It’s normal for therapists to struggle with confidence on occasion, especially if you are building your client base, joining an existing practice, or opening your own.
One of the lessons learned from the global pandemic of 2020-21 was the need for more therapists and family counselors in the United States. Although therapists and counselors heeded the call and took on increasing workloads during the pandemic, plenty of people in need of therapy had to be placed on waiting lists for appointments.
At Connected Roots, we want to help you succeed. So if you are struggling with your confidence level as a therapist, or if you are seeking additional resources to enhance your practice, we are here to help.
Being A Therapist Is A Rewarding But Challenging Occupation
The reward of being a therapist presents considerable challenges. It’s a wonderful experience to help someone with their emotional or mental struggles during difficult times. However, it’s inevitable that at some point in your career, you will have patients who leave therapy feeling it hasn't delivered the desired benefits.
While you ideally are committed to honing your professional skills, it’s natural to worry about patients you weren’t able to help, even to the point of questioning your talents and abilities. However, your training as a therapist means you know the dangers of negative self-talk.
However, instead of criticizing yourself when you struggle to help a client, remember that you are human. Naturally, you will reflect on how you can do better in the future, but it’s equally important to recognize what you are doing right… as well as the patients you know you’ve helped.
Additionally, remember that therapy plants seeds that may not take root until after a patient’s work with you has ended, so the final analysis doesn’t necessarily end when you part ways.
Maintain A Balanced Life To Build Your Therapist Confidence
One of the keys to being a successful therapist is discovering how to help clients with their problems, but without taking on those problems as your own. Also, it’s essential to separate your work and personal life. Being a therapist is difficult enough without bringing your clients’ problems home every night. Maintaining a work/life balance and allowing for downtime will make you a more effective therapist and increase your confidence. And don’t forget to follow the stress management advice you may give your patients to help manage your own stress!
You Won’t Have All The Answers
As you are well aware, you don’t possess a magic wand to solve all your clients’ problems and erase their pain, because effective therapy is a journey and not an instantaneous fix.
Humans are complex, and as a therapist you will find yourself working with your patients on perplexing issues. You will never have all the “answers,” but take solace in the fact that an “answer” is not always what a client needs; what they need is someone to listen and guide them to find solutions.
How Connected Roots Can Help Support Your Growth & Therapist Confidence Level
Connected Roots is here to support new or existing therapists seeking licensure, skill assessment, clinical supervision, and general improvement to increase your confidence and effectiveness. Our collaborative approach is tailored to your individual goals and needs.
We create a space where clinicians receive support, validation, and helpful feedback for client cases, as well as overcoming challenges such as building confidence, self-care, and setting boundaries.
In addition, because we know the difficulty of setting up a practice as a new clinician, we offer consulting support for the business aspect of developing your practice. We can also guide you how to offer our unique approach of incorporating nature into therapy to help your patients feel connected and grounded.
Finally, we want to support your personal growth and help you deal with any challenges in your own life. Therapists sometimes neglect seeking help from their own profession when they need it. To help you deal with the stresses you encounter as a counselor, we encourage therapists to attend our group therapy sessions, or to schedule individual appointments, either when the need arises or on a recurring basis.
Please visit our website for more information on any of our services or to learn how Connected Roots can help support your journey as a therapist.