In therapy while in grad school?

[KillerDiller]

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What's with this idea about "infringing" on someone's health decisions? No one forced you to go to grad school. If you don't like being required to do therapy time, you don't have to go to grad school for clinical psychology.

As an aside, this is probably unfair to say, but it's a little strange to see how a bunch of aspiring clinical psychologists can be so dead-set against therapy....

Who said anything about being against therapy? Of course I'm not against therapy. I even said that I have elected to enter into therapy. But I do think that my decision to go to grad school should not have anything to do with being compelled to be in treatment.

 

[ClinPsycMasters]

As an aside, this is probably unfair to say, but it's a little strange to see how a bunch of aspiring clinical psychologists can be so dead-set against therapy....

I think you are misunderstanding this. Nobody's "dead-set against therapy," at least not in this thread. I have undergone therapy myself and found it useful. The point is you should undergo therapy if you are dealing with a serious mental illness or unresolved issues that are likely to affect your work with patients in a negative manner. You should not, however, be forced to undergo therapy just because you want to be a therapist. As long as you are self-aware and mindful, and complete the required courses and clinical practicum in a satisfactory manner, I don't see why you would not be permitted to do therapy.

 

[DrGero]

I think you are misunderstanding this. Nobody's "dead-set against therapy," at least not in this thread.

Fair enough, and like I said, I was probably taking a bit of a cheap shot there.

I have undergone therapy myself and found it useful. The point is you should undergo therapy if you are dealing with a serious mental illness or unresolved issues that are likely to affect your work with patients in a negative manner.

Isn't that a good reason for any therapist (or any person who sees patients of any kind) to go into therapy? No argument there (but I don't think that's the only reason).

You should not, however, be forced to undergo therapy just because you want to be a therapist.

Right, and that's where I guess I disagree. And I think the word "forced" is a bit inappropriate here. "Force" implies coercion. In this case, it's a requirement imposed on students as a condition of getting a degree - of which, as we know, there are a myriad of requirements. Saying I was "forced" to be in therapy as a doctoral student makes as much sense as saying I was "forced" to do a dissertation - I wasn't "forced," I knew it was part of the deal, going in.

As long as you are self-aware and mindful, and complete the required courses and clinical practicum in a satisfactory manner, I don't see why you would not be permitted to do therapy.

Obviously, it's a difference of philosophy. I think I put such a high premium on encouraging in psychotherapists the fostering the development of empathy and humility (as well as the development of professional models through the therapeutic relationship, among other things) that I am comfortable with requiring this of clinicians in training.

Yes, I know that requiring this of trainees won't guarantee that they all will all benefit from it. But personally, I think the benefits of such a requirement outweighs the costs. Just my bias.

 

[ClinPsycMasters]

DrGero: Though I disagree, I respect your opinion and feel that your view has much merit.

 

[BSWdavid]

*Note, please don't take offense to anything I am about to say or imply. I am certainly not an expert on the topic, therefor, these are only experiences and not necessarily opinions.

I think it all boils down to how you view therapy, or what the end result of therapy is. It makes sense that programs that view therapy as strictly a treatment for mental disorders would not look favorably upon an applicant who is in therapy. If you are choosing between a seemingly mentally sound individual and a potentially mentally unstable person, who would you pick?

Now, I am not saying this is my belief. In fact, I see at as just the opposite. My point is that how you define therapy will influence your perception of individuals receiving such services. Remember, psychology is not analogous with therapy. There are many psychologists that aren't interested in this line of work.

I think that psychodynamically oriented programs tend to require, or at least encourage therapy more than others. I believe this has to do with their definition of therapy. Psychodynamic therapists believe that therapy is the process of internal growth and the development of wisdom, while CBT therapists tend to focus specifically on symptom relief. Therefore, CBT oriented programs might become concerned about someone in therapy as they may worry the person is dealing with symptoms that may jeopardize their success in the program, while psychodynamic programs tend to agree that inner growth is a natural process that all require. In other words, CBT practitioners view therapy as the process of restoring well-being while psychodynamic practitioners view it as the process of developing well-being. One restores the value by fixing what's broken while the other adds to the value by refining what is already working.

 

[ClinPsycMasters]

BSWdavid: you are aware that people can develop issues during or even after grad school too, right? So even if a certain therapist did undergo two years of therapy, there is no guarantee that he is now in perfect shape or that he will continue to be so.

Nor is "developing well-being" is well defined. Reaching your potential and that sort of thing will probably require therapy for many many years on and off, depending on your particular theoretical background.

I really love how you differentiated cognitive/behavioral oriented programs from psychodynamic programs in terms of their therapeutic requirements and I never thought of it like that.

 

[BSWdavid]

BSWdavid: you are aware that people can develop issues during or even after grad school too, right? So even if a certain therapist did undergo two years of therapy, there is no guarantee that he is now in perfect shape or that he will continue to be so.

Nor is "developing well-being" is well defined. Reaching your potential and that sort of thing will probably require therapy for many many years on and off, depending on your particular theoretical background.

I really love how you differentiated cognitive/behavioral oriented programs from psychodynamic programs in terms of their therapeutic requirements and I never thought of it like that.

I in no way meant to infer that a person would be perfect when they complete therapy. And yes, you are correct, that reaching your potential, etc. would take quite a bit of time. The only point I was trying to make is that how one defines the purpose of therapy may influence how they view people that seek out such services. If you tend to believe therapy is for persons with deficits, than you might not look upon that person favorably. Similarly, if you believe that therapy is intended to help people develop insight and growth, than you might view individuals in therapy as ahead of the curve. As I said, it all depends on your viewpoint.

Personally, I believe that we all need therapy. Life is quite stressful, and having a professional to help you make sense out of it all, well, makes sense! I don't believe that symptoms are deficits that need to be fixed. As I see it, symptoms are only byproducts of inner confusion and turmoil that we all experience at different periods in our life.

 

[ClinPsycMasters]

Personally, I believe that we all need therapy. Life is quite stressful, and having a professional to help you make sense out of it all, well, makes sense! I don't believe that symptoms are deficits that need to be fixed. As I see it, symptoms are only byproducts of inner confusion and turmoil that we all experience at different periods in our life.

Life can be very stressful, and yes, I agree that therapy can be helpful for many people. However, I believe that religion/spirituality, social/cultural traditions, love, play, friendship...can also "heal" us.

I feel uneasy saying everybody "needs" therapy. I don't want to sell the idea of therapy to anybody. I like to provide it as an option. Throughout history people have dealt with matters of the heart (and the mind) in many many different ways and I like to respect that.

I might be able to help someone deal with current work problems using CBT; We may go deeper and find childhood issues behind some of the person's current anxiety and address that using some type of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Assuming we're successful, the person may now come face to face with nihilism of his life, trying to make sense of his life and mortality. I may not be able to help him. He may find meaning and peace of mind in religion or philosophy or literature/arts. He could find it in his society and culture, in his immediate family, or even in his job. There is a miraculous side to healing. It can come from the most unexpected places. I offer what I have but people can be tremendously resourceful. I learn from them.

 

[PsychGraduate]

It really isn't any different because whether or not a patient is being seen for individual or assessment, they still present with the same symptoms/behaviors. Someone with borderline personality disorder who is acting out can kick up the same counter-transference issues whether they are in therapy or taking a WAIS-IV. A good portion of my assessment work in the main hospital is for suicidal/homicidal/dangerous behaviors.

If I'm doing a neuro assessment to assess for ALZ, and I have not yet addressed my issues with putting one of my parents into a home because of ALZ*, it could actually be WORSE for me because I have to watch as the person across the table continues to struggle and fail everything I put in front of them. The same can be said for someone who has to do a competency hearing for a suspected rapist/murderer, and they still have not worked through their personal issus with our correctional system.

I am a big supporter of everyone in this profession having an outlet for their "stuff". Some people find that in hobbies, others find it in religion, and others have their own therapists to help them deal with day to day stress.

*Not a true event, but my point still holds.

Very well put. It is very important that the individual clinician has ways to face, cope with, and resolve as feasible their own issues and having an outlet can make all the difference.