What Being a Therapist is Really Like
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- Опубликовано: 25 мар 2021
- What Being a Therapist is Really Like
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I remember before becoming a therapist I had a picture in mind of what my life would be like as a therapist. And because of the confidential nature of therapy work, it seemed impossible to know what being a therapist is really like.
In fact, I remember frantically asking therapists if I could shadow them so that I could find out.
(That was when I was in college and had no idea how big of an ethical issue shadowing would be!)
And now that I've been working as a therapist for 13 years, I thought I would share a little window into what being a therapist is really like, because there were definitely a lot of surprises I didn't anticipate! I had a lot of fun putting this together, so I hope you find it both helpful and fun to watch.
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This video is geared for therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field.
Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.
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This video is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.
I LOL'd so hard at the "reading a good book" part when you were reading the DSM 🤣
Yes I cried! Lol
I also laughed out loud at that part. It's the little details that get me!
Agency work is intense, paperwork heavy, low paying, but very rewarding. Private practice is less paperwork and intense in a different way, but still very rewarding. It can by higher paying but you need to be comfortable with networking and taking on a more business mindset than what they teach you in grad school. Counseling is amazing and I love it, but know what your getting into before dedicating years of education and money to it.
So true! There are pros and cons to every type of therapy work
I abhor networking but plan to do private practice as soon as i can after starting non private.
As a psych undergrad, thank you SO much for covering this’ This is the closest thing I’ll get to “shadowing” a therapist until grad school.
Yes! Running to the bathroom is a major part of it lol
💯
I'm a student in high school that wants to be a therapist!! I loved this way of showing what being a therapist is like through visuals. I think I got most of my questions answered, thank you!!
Yet another personal reflection. That killed me. 😂😂 too true.
Me in therapy after a year: Shaking, trying to be as small as possible, ready to be rolled eyes at and told to get the hell out. Working on opening up more, relaxing, but i’m always so anxious around other people.
3:30 "or maybe reading a good book" - DSM-5!
Ha, I love it!
I literally laughed out loud when she pulled out the DSM-5!!
😂 Spot on about grad school and agency work!! The No Shows! The paperwork and trainings! 😖
Thank you for this. I am honestly really jealous that you knew early on what you wanted to do for a living. I’m 31 in corporate and going back to school soon to become a LPC. It’s tough switching careers so late but better than never
Good luck! U got this
Im doing it at 45. So… You’re early! 🤣
Psst, I’m 40 😂😂
This looked so much fun to create😆 I finally returned to school to become a therapist after all these years and I’ll attest the all nighter piece couldn’t be more accurate 😴 bravo on another gem Dr Fang👍
I did have fun making it! Gotta keep ourselves entertained during the pandemic somehow right?
I died when you said the running to the bathroom or getting a snack 🤣😂 the story of my life. I feel a lot more busier doing my private practice then when I worked in an agency but I know that is due to all the administration work that comes along with it.. as for the insurance.. I ABSOLUTELY HAVE A BILLER... I won't accept insurance without one lol.. but overall I LOVED this video! So true!
I've been licensed for a year & practicing since last July... all this is True.
I am so happy you made this video. I am currently doing my degree in psychotherapy and counselling. This really took some pressure off of me. 💛💛💛💛
Congrats! You're doing it! Glad this was helpful :)
You totally nailed it! So much time on hold verifying insurance.. love that my client’s get to relax and it’s not stuffy at all!
Loved it! So accurate and brings back fond memories for myself too :) Thanks for sharing!
Hello! This is my first time commenting but I have watched about 60% to 75% of everything you have made and I just want to say thank you!! I'm still in undergrad but it doesn't change the fact this has been so useful and encouraging!!
Such a fun video. Extremely spot on! I particularly appreciated what you said about humor in therapy. As a therapist myself who uses lots of humor, I was beginning to think I was the only one. It's nice to be validated!
100% accurate. Thank you for the honesty
Loved your video and found it so validating. The part about the time spent in agency work was especially spot on. Random question - would you be willing to give a list of the books on your bookshelf in the background? No worries if not!!!
This was so helpful. Really appreciate the work you do. I am an undergrad rn, hoping to do a masters in counselling. I would really appreciate it if you could do a video on what you think about the diff options for masters such as thesis vs non-thesis. My university offers an M.A vs M.ed and I cant wrap my brain around which would be a good fit. Thank you for your consideration.
Really good job on the video. Loved it!
You NAILED it!!
Thank you SO much for showing routine aspects of your work :> Because I was struggling to find any non-official but everyday life information. Your video was a treasure ❤
Oh wow, thank you so much for this video. My bubble is definitely burst about a couple of things! I really really don't want to deal with insurance. And you're acting skills are on par! lol I felt this 4:53
The paperwork overload of agency work is soooooo spot on!! It was all I did and all anyone in my life ever heard from me: ‘I’m doing paperwork’ 🤪🤪🤪 I was incredibly fortunate that I got an opportunity to leave the agency and work on a teletherapy platform in March 2020 right before things shut down (this was something I had planned since getting my license 2 months earlier - the most perfect timing!).
As for insurance hassles, I just recently signed up with Headway and they do all that for me. No headache there!
Thanks as always for the videos!
I feel the comment about grad school being a place where I am doing yet another reflection paper. In my third year and those reflection papers seem silly but are so very helpful to me now
Yes! Nailed it 😊
This was hilarious Marie 😆 and thank you (have heaps of binge watching to do to catch up though). Stay well and congrats 🤰🏻🧸🎊🎇🎆
Nice video. I have 2 speeds, fast and quick which i work before, between and after sessions and a slowed down, calm and very present speed I have during session. My clients think my job must be wonderful and easy. But that's because I work hard to create a safe and conducive environment for them. There is definitely a behind the scenes difference. 🙂
This was all SOOO accurate!
Great video, Marie. Therapist are human too, that's the part to remember :) Today I had something fall into my right eye the second the session started and I couldn't remove it easily. It was like "yeah, I'm listening", but at the same time browsing my eye and crying. Fortunately, that didn't take very long and I managed to fix my eye :)
Oh no that's the worst! Glad it resolved quickly
OMG!! As a Grad student in her last quarter and 1.5 years of practicum, in both community mental health and private practice model, I soooooo agree with everything you said!! Thank you so much for this video, I feel less worried knowing it is not just me. 😝
It's definitely not just you! :)
You are so good .. Great to watch ... Yes video HELPED!!!! ME A LOT
I have been a social worker for 7 years, but only recently moved to providing therapy. I'm so glad for this video! I went in cold turkey (no experience in career or internships) and am always wondering if I'm doing things right. This was very validating lol thank you!
Thanks, this was super helpful for me. I just graduated with my bachelor's degree, finally, and I am working on trying to find a job. Also, I really want to get into "real counseling" as soon as possible. I know that I still have some more work. I am looking forward to the day when I get there and this made me smile!
Thank you for this video! It was helpful to me to see that your reality = my expectations already :)
That's great!
Love this. So creative and true to life.
I love it... Phd seems eons away. Just trying to pass my exam to get my license first! I’ll have to apply for next year🤷🏾♀️
Thanks for the advice
Thank you so much!
Dealing with unexpected, planning for the remainder of the year, note taking, family, daily health, organizational dynamics-informal organization-how things are really done, But truly enjoy your humor at this field.
Absolutely! I had scripted several segments about family life, but it was going to be more work than I bargained for to film that so I skipped it :)
You hit it on the nail, This is so accurate, everything you said is so true! Lol 😆
I felt all of this - so true! Some of my clients have such a fabulous sense of humor, and I agree, I think we spend a lot more of our day laughing/joking with our clients than people would expect.
I have gotten questions about what I write in my progress notes after session. It is much more boring and clinical sounding than anyone expects!
haha, yes to all the above! On the rare occasion when it's made sense for a client to see my notes, it's always a very anticlimactic reaction from them :) Like "wait, that's it?"
this video was so helpful :))
Thank you for making this video!! Can you please make one discussing life right after grad school or the path you took right after grad school? ☺️☺️
I have a video covering being a postdoc ruclips.net/video/Gr_9uQrewMA/видео.html Not sure if that's what you meant, or if you're wondering about some other aspect of life after grad school?
@@PrivatePracticeSkills So amazing! Thank you! I've been stressing over after grad school finding something career-wise to get me started. I just recently subscribed to you & am just starting to binge on your videos!
This was very helpful and makes me feel so much better about how sessions go. 😂
“Reading a good book” and it’s the DSM. LOL.
so helpful
I love this video
I’m so excited for my future
The bathroom run is so me! Lol omg 😆
Now I see why I had such bad experiences with therapists in the past if that's what they expect..Coffee with a friend? really? The whole point of going to see a therapist is getting professional help when you're struggling in life. I've tried so many therapists and they made me feel even worse! Worthless, Like I wasn't even worth their time. I was falling apart and suffering and they didn't say anything to help me. I remember them all being so cold and heartless. I had such terrible experiences so I finally gave up on therapy and never got the help I needed. Knowing how many bad therapists are out there that just want easy money makes me want to become a therapist because I genuinely want to help people so they don't have to suffer and struggle their whole life the way I did.
I agree I feel they just look at you, and stare waiting for you to say something else, that’s not helpful, what is therapy for?
This is like 99.9% accurate haha. I used to think I'd be all chill and zen at work especially in between appts, but I find myself running to the restroom because of back to back appts! Also, only 1 client in my career so far came in lying down on the sofa while talking to me. No crying though. Everyone else sat down on the sofa. I think one thing I didn't realize is that what working as a therapist is like depends on the work setting. At least in private practice, I can schedule my own breaks and balance my schedule. I've worked in settings where it's just back and back appts, force booking, working over time, doing case mgt, having to go out in the field, doing social work that is not really what I went to school for, etc. Oh I also didn't think of doing teletherapy back then and I'm doing that 100% of the time now.
brilliant
Loved your inclusion of laughter!!!
It truly is a significant part of therapy!
Nice video 👍
Lol this is cracking me up - funny cause it's true!
Have you done any videos on billing and insurance for pp. I do appreciate your videos 🙏🏾
Love you
I’ve had teen clients ask what I do. Bathroom, stretch, chug coffee, scarf down a snack. Lol. It’s very glamorous. Lol
Funny and so true.
Very helpful and accurate. Watching this video made me feel normal again haha Gojng into therapy thinking it was all about the client, but there’s a lot of paper work, trainings and insurance work that gets done besides seeing clients.
Really great to have a look at the practice from the therapists point of view. :)
And the editing on this video must have taken forever. It's so polished.
You're too kind! It takes a little bit longer than when I'm just talking at the camera, but not too much longer. These are fun to make too!
I so appreciate this video. It made me laugh remembering the differences between my expectations and what I was actually experiencing. When I was a resident in a group practice I experienced so much anxiety because I thought these things were only happening to me. I stuck with it and love private practice and encourage anyone to pursue this career.
I'm glad it all worked out in the end! :)
ayooooooo this video made me LAUGH so hard lol. love it
I’m a COTA and I’d like to do trauma therapy. What is the easiest way to start this journey?
hello, how do you become a therapist, can you become one without going to uni?
I'm not a therapist but a fan of your channel and just a curious mind! I knew you took notes but honestly I thought you guys doodled lol no joke!
But The whole laying down on the couch that's how I saw therapy 😆😅🤣yep and whole well my mom......my childhood started like.......while crying! And crying lying down isn't fun or comfortable!
Did you apply to your PsyD program after your junior year of undergrad or once you completed your bachelors degree
I'm 43 and i could probably retire are be semi retired and work part time. Or go back to school and rack up huge debts; like $70,000+ to become a therapist, plus the money lost not working. I'm debating if its worth it. Do i want to have a debt accruing interest that may take me until my mid or late 50s to pay off? I have one of the toughest decisions of my life here to deal with.
Hi! I just found your channel. I have a question. Do you actually use the techniques you were taught in grad school like CBT or do you have your own eclectic approach to therapy? I am thinking about going back to school to become a therapist but I am very spiritual and i feel like I would find myself struggling between wanting to give worldly advice and wanting to share spiritual insight. Are you allowed to share personal experiences so your clients can better relate to you or is that considered inappropriate? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Therapists can use self- disclosure if it's for the benefit of the client. It should be limited and to the point. I works definitely not be connecting as much with my therapist if he didn't occasionally tell me relevant stuff from his life.
OK it is crazy the similarities between my life as an outpatient dietitian and being a therapist :D
I’m starting to second guess education all together now… I understand it needs to be challenging but I doubt people actually retain readings they skim over. What’s the point?
Y’all I need help. It’s about anxiety. I am going in to 7th grade and I am only 11 but turning 12 in September. I am also new. I’m thinking about so much stuff like I won’t get my period when everyone else does, I will get braces 3rd year of college, I won’t be able to drive until 3rd year of college, and generally getting made fun of. I’m so nervous and scared, can someone try to make me feel better?
Short pee break I definitely didn't think about🤣 we do 55 min sessions...
LOL reading the DMS during our down time 😂
As funny as it sounds, sometimes you have to, if you need to check something about the client's symptoms - it's a part of preparing for the sessions. I do that because remembering things from DSM-V or ICD-10 is not so simple - there is no way you could memorize the content very well. :)
So true! But it's definitely not something I leisurely pull off the shelf in a state of boredom ;)
@@PrivatePracticeSkills exactly!!
very accurate, hehe
LOL reading the DSM-5
Grad school and agency work reality was 100% accurate lol
Unless you work with a bpd patients they will take you for an emotional rollercoaster ride .. Agency work is a tough. I don't know about anyone else but I really don't like cassi/locust scores.
Very accurate! lol
:)
Can i ask how much you make? I'm debating between getting my masters vs. my psyd and don't know if it is worth it.
She made a video about how she should have gotten her masters
lol.. you'd be super fun to have as a therapist :)
3:30 Being in Private Practice, can't you set your own schedule? I'd imagine you wouldn't have to schedule clients so closely together....
Funny stuff.
God you're so beautiful!
Thanks for the video
Thanks for this, it put me right off ! 🤣😂🤣
I imagine myself smoking a cigar pipe and listening patiently to others lol
Lost me at Reading a bunch of books every week😭
Lots of non- billable hours lol
hahahah LOL
The bathroom part!! So true!! 😂
If I'm ever having trouble ending a session on time, my mind is usually thinking about the bathroom and it gives me motivation to set that boundary and come to a close. Especially while pregnant :)