When looking for a mental health professional to help you navigate the trials and tribulations of your life, someone with whom you plan to share some pretty vulnerable stuff, it’s understandable why you might want a provider with a lot of experience. This is your life we’re talking about, after all! So it stands to reason that working with a brand new therapist might seem like a dubious proposition. Will they actually know what they’re doing? Are you basically a guinea pig for them to practice on?
While we certainly want you to feel comfortable with and confident in your therapist’s ability to help you, there are a few benefits to seeing a pre-licensed or intern clinician that you may not have thought about (or are not aware of). Here are just a few of them:
Two therapists for the price of one
All interns and pre-licensed therapists meet weekly with experienced, licensed clinicians who have formal training in supervising new therapists. Unlike licensed clinicians, pre-licensed therapists are directly accountable to their supervisor for ensuring they are providing evidence-based care tailored to each client in their caseload. This means your therapist will be talking about your situation with an experienced clinician regularly, putting their heads together to come up with effective interventions to help you reach your therapy goals. In other words, you get two therapists helping you instead of one.
Smaller caseloads, more time
Interns and pre-licensed clinicians typically have much smaller caseloads than licensed therapists, in order to ensure that they are able to take the time they need to carefully think through and prepare for each session – for example, gathering helpful handouts, doing a quick consult with a more experienced clinician in their office, or paging through books to remind themselves how to approach a certain disorder or situation, and so forth. Even experienced clinicians may admit they miss their newbie days when they had that additional time to prepare for each and every individual client, couple or family.
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Curiosity comes easily
When you are new to the field of therapy, there’s a decent chance that most (if not all) clients show up with symptoms, experiences, and challenges that you have not encountered before. While this may initially strike you as a bad thing, the reality is that it can be easier for a therapist to stay curious while listening to someone tell their story when they haven’t already met with dozens or hundreds of clients who, on the surface at least, seem similar to this new client. A new therapist is unlikely to make any assumptions about your situation because they don’t have many other clients to compare you to. While it’s important to note that all therapists do their best to maintain that new-therapist curiosity, it can be easier to do so when you are, in fact, a new therapist. And by staying curious, your therapist is able to ensure that you feel heard and understood as a unique individual navigating your own unique journey through life.
Energy and enthusiasm
After going through several years of schooling, intern and pre-licensed therapists are excited to apply or continue building on the extensive education they have received. Interns also typically have training in the most recent approaches to the ever-evolving field of psychotherapy. With all of this knowledge fresh in their minds as they prepare to launch their new career, the energy they bring to the field is contagious and you will be able to sense their enthusiasm in each session.
Like the clients they work with, each therapist brings their own unique set of strengths to the work they do. Having an experienced therapist may be the right way to go for some clients, certainly, but pre-licensed clinicians bring with them their own valuable set of qualities and skills that make them worthy of consideration. If you are looking for a new therapist, reach out to our referrals team today to get matched with the right therapist for you.
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LynLake Centers for WellBeing provides therapy and counseling services. Begin your journey to healing and wellness by scheduling an appointment with us today.