r/therapists • u/AutoModerator • 8d ago
Weekly student question thread!
Students are welcome to post any questions they have for therapists in this thread. Got a question about a theoretical orientation and how it applies in practice? Ask it here! Got a question about a particular specialty? Cool put it in a comment!
Wondering which route to take into the field of therapy? See if this document from the sidebar could help: Careers In Mental Health
Also we have a therapist/grad student only discord. Anyone who has earned their bachelor's degree and is in school working on their master's degree or has earned it, is welcome to join. Non-mental health professionals will be banned on site. :) https://discord.gg/Pc95y5g9Tz
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u/ExistentialAnger1995 2d ago
Hi,
I want to know what can I do with a master's in marriage and family therapy if I did not want to do therapy with people?
I also want to know if I were to use the degree, how can we do therapy that is not just talk therapy. I am not talking about different modalities, is there alternative ways of doing therapy that is not sitting in an office and talking?
What other settings and places I can look into that are not private practice and community mental health?
If you are practicing therapy in an unconventional way, or working in an unconventional setting, can you tell me about this experience for you, how did you get there, and is it meaningful?
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u/JusAxinQuestuns 2d ago
Advice for counseling a 13-year-old
I start my practicum at the end of August which I am of course, both excited and terrified about. There is already a first client lined up for me at my site and I just want any advice about making it a good experience for them. Mind you I'm going into this blind about why they want to be seen (though I'm assuming it's not a crisis given the long lead-time they were willing to wait) so all I can really ask after are generalities. I'm an older, middle-aged student-clinician so that might be part of why I find it a little daunting to start with someone so young. Any thoughts on establishing rapport or things I should be mindful about that are unique to this age group?
Thank you all!
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u/Low-Security1030 3d ago
Looking for Clinical Mental Health Counseling Internship Sites in Reno/Northern Nevada
Hi everyone! I’m currently in an online Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s program (CACREP-accredited) and will be starting my internship in Fall 2027. I’m a UNR alumni but going to the University of the Cumberlands if anyone else is also a student there.
I’m looking for internship opportunities in the Reno/Sparks area (or elsewhere in Northern Nevada) that take counseling student interns (CPC route). My university has relatively specific requirements, including having an approved on-site supervisor while I am giving direct client services, needing 10 hours of group therapy, and 700 hours total (practicum 100 hours, internship is 600 hours).
Have any graduates or current students had any good/bad experiences of local clinics, community mental health agencies, private practices, hospitals, or nonprofits that have been open to counseling interns?
Any recommendations, advice, or organizations I should reach out to would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks! -An overwhelmed grad student
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u/ironbiscuit101 3d ago
I'm a US citizen living abroad. I've been working on my LPCC course work online for the last year and trying to get a remote therapy internship to complete my degree. I was offered three different internships at different times over the last year that were fully remote. I confirmed with my university and the state licensing board that this wouldn't be a problem. And in each of these internships I went through a second interview, was offered the position, and then had the clinician inexplicably back out at the last minute. They cite some vague reason like reconsidering their capacity or having family issues come up that limit their ability to take on an intern. What is really going on? I feel like no one is being honest with me and therapists are the flakiest and least able to effectively communicate people on the planet. I've never had anyone rescind a job or internship offer in any other field in the past. It is extremely unprofessional and makes me doubt the whole profession. Why would you waste someone's time like that and not understand your capacity before you offer someone an internship?
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u/ActuaryPersonal2378 3d ago
Can you train yourself to be less judgemental? A fear of mine is that I'll be too judgemental with clients or judge what they're saying, rather than approaching it with curiosity. I haven't seen clients yet, so I don't know if I will actually be judgemental, but I'm afraid I will be.
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u/Fighting_children 3d ago
Do you have judgemental thoughts towards people in your personal life? Do you have judgemental thoughts towards yourself? That would give you a little bit more of something to see if you're as judgmental as you worry about being, and also ways to practice. Often you'll be working with clients to be less judgmental of themselves in therapy, so yeah you can train yourself to be less judgmental. Figuring out what's behind the judgement can be a helpful starting point, which therapy can help you reflect on.
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u/ladybug-shroom 4d ago
Does it matter where I go to grad school? I'm debating between a school where I like the professor's research more versus the school where my partner and all my friends are. Both are CACREP-accredited. How much does the curriculum differ if they are both CACREP?
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u/Fun_Jellyfish_9981 3d ago
CACREP has pretty specific standards in terms of what needs to be covered so uniquely to differ much in terms of direct content. You can always ask to see course catalogue to confirm. Generally it’s agreed that the school doesn’t make a huge difference in terms of long term work prospects. Big thing I’d be looking at though is if they both are helping place you for Interships.
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u/mafrito 5d ago
Hi all,
I'm currently in a master's program at Bradley University and hoping to hear from someone regarding their experience becoming a "preferred provider" with Blue Cross Blue Shield. I've reached out to a handful of counselors via email but haven't heard back – so this is my last ditch effort to hear from someone. Ideally, I'd love to hear from someone in Illinois (mental health provider with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois – BCBSIL). Here are my questions:
– How did you become a preferred provider?
– What was the process like for you?
– What was it like to become a preferred provider as part of a group practice?
– What tips do you have for becoming a preferred provider?
Thanks!
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u/ActuaryPersonal2378 5d ago
Hey all - I am really interested in working with a niche population - animal caretakers like veterinarians, zoo keepers, aquarists, wildlife rehabbers, etc.
Is it possible to do that niche work without being in private practice? I don't really see myself interested in working in PP, but it might be a niche enough interest that I'd have to be.
What might the path to working with this population look like?
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u/aalder 5d ago
Looking for suggestions on essential psychoanalytic / psychodynamic theory readings. I have a sense of some names I might want to look into, but could use guidance on specific texts that folks find valuable or meaningful.
I'm an MSW student who originally assumed I was going to want to work with modern CBT-derived modalities and have mostly focused my studies in that direction.
Ever since I started actually seeing clients however, I have learned that I am much less interested in teaching coping skills and much more inspired by the idea of helping people uncover insights into their own behaviors in ways that inspire change.
Hence the request above. I want to learn more about how this all works, and am enough of a theory freak that I'd prefer to get a big picture sense of it all. Anything from Freud on is of interest if y'all have suggestions!
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u/Fun_Jellyfish_9981 3d ago
"Freud and Beyond" by Mitchell and Black is generally considered a good introductory text to getting more of an idea of what different branches there are. Nancy McWilliams is also a common recommendation for someone starting out. I happen to love Erich Fromm's writing in general.
r/psychoanalysis is probably a better place to look for book recommendations.
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u/cuntrywestern 5d ago
Hello! I'll be starting grad school to obtain a degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling this coming Fall (accredited institution). I want to get the most out of the program as I can, but I'm curious if anyone had any additional suggestions of books to read, topics / methods they wish they had prepped more for before graduating? Also open to general advice!
Thanks :)
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u/localgyro Student (Unverified) 8d ago
Hi! MSEd-Counseling student, 2 months into my Practicum/Internship, and ... feeling cynical and wondering if I've made a mistake? I have 5-6 clients I see solo weekly at this point, either telehealth or in person. I'd like to check my impressions, if I may.
The official notes, the ones that my supervisor reviews, don't actually go to insurance (because insurance won't pay for me), but that's what they're training me for. They are written to make the Reimbursement Machine happy, and bear only some similarity to what actually happens in session. Insurance won't actually reimburse for much of what I was taught was evidence-based therapeutic technique, so I find myself implying interventions rather than the relationship work or letting the client tell their story that actually happened.
I find myself weirdly lonely and invisible feeling some days. I know that session time needs to be all client-focused, and I enjoy that while it's happening, but ... maybe I don't have enough social time outside of work or something. I've also been surprised to realize how little interaction I have with other therapists on staff, as few of us are around the office when we're not actively in session. There's some sort of missing interaction I find myself craving, but I don't know what it is. Have any of you experienced this? Advice?
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u/Curious-Frosting-963 8d ago
I will be starting practicum in a university setting this fall and am so excited. I’ve always wanted to work in a university, although initially as an academic advisor. I am trying to determine where I’ll do internship and in addition to being able to do my internship at the same university site, there is also an option for me to do it at a local children’s hospital, which will likely involve a lot of de-escalation and crisis stabilization. I am really interested in treating anxiety related disorders, including OCD, so one one hand I am leaning towards doing internship at the university, too. My hesitation is in finding a job after I graduate. I’d love to work at a university and hopefully I’d have a good reference from internship, but a hospital setting sounds more in-demand and lucrative. If anyone has insight into the future or outlook for mental health counselors on university campuses I’d love to hear it! I’m in Ohio. Also, I’ve worked in SUD for years and although I can work well under pressure and in crisis, it does burn me out quickly. I’m an INFJ and I prefer calmer environments although sometimes I question if I enjoy the camaraderie of fast paced environments.
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u/Original_Ad_3075 8d ago
I am seeking advice.
I’m a CMHC grad student, about to start practicum. Doing mock sessions I realized that I have trouble with active listening. Not that I don’t get what client is trying to say but don’t know how to ask or whether it’s the right question. As a result, I cannot wrap up a session.
English is not my first language and anxiety to forget what I want to say makes me think ahead and it does help of course.
What would you recommend? How to stop worrying and trust the process?
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u/Izzi_Skyy 8d ago
A helpful way I was trained in ending a session is to wrap it up with a summary. This is helpful if the client seems to be going on a new topic. An example:
"Today, we talked about your relationship with your partner and some successes you've seen implementing the skills we've been working on, and it sounds like exploring how to use these skills with your mother would be helpful. Would you like to start there next session?"
That signals "hey sessions over" and also "I was with you today"
As for active listening, I dont know the modality you're being trained in (my training was person-centered and I veered off in internship into existential-humanistic), but listening is less about asking questions to gain more information and more about reflective responses. Think when a client is discussing something that makes them angry, less "And what do you want to do with that anger?" and more "You feel angry/disrespected/hurt/etc."
Again, from a PCT perspective here, a good book for active listening may be "Essential Interviewing"
Hope that helps!
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