Thomas Cliff

I practiced law and then shifted to trust and investment banking in Detroit, Michigan. Most of the time I liked my jobs. More than the work, though, I treasured my friendships with clients. I seemed to have a talent for enjoying clients that others found too needy, for fostering a sense of calm and reassurance in the relationship.

For me the end of the line came in 2009, when the bank eliminated my job as part of staffing cutbacks. I was not prepared for or interested in retiring, and seeking the same type of work was my reflexive response. Soon I realized that, at my age (64) and in that economy, finding such a job was a long shot.

Because I have always been involved with nonprofits that need money, I tentatively considered a career in fundraising. Then one day an attorney friend asked, “Have you ever thought of becoming a psychologist?” I hadn’t, but his question intrigued me and started me down the path toward my new career. I quickly reframed my work success as success in building trusting relationships. I began to see this as a professional capability and looked into graduate school to develop skills.

I earned my Master of Social Work degree from Wayne State University two years later. I was able to attend school full-time with the help of a government re-training program which paid for books and tuition and provided unemployment benefits even when I was not searching for work.

I am now a clinical social worker, a psychotherapist. I work with adults who experience emotional problems that they can no longer handle by themselves. Mental health has long been a concern of mine, for personal reasons as well as because of its importance to the community. My own experience of the benefit of psychotherapy is an anchor of my new occupation.

In my new career I have a fresh sense of purpose and fulfillment. I reflect often on a saying attributed to St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons in the second century, usually translated as, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” When a client leaves my office with reduced anxiety and a renewed sense of capability, I have a good day, too. I know the barriers to self-realization that I had to overcome. I want to help others facing similar challenges to find their strengths and follow their calling.

Older workers like me may be more open than younger ones to the idea that income doesn’t equal satisfaction. We are more than willing to “pay it forward.” To others I suggest, as I do to my clients, that they step back to discern what is most important to them in life, and then press forward toward it.

Confront that worried little voice that tells you what you’ve been doing so far is all you can ever do.

P.S. My new career would have been unthinkable without the courageous support of my wife, Joan.