Advice for New Therapists

As a practicing therapist for over 20 years who's led teams, provided clinical supervision and consultations, and worked on various teams of therapists, I have a few thoughts, which I originally shared a couple of years ago on The Letter App Formerly Known As Twitter. Here I will expand on those thoughts!

1) Get the most out of your clinical supervision. We therapists have to complete X amount of hours of clinical supervision to become licensed. For me, it was 200 hours. (Most people don't know the actual length of time, amount of energy, and cost it takes to become a therapist, right?!!) When you're meeting with your supervisor, please bring topics, cases, and questions! Learn the most you can while you're meeting with someone who has more experience, even if it's learning what you don't want to do as a therapist!

2) Engage in your own therapy if/when possible, especially early in your career. I say if/when possible because I know it's not always easy for us to access or afford therapy, just like non-therapists. Sometimes we get in our own way (I'm looking at me right now) with thoughts like, "Well, they can't do it as well as I can, so what's the point?) See if you're able to put that side, make therapy a priority, and learn as much about yourself to engage in your own healing. A more healed person is going to make for more effective sessions as a therapist.

3) When you're with the client, it's about the client- keep it that way. A little self-disclosure goes a long way. Ah, the hotly debated topic of self-disclosure. I get it, we want to show up as humans, not therabots. (I used to make this therabot joke a lot; these days, with AI, it isn't as funny.) Before you self-disclose, ask yourself what is motivating you to do so: are you doing it for you? Or genuinely to help the client/your relationship?

4) When you notice a reaction you have, make note of it and hold on to that for later, process with your supervisor, colleague, yourself, your therapist...observe and describe what's coming up for you. Explore Self as Therapist actively, the parts of you, the countertransference, and/or any other way you conceptualize this. Our reactions are important to tune in to and give attention.

5) Boundaries are essential--start & end sessions on time!! There are many boundaries we could discuss here, but for the sake of this post, I'm sticking with time boundaries. Do your best to start sessions and end sessions on time. This is important for many reasons: what messages you're giving yourself and your client about your time and their time, and what that means in terms of respect, is a huge one.

6) Be fully present when you're with the client & find ways to deeply engage with them and then disengage when you're no longer in session. This will come easier with time and practice. Talk to other therapists about how they do this and consider using those ideas yourself. It's essential to disconnect to maintain this work and prevent burnout.

7) Take care of yourself - proactively. Caring for yourself is essential, not optional. YOU are the TOOL...you must take time off, rest, do fun things, have a life outside of your career, find ways to relax and disconnect... REST, sleep, hydrate (practice what we preach!!)

8) Consider joining or starting a Peer Consultation Group. Many therapists will want to join you in this, especially post-licensure, when we typically don't have as much supervisor or support. Talk about all of these topics and see what themes emerge for you.

What advice do you have for new therapists? Comment below! BTW: I'm resuming my Cardigan Club Newsletter - subscribe here if you're interested in getting periodical thoughts, tips, and reminders about caring for yourself!

#Therapists #MentalHealthMatters #TherapyThoughts #HintsfromHinkle