As someone pursuing psychology, I think there's quite a stigma around psychologists just "giving advice" or "just listening to people talk." Psychology and mental health have gained more awareness over the past few years and with this new awareness have also come with a lot of incorrect perceptions of the field. So to everyone who thinks as a psychologist "I'm going just listen to people talk all day", here's my take on that thought:

I may listen to a little girl who has just seen her mother get shot by her father and is now parentless.

I may listen to a woman who tearfully describes her newborn baby dying in her arms.

I may listen to the adolescent boy who has attempted suicide more times than he can count.

I might teach coping techniques to the family who's son is addicted to alcohol.

I might teach the kindergartner with autism how to deal when they are in a social situation they don't like.

I might teach someone who has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia what to do when they suffer from hallucinations.

I may listen to the teenage girl who has been sexually abused for her whole life.

I may listen to the student who reads the awful bullying they have received on social media.

I may listen to a recently widowed man describe the night his wife was killed.

I may have to try to hold it together as a patient tells me they are struggling to find a will to even stay alive.

I could struggle to stay composed as a student tells me the detailed terror they felt during a school shooting.
I'll probably try to not cry as a patient describes a situation in their life that hits very close to home for me.
I may wait for hours for a patient with suicidal tendencies to come in for their appointment...to find out they won't be coming in again.

So yes, I guess I'll just listen to people talk all day if that's what you want to call it.