📺 Lights, Camera, Therapy: Creative Professionals Find Their Second Act

by Chris Cantergiani, MFT on August 18th, 2025

"There's an article in the Wall Street Journal about your exact situation!"

It was my wife, hollering from the kitchen, dispatching breaking news last week.

The headline to that article practically could have been asked by one of my Facebook friends: "When Did All Of These People Become Therapists?” The story detailed how people from television production, journalism, advertising, and other creative fields are increasingly pivoting to careers in mental health—driven partly by AI reshaping their industries and partly by a growing recognition that the skills that made them good storytellers also make them effective therapists. “The industry I grew up in has fallen apart,” said a former creative director. He had been in the industry for 27 years. It resonated with me.

The timing of the article isn't coincidental. AI is rewriting the rules of entire industries faster than most of us can adapt. Newsrooms that once employed dozens of reporters now run on skeleton crews. Production companies are experimenting with AI-generated content. Even the advertising world—long considered recession-proof—is grappling with algorithms that can create campaigns in minutes rather than weeks.

But here's the thing about technological disruption: it often reveals what's truly irreplaceable about human connection. While AI can generate articles, edit videos, and even compose music, it can't sit with someone in their pain, hold space for their confusion, or help them untangle the emotional knots that keep them stuck in the same relationship patterns.

The article sparked another idea that made me pause: the possibility that we'll need significantly more therapists in the coming years, not just because of traditional mental health needs, but because an entire workforce will be grappling with identity crises as their professional roles become obsolete. I know from first-hand experience - when your sense of self has been tied to what you do for a living, losing that role can feel like losing yourself entirely.

The parallels between journalism and therapy became clear once I stopped mourning what I'd lost and started discovering what I'd gained. In both fields, you're essentially helping people make sense of their stories. The difference is that in journalism, you're often reporting on what happened to other people. In therapy, you're helping people understand what's happening to them—and more importantly, what they want to happen next.

There's something beautifully ironic about this career migration. Many of us left industries being transformed by AI only to discover that our most human skills—empathy, intuition, the ability to read between the lines—are exactly what the world needs more of right now.

But perhaps most importantly, they learned that their own experiences with professional uncertainty, identity shifts, and career reinvention gave them a unique understanding of what their clients are going through. When someone sits across from you describing the terror of not knowing who they are without their job title, you don't have to imagine what that feels like—you've lived it.

The article noted that this trend is likely to accelerate as AI continues to reshape the workforce. More people will find themselves in career transition, and more of them will need professional support to navigate not just the practical aspects of finding new work, but the emotional and relational challenges that come with reinventing yourself in midlife.

As I read about these career changers, I felt a kinship with them that went beyond our shared professional pivot. We're all living proof that sometimes the most disruptive changes lead to the most meaningful work. Sometimes losing the career you thought you wanted opens up space for the calling you didn't know you needed.

Both newsrooms and therapy rooms are in the business of stories. The difference is that journalism taught me to uncover what happened, while therapy teaches me to help people decide what happens next.

Now on with this week’s Ohio EFT Newsletter:

The Ghost In The Therapy Room.

by Ellen Barry on August 18th, 2025

Therapists are cautious about sharing personal information. When they fall ill or die unexpectedly, the shock can be shattering.

When Is a Close Relationship Unhealthy?

by Christina Caron on August 18th, 2025

If you’ve lost yourself in a relationship, it may be time to untangle your identities and establish clearer boundaries.

How ‘Fawning’ Is Ruining Your Relationships.

by Jancee Dunn on August 18th, 2025

Excessive people pleasing can trap you in a cycle of insecurity. Here’s how to break the habit.

Here’s How To Embrace The Benefits Of ‘Blue Health’.

by Alisa Hrustic on August 18th, 2025

Why you may feel better near oceans, lakes, and rivers — and how to make the most of your next day by the water. Read more here.

Why We Procrastinate On Joy — And How To Stop.

by Richard Sima on August 18th, 2025

We may fall into a “trap” of wanting something to feel special, which causes us to delay enjoying it now, research suggests.

I Hate How My Sister’s Husband Treats Her. Can I Intervene?

by Lori Gottlieb on August 18th, 2025

New York Times Ask the Therapist columnist Lori Gottlieb advises a reader who thinks her brother-in-law needs to step up as a partner and father.

EFT Fundamentals Virtual Workshop Led By Rebecca Jorgensen - Akron Meet-Up!


by Christie Orosz, LPCC-S on August 18th, 2025

Attention all LPC, MFT, and LSW students, interns, and counselors interested in learning and applying Emotionally Focused Therapy:

Please join us at Married Life Counseling October 3rd, 2025 from 10am-5:15pm for the Fundamentals of EFT workshop!

We'll learn together the basic tenets of attachment theory, the EFT experiential perspective, core EFT interventions and understand applications of EFT to all populations. Even if you've already taken Externship or Core Skills trainings, this is a great refresher course and opportunity to meet other local counselors pursuing this growing and highly sought after modality.

Please click the link below to register and then contact me at christie@marriedlifecounseling.com to rsvp that you'll be joining us at Married Life for the day. We'll provide refreshments and camaraderie- please reach out with any questions!

Our Next Ohio EFT Virtual Call Is Friday, August 29th.

by Ohio EFT on August 18th, 2025

Join us at 9:00am Friday, August 29th, for our continuing online discussion about Emotionally Focused Therapy. We’ll be walking our way through the 9 steps of EFT, starting with Step 1 this month. Email me for a link to the call.

A Giant Tub of Mayonnaise Married My Friends.

by Julie Wernau on August 18th, 2025

This author was invited to a wedding sponsored by Hellmann’s. Guests were given two weeks to get to Vegas, a strict dress code and had to waive their ‘moral rights.’

Got something you’d like to share for an upcoming newsletter?

Send it to chris@ohioeft.com.