Defeating Imposter Syndrome as a Therapist
Therapists and Imposter Syndrome
Therapists are affected by imposter syndrome just like everyone else.
Whether that imposter syndrome is due to fear or limiting self-beliefs around their abilities to help their therapy clients or fear of seeming like they “don’t know enough,” many mental health professionals that enter private practice find it intimidating at times. Often, this stems from not receiving the proper business training to run a therapy business in graduate school and, as a result, lacking the necessary knowledge and experience to run a successful private practice.
Today, zynnyme goes over how to say goodbye to imposter syndrome as a therapist so you can take charge of your private practice with confidence. And remember, it’s okay to feel imposter syndrome as a therapist sometimes. That doesn’t mean you’re any less capable of thriving in private practice.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is a persistent doubt of your abilities that often leads to a fear you’ll be exposed as a fraud or “not good enough” at your job. It can even affect individuals with lots of accomplishments and years of success under their belt.
One therapist zynnyme helped in Business School for Therapists mentioned how imposter syndrome had her feeling “unsure of herself and her abilities and like she was pretending to be a therapist.” Fortunately, Business School for Therapists taught her how to say goodbye to imposter syndrome, how to build a therapist website, and ways to boost her confidence.
5 Ways Therapists Can Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Here are 5 ways you can overcome imposter syndrome as a therapist so you can build and/or grow your private practice with ease:
1. Create a List of Your Therapy Achievements
Take a day to build out your list of achievements (or “power file”) that contains all your wins, successes, and accomplishments as a therapist. It’s easy to focus on the losses and failures due to negativity bias, which is what you DON’T want to do.
As humans, we tend to focus on the negatives more than the positives, so remind yourself of all your success and accomplishments and put that list somewhere where you’ll see it every day! You can put it above your desk or save it as a note on your phone. You can even leave yourself a voice note that you listen to at the end of every week as a reminder.
Here are some ideas to include on this list of private practice achievements:
Ways you’ve impacted your therapy clients
Google reviews from therapy clients
Compliments you’ve received from therapy clients and other professionals in your field
What you admire about yourself as a therapist and a human being
Adversity and challenges you overcame to become a therapist
Your bachelor’s, master’s and/or PhD degree
Any expertise you have that you’re proud of
As you focus on your strengths as a therapist, you can then start to overcome some of your self-doubts, build your confidence, and remember how great of a therapist you are!
2. Remember the Power of Thoughts
It’s understandable why therapists feel imposter syndrome at times as the mental health field is complex and there might be an area where you don’t feel comfortable calling yourself an expert. When your self-doubt starts to come up, just remember that those thoughts aren’t you! Whatever you’re feeling about your abilities comes from the voice in your head and is often focused on perceived weaknesses instead of your admirable strengths.
Remember how powerful thoughts can be and try to redirect your thoughts when you realize self-doubt is coming up. If you can’t get out of this cycle, call a friend, family member, or someone who supports you for some insight.
3. Share Your Therapy Accomplishments
There’s something special that happens when you share your therapy accomplishments and wins with the important people in your life. Acknowledgment reminds us that we’re doing a good job and can surely boost confidence levels. Be sure to let your supportive friends, family members, and colleagues know when you’ve hit a new private practice milestone.
Praise may also remind that negative voice in your head that you’re good enough as you are and there are other people in your life who also feel the same about you.
4. Seek Out Additional Therapy Training
If your imposter syndrome stems from a lack of training, that’s okay! You can’t be an expert in everything right away, so seek out additional therapy training, including CE trainings, if you need to.
Be kind to yourself, and then find the training (or series of trainings) you need to show up as the therapist you want to be.
If you have a mentor, you can also ask for support in this way. Learn about their background and training and figure out which trainings helped them get to a place where they felt confident as a private practice owner.
5. Join a Supportive Community for Therapists
One of the best ways to kick imposter syndrome to the curb is by speaking with other therapists about their experiences with it and learning what they did to say goodbye to those feelings.
It’s also validating that other therapists have gone through what you’re currently going through and realized how capable they are over time.
If you’re looking for additional support as a private practice owner, be sure to check out our Business School for Therapists to learn how we can support your private practice journey.
