When asked why I decided to start counselling training in my late 40s I often used to say that therapy is one of the few careers where age works for you rather than against you. With hindsight, I now know that older therapists are just as fearful as everyone else of crossing the ‘invisible line’ – the one that takes you from being seen as ‘experienced’ to ‘past it’.
Ageing has been described as the last acceptable form of discrimination, despite the fact that, as Helen Kewell says in her ‘Big issue’ article, it’s the one form of discrimination that affects every one of us – we all age. In her piece Helen sums up the challenges facing many older employees who need or want to stay in the workforce for as long as they can, and how we as a profession can help them recognise and manage the impact of ageism.
But I also wanted to focus on the possibilities of later life in this issue. It was Carolyn Mumby, former Chair of BACP Coaching, who first introduced me to the ‘third act’ movement from the US – a reframing of the later years away from the traditional association with retirement and winding down, to something more hopeful, energetic and joyous, full of growth and new possibilities.
'Ageing has been described as the last acceptable form of discrimination, despite the fact that it’s the one form of discrimination that affects every one of us – we all age'
In literary terms, of course, the third act is typically when a story reaches its resolution. In real life there often aren’t neat and tidy resolutions – loose ends can stubbornly refuse to be tied up. I have noticed that high-profile people often start to talk about ‘their legacy’ in interviews in their later years, but the truth is that most of us won’t change the world in any significant way, whether in our first, second or third acts. We can, however, all create a meaningful life, and the practitioners interviewed for our ‘Third act therapists’ feature are great examples of the possibilities that open up when you keep an open mind about what it means to ‘make a difference’.
I know there are hundreds of other inspirational practitioners we could have featured, so do let us know about your ‘third act’ by emailing therapytoday@thinkpublishing.co.uk
Sally Brown Editor
