Is it ok to talk about therapy in interviews?

[lia792]

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So, I have kind of an awkward situation. The professor I want to work with happens to be someone my therapist knows. I don't know if I should just avoid the topic during the interview or how it will come across if I talk about it. Also, any ideas how having been in therapy as an undergrad will come across to interviewers? I obviously have to tell the truth, but what if it comes up? Have any of you been asked about that?

 

[mpino]

I have heard it isnt wise to mention your prior therapy experience or previos mental health. i could be wronmg through.

 

[HonieButterfly]

I dont think you should mention it. Im not exactly sure of your purpose of mentioning. Its really none of his business. The only reason why I think it would be okay to mention if you currently having mental health concerns and these may or will arise while your a grad student which may affect your performance. So bottom line if you dont have no concerns that will affect your performance as a grad student at the school then why even mention it. If so then maybe you should so you know they will give you the support you need. Hope this helps.

 

[smrt_n_frndly]

So, I have kind of an awkward situation. The professor I want to work with happens to be someone my therapist knows. I don't know if I should just avoid the topic during the interview or how it will come across if I talk about it. Also, any ideas how having been in therapy as an undergrad will come across to interviewers? I obviously have to tell the truth, but what if it comes up? Have any of you been asked about that?

I agree. Its a bit an ironic situation since the field you are entering promotes getting help for mental health issues, but avoid giving them any information about yourself that could mark you as unstable or overly emotional (even if you aren't). I think its ok to talk about the benefits you think therapy gives but do not say it is from personal experience unless there is a reason like bereavment, which is more socially acceptable (again, ironic, I know). And I have never been asked that question in an interview, nor have I volunteered it. Goodluck!

 

[lazure]

Don't bring it up. If you are directly queried about your personal therapy experience, re-consider the program and potential supervisor.

 

[butterfli73]

I actually interviewed last weekend at a mostly psychodynamic program. My mentor was also trained with a psychodynamic orientation, and he told me to be prepared to talk about possible personal questions, including therapy, so I was expecting to be asked about it.

And I was. The prof asked me if I had ever been in therapy and what I thought about it. I had rehearsed what I would say with my mentor and that is what I said. My mentor told me not to talk about anything too serious or major reasons, as that would not help much, but one thing I did say was I wanted to experience therapy because I want to go into it and I thought it was important to experience it for myself. I also talked about it in a very light way, like I wanted to understand myself a bit better. If you are asked this, at least according to my mentor this is a good way to answer. He also asked me other personal questions about my life and my childhood, but nothing I felt uncomfortable sharing. I think depending on the orientation of the program you might expect this, specifically with a psychodynamic one.

I personally was not upset by being asked this because I was expecting it. I kinda think that since we are going into psychology we will be asked more personal questions than any other field, so that they can get a good handle on whether we would make good psychologists. Also I think if they see that you are uncomfortable sharing about yourself, this won't look good either. I hope this helps anyone thinking about this possibility.

 

[lazure]

I actually interviewed last weekend at a mostly psychodynamic program. My mentor was also trained with a psychodynamic orientation, and he told me to be prepared to talk about possible personal questions, including therapy, so I was expecting to be asked about it.

Precisely why I avoided psychodynamic programs. I believe that there should boundaries between students and faculty and I resent profs who cross that line (and many do in supervision in non-psychodynamic programs). But to each his own.

 

[SaraL124]

I would not mention your therapy and if your interviewer asks about whether you know the mutual contact (your therapist) I would tell him or her that you know them in a professional way. This is not a lie, and it would be against the APA code of ethics for your therapist to verify or deny that information. So, you have a win-win situation.

 

[kea2115]

I know this post if 5 years old (wow!) but I am so, so surprised about the stigma surrounding the personal therapy of psychologists-in-training! I am Literally floored. Ugh, how can we promote our field to the laypeople of America and try to make it less taboo, when those in our field are trying to conceal its existence? Especially when therapy helps us as therapists recognize our blindspots that can potentially harm our clients.

We've come so far in the past few decades, but still have great strides to make....

 

[erg923]

I know this post if 5 years old (wow!) but I am so, so surprised about the stigma surrounding the personal therapy of psychologists-in-training! I am Literally floored. Ugh, how can we promote our field to the laypeople of America and try to make it less taboo, when those in our field are trying to conceal its existence? Especially when therapy helps us as therapists recognize our blindspots that can potentially harm our clients.

We've come so far in the past few decades, but still have great strides to make....

I think its due to the simple reason that it suggests the possibility that a person has issues that could compromise his/her ability to either: 1.) deal with the intense stress and workload inherent in pursuing doctoral education (attrition costs a program money) 2.) work appropriately and/or keep appropriate professional boundaries with patients (eg., disclosing or working through their own issues via their own patients).

Although none of these are rule-outs for being a clinician, one must be careful that they have mastered most of their own pathologies before taking this route. Otherwise, the above are certainly possible. Like it or not, there are certain careers in which serious mental illness is certainly contraindicated (military, law enforcement, brain surgeon).

 

[psychmama]

I know this post if 5 years old (wow!) but I am so, so surprised about the stigma surrounding the personal therapy of psychologists-in-training! I am Literally floored. Ugh, how can we promote our field to the laypeople of America and try to make it less taboo, when those in our field are trying to conceal its existence? Especially when therapy helps us as therapists recognize our blindspots that can potentially harm our clients.

We've come so far in the past few decades, but still have great strides to make....

Agreed. The unfortunate fact is that even mental health professions have complex and ambivalent feelings about whether it's "okay" to have mental illness or even significant "problems in living." We talk the talk but walking the walk is another thing. Also, bear in mind that adcoms are primarily composed of academics, not therapists, so there's an inherent bias at work that likely affects how talking about one's own therapy will be viewed. Of course, there are many exceptions. Lots of psychologists value one's own personal therapy and do not hold it against applicants. The problem is, do you want to take that gamble when applying to grad school and have it adversely affect your chances of admission?😕

 

[Ollie123]

In my experiences, I think there are actually relatively few faculty members that have a "problem" with someone seeking therapy. My program is quite understanding about it, has arranged with a number of local practitioners willing to provide current students with "discounted" therapy, etc. I know friends in other programs who have said the same thing. That said, I think someone bringing it up during an interview would still set off all kinds of alarms.

I think it is more a question of the student's professionalism, understanding of boundaries, motivation for entering the field, etc. Faculty are aware that students have a sex life as well and I doubt any object (aside from the fact that it takes time away from the lab!), but that doesn't mean the graduate school interview is an appropriate forum to bring it up.

 

[psychmama]

I think it is more a question of the student's professionalism, understanding of boundaries, motivation for entering the field, etc. Faculty are aware that students have a sex life as well and I doubt any object (aside from the fact that it takes time away from the lab!), but that doesn't mean the graduate school interview is an appropriate forum to bring it up.

Good point Ollie about the importance of understanding boundaries. There are probably ways to talk about one's therapy experience in a job interview that don't raise red flags, but this is a tricky line to walk when you know so little about your audience and they know very little about you. Probably not worth the risk to raise it in this context, IMHO.

 

[kea2115]

Agreed, agreed. I do admit that there are certainly boundaries that could potentially be crossed if bringing this topic up on your own, especially if gone into extensive detail, etc., etc. I suppose the way I was looking at it was through recent experience. I was at an interview where two applicants were asked by the (same) professor whether or not they have been in therapy themselves and what their experience was like. Additionally, I was at a school where the same topic was brought up in a group interview in terms of self-care and becoming self-aware, etc.

But, I did apply to counseling programs, so that may be a major difference there. From MY experience, I have noticed that those in the clinical field typically look at therapy and presenting "problems" through a pathological lens, whereas those in counseling typically look at them through a developmental lens. (Yes, I know this is not the absolute case 100% of the time, but that is what I have noticed in my own life. Not looking to spark debate 😉)

 

[psychmama]

^ Yeah, I think I got asked by one or two admissions interviewers about whether I'd been in therapy, and in that context I think it's a signal that they'd like you to talk about this. And I agree that counseling programs may do less pathologizing of counseling than clinical psychology does. The line between these two perspectives is so blurry. Many people go to therapy to understand themselves better or address "problems in living", yet insurance reimbursement requires as DSM code so they're assigned something like "anxiety disorder NOS", "GAD" or "Dysthymic Disorder." This may not really capture why the client is in treatment.

 

[psydtobe]

i would think about what is your intention to reveal the relationship. just because the therapist knows you, its not a relationship of advantage. by this i mean they are your therapist, not a professor who could perhaps give an excellent recommendation.

 

[psychmama]

i would think about what is your intention to reveal the relationship. just because the therapist knows you, its not a relationship of advantage. by this i mean they are your therapist, not a professor who could perhaps give an excellent recommendation.

I don't think one would be asked because it's a relationship of advantage. More that some schools value students training in therapy to have had their own experience of therapy. This varies a lot across programs, depending on the culture of the school.