I'm opening my practice and I feel I'm not academic enough, exactly that example of some people seemingly knowing more than you when you have to put in the extra work and think I'm not that good at all but for some reason clients during my internship seemed happy working with me and to this day I have no idea what I did right. I think in this profession for real we are the product more than the knowledge and qualification. Thank you so much for this video. You touched on real stuff.
And then clients come in and will say “you’re the expert on this” etc 😅 but yes age I think is the hardest factor for me, not only am I 26 and the youngest at the counseling center but I went to school online and most classmates were in their 40s+ and now I have like couples who are in their 50s and it’s definitely an interesting feeling
It’s strange at first to work with clients when there’s a big age gap! But you may find that you love it. Some clients find therapy less intimidating with a younger/newer therapist so they stick with it or prefer a newer one who may be more up to date on the newest things. Enjoy being a younger therapist and don’t let the imposter syndrome get in the way. Age doesn’t necessarily equal skill!
I start my internship at a therapy office in 2 weeks; I am terrified! I am 32 but people love to tell me I look 20. I guess I don't know how to respond to clients who tell me I am too young to work with them, which other people in my program have already experienced at their internships.
Hi! I've been there and it can feel really bad to have a client/parent reject you based on age. What I would recommend is to 1. Validate their feelings ("I understand that I appear younger than you anticipated and you're worried I may not be able to help") 2. Briefly explain how you work (what you can do to support them) 3. Reassure them ("If after a few sessions, you're unhappy with my care, then I can refer you out, but I would love the opportunity to try to support you/your family) They may still decide not to work with you and if that's the case, understand that's THEIR own bias, not a reflection of your skills. There will be tons of client who want to work with you!
Thank you so much for this! So many of us feel this but no one talks about it. Comforting & great tips!
Thank you for the feedback! We've all felt imposter syndrome at some point. I'm glad you enjoyed this episode!
This is a GREAT video, Samantha!!!
Thank you so much!! I think we've all experienced imposter syndrome at some point in our careers.
I'm opening my practice and I feel I'm not academic enough, exactly that example of some people seemingly knowing more than you when you have to put in the extra work and think I'm not that good at all but for some reason clients during my internship seemed happy working with me and to this day I have no idea what I did right. I think in this profession for real we are the product more than the knowledge and qualification.
Thank you so much for this video. You touched on real stuff.
You’re welcome!! You’re making a connection with your clients and that’s the best thing you can do for them!
And then clients come in and will say “you’re the expert on this” etc 😅 but yes age I think is the hardest factor for me, not only am I 26 and the youngest at the counseling center but I went to school online and most classmates were in their 40s+ and now I have like couples who are in their 50s and it’s definitely an interesting feeling
It’s strange at first to work with clients when there’s a big age gap! But you may find that you love it. Some clients find therapy less intimidating with a younger/newer therapist so they stick with it or prefer a newer one who may be more up to date on the newest things. Enjoy being a younger therapist and don’t let the imposter syndrome get in the way. Age doesn’t necessarily equal skill!
I start my internship at a therapy office in 2 weeks; I am terrified! I am 32 but people love to tell me I look 20. I guess I don't know how to respond to clients who tell me I am too young to work with them, which other people in my program have already experienced at their internships.
Hi! I've been there and it can feel really bad to have a client/parent reject you based on age.
What I would recommend is to
1. Validate their feelings ("I understand that I appear younger than you anticipated and you're worried I may not be able to help")
2. Briefly explain how you work (what you can do to support them)
3. Reassure them ("If after a few sessions, you're unhappy with my care, then I can refer you out, but I would love the opportunity to try to support you/your family)
They may still decide not to work with you and if that's the case, understand that's THEIR own bias, not a reflection of your skills. There will be tons of client who want to work with you!