An Open Letter to Fellow Psychics

We are all affected and tarnished by those who claim to be qualified psychics and act in an irresponsible manner toward their clients. There is no formal code of conduct or licensing, but I offer —based on my 30+ years of experience— some thoughts on what it takes to be a successful and respected psychic:

As a psychic, you have to like people.People think you're fascinating if you're interested in them. Each of us is a people person. If you don't like them, you shouldn't be in this business.

We need to keep our own lives in order to maintain objectivity. If you're confused or going through a terrible time in your life, it will color your objectivity. Detach your own self from the client's situation.

We ought to have our own lives, beyond parapsychology. We can't live through our clients. It gets old pretty fast.

We need to speak in understandable terms. What we do is wondrous enough; it doesn't need mumbo jumbo or pseudo-psychic jargon.

Avoid temptation to be someone's guru. People have to, ultimately, find their own paths and make their own decisions.

A responsible psychic must be able to keep secrets!

No matter what you hear, be non-judgmental.

Psychics should read and stay current on events, economics, trends and popular interests. Our clients live in this world; we need to understand how the world is affecting our clients.

We must have a sense of humor. We must have laughter in us because we need to have a tremendous amount of compassion.

A psychic should have a regular name. Calling yourself Madam X or the Reverent Doctor Y doesn't automatically inspire confidence. With a real name comes accountability—and that's what inspires confidence that you are a responsible counselor.

A responsible psychic should never hype for "extras" hidden or additional fees. Spell it all out in advance, what's included in the service and how long it will last.

Avoid unnecessary window dressing. It's a matter of personal preference, but I don't believe we need to resort to incense, beads and other arcane trappings to convey the mystical, magical nature of a paranormal service.

We need to be able to change hats quickly. Sometimes it's tricky to find that reset button but we all need to be able to change hats quickly and face the next client. Can you cleanse your mind and start anew every half hour?

A psychic should be able to stay centered. The ability to balance energies, make deposits and withdrawals, is one that comes with experience.

A psychic should have good sense. We need to be honest but careful about wounding someone unnecessarily. Start, always, by concentrating on successful areas for validation before addressing more troubling areas.

We should be able to produce references —from other psychics, from the media, police departments and of course referrals from clients. You wouldn't pick a doctor or lawyer or therapist out of the phonebook and not ask for some kind of validation, would you?

The successful and responsible psychic invites clients to bring friends and witnesses and to take home a tape recording of the reading. It's only the crooks and scams who need fear this practice. For the rest of us, it's a helpful service to the client and a good source of new clients, too!

Shirlee Teabo
Federal Way, Washington
January, 2001