m still becoming.

Being a therapist has helped me grow in empathy and compassion.

It’s helped me understand human behavior — not just others’, but my own.

It’s challenged me to be more curious, more present, more courageous.

And it’s allowed me to hold space for others in some of their most tender, vulnerable moments.

As I looked out at the audience at the Summit — a sea of people who have also chosen this work — I asked them to raise their hand if they or someone in their life has been impacted by mental health or addiction. And I wasn’t surprised to see a room full of raised hands.

Most of us don’t end up in this field by accident.

We end up here because the work is personal.

Because we’ve lived through it, walked beside it, or felt the ache of not having access to it.

That’s why it gets into our hearts — because it matters that much.

The Summit was a reminder of why we do what we do at Motivo. It’s not just about virtual supervision, or hours tracking, or compliance (though all of those things are important).

It’s about creating the conditions for more therapists to make it all the way to licensure — so they can be there for the people who need them most.

It’s about the 57% of master’s-level therapists who never become licensed, and asking: What if we could change that? What if we could remove the barriers, simplify the process, and create an easier path?

It’s about the future of our field.

And it’s about the people — the moms, the teenagers, the veterans, the persons living with addiction — who are walking through life carrying heavy, invisible loads, who simply need someone to bear witness to their pain.

This work is sacred. It’s messy and hard and beautiful.

And it’s ours to do.

As that fisherman in Italy so beautifully put it: the sea gets into your heart.

So does being a therapist - do you agree?

If you want to share, I’d love to hear what inspired you to join this field. I’d love to hear if and how it has gotten into your heart.

Feel free to reply to this email and share your thoughts.

With gratitude for all you do,

Rachel

Rachel Ledbetter, LMFT
CEO/Co-Founder, Motivo
rachel@motivohealth.com