Jobs are as important for our characters as they are for real people. A character’s career might be their dream job or one they’ve chosen due to necessity. In your story, they might be trying to get that job or are already working in the field. Whatever the situation, as with any defining aspect for your character, you’ll need to do the proper research to be able to write that career knowledgeably.

Enter the Occupation Thesaurus. Here, you’ll find important background information on a variety of career options for your character. In addition to the basics, we’ll also be covering related info that relates to character arc and story planning, such as sources of conflict (internal and external) and how the job might impact basic human needs, thereby affecting the character’s goals. (See this post for more information on this connection.) It’s our hope that this thesaurus will share some of your research burden while also giving you ideas about your character’s occupation that you might not have considered before.

Below is a sample version of this entry to help you see how an occupation can reveal your character’s beliefs, history, goals, and more.

To view the full entry, visit One Stop for Writers where it resides within the largest fiction-based descriptive database ever created. (Free Trial available.)

Occupation: Therapist

Overview: A mental health therapist provides support and help for those who are struggling with mental or emotional problems. A therapist may open their doors to any clientele or they may focus on an area of specialization (marriages and families, substance abuse, grief, life coaching, etc.). They may own their own business, be part of a practice, or work out of a specific location, such as a hospital, prison or detention facility, detox center or halfway house, church, or school system. Online counseling is also becoming a popular option for those seeking this kind of help…

Necessary Training: A four-year degree is required in the US, with certain kinds of therapy also requiring a master’s degree. Many clinical hours…

Useful Skills, Talents, or Abilities: Empathy, ESP (clairvoyance), exceptional memory, gaining the trust of others, good listening skills, hospitality, reading people

Helpful Character Traits: Analytical, calm, cooperative, curious, decisive, diplomatic, discreet, efficient, empathetic, friendly, gentle, honest…

Sources of Friction: Being unable to find the solution that works for a client, a client who is unable or unwilling to open up and be honest about their situation, a client’s dysfunction escalating while in one’s care (them committing suicide, abusing a child, killing someone, etc.), misreading or misdiagnosing a client, becoming romantically involved with a client, harboring prejudice against a client, needing to break confidentiality to protect someone but knowing it will impact trust with the client…

People They Might Interact With: Clients (children, teens, couples, inmates, veterans, the elderly, etc.), the client’s family members or caregivers, other mental health practitioners…

How This Occupation Might Impact One’s Basic Needs:

• Esteem and Recognition: Not every therapist can help every client, but a professional who has more than their share of failures may begin to doubt their capabilities—even if the fault isn’t theirs…
• Love and Belonging: It’s said that some therapists follow this career path out of a desire to fix themselves, but this is easier said than done. If a therapist is deeply wounded…
• Safety and Security: If a therapist’s practice takes them into an unsafe place, such as a dangerous neighborhood or high-security prison, their safety and security …

Common Work-Related Settings: church, community center, courtroom, hospital (interior), juvenile detention center, parking garage, police station, psychiatric ward, therapist’s office, university lecture hall, university quad, waiting room

Twisting the Stereotype: In stories, therapists tend to play the mentor role. But what about a therapist villain, who is out to emotionally destroy others, or a therapist love interest who creates unusual sources of conflict for the protagonist?

Visit the other Occupations in our collection HERE.

How will your character’s occupation help reveal their innermost layers?

Much of your character’s life will revolve around their work, and whether they love it or hate it, their job is a great way to show, not tell, their personality traits, skills, work ethic, worldview and beliefs, and more, so we should choose it with care.

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