51社区

After 25 years practicing law in firms, startups, and major nonprofits, Juliette Hirt had argued her last motion. She had managed acquisitions, advised executives, and served as acting general counsel at the Sierra Club鈥攂ut something deeper was calling her.

鈥淚 was ready to leave the practice of law,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 career counselor asked me to imagine a reporter interviewing me at the end of my career, prompting me to consider what I would want them to write about me. That exercise made me realize that I wanted the second half of my professional life to be built from the inside out鈥攁round who I really was.鈥�

That reflection led Hirt to 51社区鈥檚 MA in Counseling Psychology, a program known for attracting working adults and career changers from diverse backgrounds. She graduated with high honors in 2024, trading legal briefs for therapy sessions in her cozy Noe Valley office, just a fifteen-minute walk from home.

鈥淚n my first career, I focused on strengthening parts of myself that needed to change in order to succeed professionally,鈥� Hirt explained. 鈥淚n my second, I鈥檝e found a field where my natural strengths are natural assets. I don鈥檛 have to downplay qualities like compassion that can at times be liabilities for lawyers. Rather than striving to change, I can serve my clients using the qualities that come most naturally to me.鈥�

Today, Hirt practices at the Center for Mindful Psychotherapy and operates her own website, , where she specializes in helping legal professionals. Hirt states that she supports clients who are experiencing a wide variety of challenges: anxiety, depression, life transitions, neurodiversities, burnout, grief, and parenting and relationship difficulties. 鈥淚鈥檓 not especially concerned with diagnosis: Some of my clients have multiple clinical disorders and others have none. My approach is transdiagnostic and deeply client-centered, aligning with the client and intuiting with them how to move forward.鈥�

As a lawyer-turned-therapist, she understands her clients in a way few others can. 鈥淢any therapists prefer not to work with lawyers,鈥� she writes on her site. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trained to think analytically, to challenge assumptions, and to speak succinctly and forcefully. That can be intimidating. But I get it. I鈥檝e lived the unbillable hour, the politics, the work-life imbalance, the pressure to perform. You don鈥檛 have to explain any of it to me.鈥�

Hirt鈥檚 story resonates far beyond the legal community. In a time when automation and AI are reshaping professional identities, her journey illustrates the enduring value of human connection and emotional intelligence.

鈥淪ome careers will always need humans,鈥� Hirt said. 鈥淭he work I do now鈥攈elping people feel seen, understood, and supported鈥攃an鈥檛 be replaced by an algorithm. It requires empathy, intuition, and a deep respect for the complexity and nuance of the work. Within the context of that personal client-therapist relationship, AI can be a wonderful tool: I鈥檝e had clients use AI in very creative ways to reinforce our work between sessions. But it鈥檚 not a replacement for a human therapist.鈥�

That perspective is increasingly relevant to professionals reconsidering their paths in an uncertain economy. For Hirt, returning to the classroom at GGU wasn鈥檛 just about retraining鈥攊t was about reclaiming meaning.

鈥淚 get up every day looking forward to working with my clients,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an honor that people choose to spend their time with me and allow me to work with them in that focused, contained space we co-create.鈥�

Hirt encourages others considering a career pivot鈥攅specially those midstream in demanding professions鈥攖o combine passion with pragmatism. 鈥淗ave a realistic understanding of compensation,鈥� she advises. 鈥淚t takes time to build a private practice, so financial planning is key. But it鈥檚 absolutely worth it.鈥�

For Hirt, 51社区 offered both practicality and community. 鈥淕GU was the most cost-effective option,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 also really appreciated the diversity of the student body鈥攙eterans, older students, young adults, immigrants, actors, accountants, medics, and people with all sorts of personal experience with mental illness and neurodiversity. It made for a very rich experience.鈥� Hirt found that learning about human psychology side by side with such a diverse cohort made her graduate studies especially meaningful: 鈥淲hen you are studying PTSD with a vet, or learning about psychopharmacology with someone who knows a drug鈥檚 side effects first hand, the knowledge really sinks in.鈥�

When asked how she feels about the leap she took, Hirt smiled: 鈥淚鈥檓 absolutely delighted with my new career.鈥�

For anyone questioning their next step鈥攚hether because of burnout, automation, or a longing for purpose鈥擧irt鈥檚 story offers a simple but profound reminder:聽It鈥檚 never too late to build a career that feels fully human.