so burned out in grad school

[IT514]

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I expect threads like this in August. Most of us are starting new externships and have to adjust to new supervisors, learning new assessment and therapy skills, etc. I think most of us are feeling this way right now, but I'm curious how that will change in a couple of months when we will have more ownership in what we're doing.

I really hated most of my last year, but looking back, it gave me so many skills I use to help people everyday that I would do it over again in a second. I loved my first externship, but I struggled through the first month or two, just like everyone else. Now in my advanced externship, I have a balance of referrals where some are over my head and I learn a lot from them, and some I can handle myself, which is fun.

What has kept me going is knowing that, each year, there is a normal trajectory from not knowing what I'm doing (no fun, life sucks) to being competent and able to help a patient in a way that no one else can (lots of fun, life is great).

 

[RayneeDeigh]

What makes the clinical PhD one of the most stressful is the fact that you are expected to juggle multiple unrelated jobs all at the same time and often on the same day. You are expected to be a researcher, student, teacher, therapist, and to do psychological assessments all at the same time and be competent at each. Many graduate programs expect you to just do well in your courses or focus 100% on publishing while clinical programs demand that you engage in all these tasks simultaneously. Its usually much more sane to focus on one thing at a time.

This is SO TRUE. The way I have managed my stress is to say "screw it" to my program's expectations and just focus on one thing at a time. Right now, it's research. Last year, I poured my heart into my clinical training. Yes it takes a little longer but it also feels much better.

 

[McClinas]

It seems that this thread on burnout has evolved into another conversation where people just complain about what's wrong with the field- how overly difficult and intensive clinical program are, how we're not getting enough prestige, not enough compensation, etc. I don't mean to belittle these concerns. They are very real and very important, especially for those who are trying to support a family. Nevertheless, think about why we're in this field in the first place. Aren't we all ultimately interested in understanding the mind and human behavior? Aren't us clinicians driven to this field b/c we have a kind, open, compassionate heart? Don't we genuinely want to help others and make the world a slightly better place? I know there is a lot of crap to muddle through, but at the heart of it, don't you find incredible meaning in this work? A previous poster said something about how when you graduate, all youre left with is a sheet of paper that says "licensed psychologist" and that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Is this really true? What about the skills you develop? Don't you think about things in a much more refined, clear way? Doesn't your graduate school experience broaden your horizons and illuminate corners of your world? I know that the work we do is deep and powerful, and that it has profound meaning that is beyond these superficialities; something about this field connects with most of us on a level that renders these matters of compensation and prestige to be fairly trivial. We see the way reality is and something in us leads us down this path. It's why some of us chose clinical psych over medical school. Would it be nice to make 200K a year out of school? Of course. But, there are more valuable things to pursue in this short, impermanent life. We'll that's what I think at least- reflect on your heart, maybe you'll agree with me too.

A question posed by the Buddha- "Why should I, who am subject to old age, disease, and death, seek that which is also subject to old age, disease, and death?"

 

[erg923]

I don't think Buddha had to worry about people who had less training in Buddhism taking Buddha's job. 😀

I do think clinical psych is a viable career and can be profitable, no doubt. But there is also little doubt that this profession is facing challenges that it has never encountered before and although we when some battles here and there, we seem to be losing overall ground on multiple fronts (financial/reimbursement, marketing, practice territory, overall respect and value in the healthcare industry). We also happen to have an an identity crisis on our hands that partly contributes to all these things...and certainly doesn't help them. Actually, we have had this identity crisis for decades, but it's just now starting to really bite us. I think one really has to beyond graduate school and outside the academic shelter/bubble to see this clearly.

 

[DrGachet]

RayneeDeigh, shouldn't your siggy say "behaviorists" instead of "psychologists"? 😉

 

[PsyDLICSW]

I think that's what's gotten me down about grad school the most--it IS like middle school--with even more scapegoating and hazing and bullying. Except this time, the teachers are in on it too.

I agree that my grad program is like middle school too. I am fortunate that the faculty in my program are not "cliquey" or bullies. But the other students in my cohort can be very "cliquey." Their behavior is also immature and unprofessional sometimes. They talk about other students behind their backs, make faces when certain students talk/discuss topics in class, etc. We have small cohorts in my program (7 people per cohort) and if someone does not like you or doesn't like you because they don't really know you and he/she is "in the clique" you are screwed because no one else will bother to get to know you and you will feel like you do not fit in. This is a perfect recipe for burnout.

 

[wuawua]

I agree that my grad program is like middle school too. I am fortunate that the faculty in my program are not "cliquey" or bullies. But the other students in my cohort are very caddy and "cliquey." Their behavior is also immature and unprofessional. They talk about other students behind their backs, make faces when certain students talk/discuss topics in class, etc. We have small cohorts in my program (7 to 10 people per cohort) and if someone does not like you and he/she is "in the clique" you are screwed because that person poisons the cohort against you and you end up feeling extremely isolated and unsupported. This is a perfect recipe for burnout.

This type of immaturity still happens in graduate school??

This thread has dampened my enthusiam in applying for clinical psych programs this year 🙁...can't decide if I want to go through with it anymore.

 

[Jeina]

This type of immaturity still happens in graduate school??

This thread has dampened my enthusiam in applying for clinical psych programs this year 🙁...can't decide if I want to go through with it anymore.

Don't be too discouraged! I definitely sensed that this type of immature behavior might be a problem at a few of the schools where I went to interview. However, from what I've seen so far (I'm only a first year), my program isn't like that at all. I think there are still good programs out there where students collaborate and support one another! 🙂

 

[PsyDLICSW]

This type of immaturity still happens in graduate school??

This thread has dampened my enthusiam in applying for clinical psych programs this year 🙁...can't decide if I want to go through with it anymore.

I don't want to discourage you from applying and achieveing what you want to acheive. Not all small cohorts are like this. I just happened to be unlucky. I also have a spouse in graduate school at another school far away (e.g. we have to jet set to see eachother), so that is another stressor for me. Not fitting in with the cohort wouldn't bother me so much if my spouse was around more often. Don't be discouraged about burnout. Like I said earlier, if you find yourself in a burnout situation in grad school, find something about the program you enjoy and focus on that. I love my clinical work. It makes being left out of/talked about by the cohort, my difficulty with research design and stats, my commuter marriage, and the lack of free time worth it for me.

I suggest that if you want to be a clinical psychologist, apply to programs and build your social and family support before you go. I have wonderful parents and in-laws that support me and my grad program. My spouse is as supportive as he can be from far away. Also having friends outside of psychology helps. Don't give up!

 

[wuawua]

Don't be too discouraged! I definitely sensed that this type of immature behavior might be a problem at a few of the schools where I went to interview. However, from what I've seen so far (I'm only a first year), my program isn't like that at all. I think there are still good programs out there where students collaborate and support one another! 🙂

I'm glad to hear that not every program has these problems. I think the thing I would hate the most is having to deal with collegues that I don't get along with everyday. Hopefully I will be able to spot this type of atomosphere when I go to the interviews like you did!

 

[wuawua]

I don't want to discourage you from applying and achieveing what you want to acheive. Not all small cohorts are "cliquey" and behave like they are in middle school. I just happened to be unlucky. I also have a spouse in graduate school at another school far away (e.g. we have to jet set to see eachother), so that is another stressor for me. The "cliquey" cohort wouldn't bother me so much if my spouse was around more often. Don't be discouraged about burnout. Like I said earlier, if you find yourself in a burnout situation in grad school, find something about the program you enjoy and focus on that. I love my clinical work. It makes being left out of/talked about by the cohort, my difficulty with research design and stats, my commuter marriage, and the lack of free time worth it for me.

Thanks for the reassurance! I will also have to be moving away from my partner when I go to grad school...I can't even imagine jetting across the country to see each other!

 

[Jeina]

I'm glad to hear that not every program has these problems. I think the thing I would hate the most is having to deal with collegues that I don't get along with everyday. Hopefully I will be able to spot this type of atomosphere when I go to the interviews like you did!

My recommendation for spotting possible tension is to watch the students carefully rather than just listening to their reports. Most will TELL you that they get along, but if you watch their actual interactions, you can get a sense of whether they genuinely like each other or are just "putting on a show", for lack of a better term. Good luck!

 

[Cobblestone]

My recommendation for spotting possible tension is to watch the students carefully rather than just listening to their reports. Most will TELL you that they get along, but if you watch their actual interactions, you can get a sense of whether they genuinely like each other or are just "putting on a show", for lack of a better term. Good luck!

I too noticed this at some of the schools where I interviewed. Also, pay attention to the way they interact with the applicants. Some students I saw were incredibly condescending and treated applicants like they were future competition. Not the kind of people that I would want to spend several years working alongside!

There are plenty of good stories to go along with all of the horror stories that you hear on this board. I happen like my school, and my cohort consists of some of the best people I have ever met. 👍