After two years, my sabbatical has come to an end; I’ve started a Clinical Psychology grad program to become a therapist.

The timeline since my last sabbatical post looks something like this:

Nov 2024
Got the itch to do something work/career-related again. Pondered the idea of Good Work.

Dec 2024
Decided to apply to “therapist school” - Counseling Psychology (MA) and Clinical Psychology (PsyD) programs. I thought, “F*ck it, I’ll apply. If I don’t get in, then we’ll figure out what to do after.”

Jan 2025
Crammed grad school applications.

Plus started pre-req classes for the PsyD programs I was applying to, (1) in case I got in, and (2) as an experiment to see if going back to school would make me want to bash my head into a wall or not.

Feb 2025
Conflict! With all of the applications and coursework, I started to yearn for the earlier, freer days of my sabbatical when I just did whatever I wanted. Wrestled with indecision. Did I really want to go to grad school? Should I just stay on sabbatical and see where that wandering route leads?

Mar 2025
I decided to commit to the grad school path: I would apply AND if I didn’t get in, I would apply again in the next cycle. I was going to to school.

I talk about this more in my indecision post, but essentially at a meta level it was important for me to choose ‘focus’ – to make a decision and see it through until it no longer serves me. And I picked the option that was harder to come by and more time-sensitive (grad school). I could always go on another sabbatical later.

End of Mar 2025
I got accepted to my top choice PsyD program. Wild.

Apr-Jun 2025
Reoriented my life around attending grad school in the Fall. I had projects I needed to wrap up – sabbatical notes to write to capture my thoughts and feelings, other blog posts, meeting with an interior designer about how to update my living room. I bought an e-bike for my new commute, and did a test ride where I got a flat tire and had to get it fixed 😅.

Jul-Aug 2025
Lots of summer plans – shows, friends, family, travel.

Lots of scratching items off my weeb bucket list. Went to an Ado concert (I am still thinking about her cover of Chandelier). Blitzed a trip to NYC to see the Hololive EN concert.¹

Sabbatical complete!

Aug-Oct 2025
Started grad school. Got thrown into the deep end but with some support structures, which is kind of how I prefer to learn. It’s been a lot, but it really feels like there’s no place I’d rather be right now.

It’s crazy how fun and engaging school and training can be when you’re really into the subject.