Wounded Healers

There’s a story of a worker who had a job fetching water. For his work, he used a long wooden pole with a pot on either side. The pot on the left was very proud of its perfection, and it would always do an excellent job carrying water, without spilling a drop. However, the pot on the right was filled with cracks and holes and the water would always spill out before the worker reached the destination. This pot would often be jealous of the perfect pot who always did a perfect job. The pot said to the worker “I am so ashamed of my flaws. You rely on me to transport water, and I always fail you.” The worker responded, “What you don’t know is that I’ve planted seeds along your side of the path, and you have been helping the flowers grow when you leak water. You have been ashamed of your imperfections, but your cracks and holes have been responsible for beautiful flowers.”

Many people who work in the helping professions have been through difficult situations with their health, families, or other adversity. These challenges can help us to be more compassionate and wise. However, one author cautions that it is not simply going through difficult experiences, but the ability to think critically about those experiences, that makes a wounded healer more effective.

Higher education is filled with employees who use their life experiences to improve the lives of college students. When we attend our statewide conference for higher education and disability issues, individuals who have all kinds of different abilities have been in attendance. These colleagues have been great advocates for their students as well as excellent role models.

Our college campuses are filled with students having diverse abilities and challenges. When faculty and staff are able to empathize, we can help every student feel safe and accepted.