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What is some of the best advice you have received?
I am a graduate student who has just began their program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This has been a dream of mine for a long time, but it is a complete career shift!
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Annah’s Answer
Cailey, the best advice I learned comes from my own mistakes. As a graduate student I wish I had sought out internships that truly aligned with my values and interests. While I ended up at five different sites and had a variety of experiences, I felt they all lacked clinical supervision, and none truly pointed me in a direction post-grad. I did have to juggle work which made things complicated, but I would take more time, even if it meant time off from school to find (clinical) work that was better suited. Pay for supervision and suck it up! I graduated and entered into public health. I took all the free supervision hours I could get. This was not a terrible decision but much of the hours were focused away from what I would have wanted to talk about. Paying for individual supervision is worth it because you will get quality attention and advice that will set you up for the rest of your career. My supervision was sometimes dictated by the organization I worked for; it was hijacked by discussing charting or other miscellaneous employment topics. Also, none of my supervisors practiced the kind of therapy I was most drawn to doing. I got my hours but did not learn what I needed to evolve into the kind of therapist I wanted to be. As a result, I had to backtrack and seek out private supervision later. Of course, it is also something you will want to have ongoing in your career. Seek ongoing training that suits your learning style and learn the modalities you feel personally drawn to rather than what is most popular (getting the most attention online or among clinical circles). This will save you time and money. Leaving graduate school does not make you a therapist; practice and more practice combined with intention makes you competent. Always seek a second opinion in situations of patient crisis and suicidality, even when you think you covered the bases. Beware of burn out; it may creep up on you without your awareness. I have had it happen more than once, even after working to improve my own self-care and support network. Stay connected with others in practice, especially if you enter into private practice. And don't be afraid to go against the grain of what people expect. Set your own path. This is something I am still learning to do after nine years post-grad. I hope some of this resonates with you! Cheers to your own journey, wherever it takes you.
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Jennifer’s Answer
The best advice I have received is to be present for others. Some people tend to try to connect with others by comparing stories about themselves. Their hearts are in the right place by trying to show people that they are not alone, however, in therapy sessions, its not about the therapist, its about the patient. Listen tentatively, focus on their issues and offer advice specific to them if that is what they want.