The anxiety is real!! Will I ever get a handle on it? After a few weeks in practicum, I am still trying to figure out if I sound like a therapist (whatever that means) or a nervous nellie? Finding your ‘therapist voice” is like trying to find the right outfit to the party where the dress codes vary from hour to hour. No one prepares you for the existential voices that you experience during those first few weeks of practicum such as: Do I sound like a clinical robot straight out of a textbook? Maybe more like a sleepy yoga instructor with a lemongrass candle offering organic tea? Or perhaps an overly empathetic drama major auditioning for “The Pitt: Therapist Edition”? As noted many times from my supervisor, Therapy is a relationship, not a performance. So, at times, I will need to remind myself to just show up as me – a curious, warm, and at times, a little awkward practicum student, spiralling over the therapist voices, and just relax. You will find your groove and channel your inner vibes.
