A Day in the Life of a Mental Health Professional
with Emma Evans
Therapist, Hypnotist, Cat Staff, and Tea-Drinking Human
People often imagine therapists as calm, wise beings who float through life on a cloud of serenity, softly nodding in softly lit rooms, surrounded by houseplants and the occasional scent of lavender.
It’s a lovely idea.
It’s also nonsense!
So allow me to take you behind the scenes of a real day in my life. Yes, I do the deep and meaningful stuff, the soulful listening, the space-holding. But I also shove cats off my keyboard, mutter at the kettle, and occasionally forget which room I left my phone in.
This is the unfiltered version of life as a hypnotherapist, psychotherapist, supervisor, and full-time human being.
6:30 to 8:00am — The Sacred Ceremony of Coffee and Cat Wrangling
I wake up early. Not because I’m desperate to greet the day, but because my cats insist on breakfast with military precision. There is no snooze button when you have whiskers tapping your face.
Once I’ve served His Majesty and His Royal Floof, it’s time for coffee. This is not just a drink, it is a moment of joy…the lifeline to my prefrontal cortex.
Then comes the mindfulness. Or… let’s call it attempted mindfulness. Sometimes it’s a peaceful meditation or a reflective article, other times it’s doomscrolling – yes, none of us are immune to it. Sometimes it’ll be a quick check-in with a therapist friend.
(Note to self: doomscrolling is not a wellness practice)
Still, when I do manage those quiet, intentional moments, I do feel the difference. They act like a reset button for my nervous system, and a reminder that I don’t have to start the day by rushing or overthinking.
(My cats can often be seen prowling the garden, or pressing their face up to the window of the office!)
8:00 to 8:30am — The Art of Getting Ready
Once the caffeine and contemplation are complete, and I’ve made myself look presentable, it’s time to transform into my working self.
I give the office a once-over. Is the aircon on? Is it tidy? Are the cushions plumped? Is there a rogue biscuit under the chair?
It’s important to me that clients walk into a space that feels calm, welcoming and safe.
8:30 to 10:00am — Admin: The Unsung Hero of Therapy Life
This is the part no one talks about in training. The endless social media posts and promotions, emails, appointment confirmations, session notes and that one file I swear I already saved but is now hiding like a gremlin in my inbox!!!
I also make time for admin for the APHP, the professional body I co-run. Between answering member queries, writing resources, and planning new projects, I can be found researching and organising free CPD’s for our members. I love my work at the Association for Professional Hypnosis & Psychotherapy; it keeps me well connected to the wider therapy world. And yes, I do sometimes celebrate finishing a piece of work with a biscuit. You have to take joy where you can.
10:00am to 5:00pm — The Real Stuff: Therapy and Supervision
Here’s where all the prep comes to life.
Clients arrive, either in person or on screen, each carrying their own backpack of life. Anxiety. Grief. Burnout. Identity wobbles. Relationship tangles. Or sometimes just a general sense of “what even is happening anymore?”
This work is fascinating, raw and real. Some sessions are quiet and reflective. Others are more like emotional archaeology. We dig, we sort. We gently dust off the things that have been buried.
I also supervise other therapists, which I love. Supporting them as they grow in confidence and skill is another rewarding part of my job. It’s like tending a garden… except with more talk about transference.
Every session is different. Every person is different. And every hour reminds me of just how brave humans can be.
5:00 to 6:00pm — The Great Unwind
Once the final session ends, I take a deep breath.
I write up notes, check what tomorrow looks like, and then… I stop. I make tea. I sit. I stare out of the window, taking in the view of the garden and l contemplate all the interesting things I’ve seen and heard that day.
This is sacred time, it’s the decompression zone between holding space for others and coming back into my own life.
Evening — The Holy Trinity: Food, TV, Internet
Evenings are slow. Dinner might be a proper meal or whatever combination of fridge contents makes sense in a bowl. I watch TV that is often soothingly mediocre. Nothing too intense. I like gardening programs, and I never thought I’d say that! I do like a good thriller, but I often save those for the weekend.
In between watching gardening, house reno and baking shows, I scroll the internet. Sometimes I’m researching something for work, other times it’s reading fb posts or getting hooked on those reels of people cleaning patios!
Researching feeds me. I do love a good book too – academic or fictional. Books keep my curiosity alive and sometimes spark an idea for a new hypnosis script. Or a metaphor, or just a reminder that humans are gloriously complicated and endlessly fascinating.
The Bits In Between — Cuppas, Travel, Inspiration
Not every day is back-to-back clients. Some are for catching up with friends, walking by the river, answering 427 emails, or updating resources for the APHP website.
I also travel when I can. New places refresh my brain, and I find metaphors in the most curious of places – from train stations, beaches, and landscapes, to random conversations with strangers who don’t know they’ve just inspired a paragraph in someone else’s journey toward wellness.
I firmly believe travel expands the mind, so getting involved with other countries, cultures and traditions always nourishes me!
This Work, This Life
Being a therapist is a strange and beautiful way to live. It requires you to be open, present, flexible, curious, grounded, and sometimes a little bit magical.
But, it’s not all incense and insight. Sometimes it’s lost notes, spilt tea, and a client asking “is it weird that I just realised I’ve been dating the emotional equivalent of a traffic cone?”
But it’s meaningful. Deeply so.
And I wouldn’t trade it for anything….well, except maybe a permanent holiday with unlimited books and a self-reading inbox.
Thanks for walking through the day with me. I’m off to make another cup of tea and check whether the cats have forgiven me for being five minutes late with their breakfast.
— Emma Evans