Therapists as parents: Is it good for the children?

How do children experience having a psychotherapist as a parent? Theory and research, in conjunction with the results of a small-scale study (n = 20), suggest that children harbor both positive and negative feelings: Whereas most children feel that certain skills of their parents (e.g., empathy, tolerance, expertise in handling problems) are of benefit to them, they also decry their parents' tendency to act like a therapist at home, the long hours they work, and the occasional intrusions of patients into their home life. Being a therapist is good for one's children as long as one's professional skills are not applied indiscriminately.