7 Common Fears Of A Psychotherapist (and How To Manage Them)
The profession of therapist is as exciting as it is complex. Accompanying other people in their processes is challenging, since it is a path in which various obstacles may appear. This is why even the most experienced therapists can go through moments of doubt and difficulty.
Becoming a psychotherapist requires a long training path. To the study of the degree we must add the completion of a master’s degree and subsequent courses and training to stay updated. All of this seems to be insufficient for many professionals to feel truly confident in themselves. Most can deal with the permanent feeling of not being enough, of not being really qualified to do their job.
The truth is that clinical reality and all the complexity it entails cannot be captured in books. Therefore, there are many learnings that are achieved thanks to the experience itself.
On the path of learning it is natural for psychotherapists to feel fear. Beyond their qualifications, they are people with their own fears and insecurities, which can surface at certain times.
In this article we are going to talk about the most common fears that a psychotherapist may have and we will see tips on how to manage them.
7 common fears of a therapist (and how to manage them)
As we have been commenting, there are many therapists who feel insecure when they are practicing their profession. Carrying out a therapy process is complex, since various obstacles may appear along the way. That is why fears on the part of the professional are common, some of them being especially common. Next, we are going to discuss the most frequent fears that therapists feel and how it is possible to manage them.
1. Fear of going blank
A therapy session requires great doses of concentration. The professional must listen carefully to the patient and know what to say at all times. Although this dynamic becomes natural and easier with experience, there is always a certain fear of going blank. The psychologist may feel that he does not have an answer for what his client is transmitting to him. This can cause you to experience frustration and even make you feel like a bad professional. In these cases, the most important thing is to be authentic. As a psychotherapist you should not and cannot have an ideal answer for everything. Sometimes, you may not know what to say. When this happens, conveying that this is how it is to the other person naturally will help not make that moment problematic.
It is true that psychologists cannot know everything. For this reason, professionals usually specialize in certain areas, as this ensures quality service to their patients.
However, it is true that in some cases this fear is more related to a lack of self-confidence rather than an objective absence of knowledge. The fear of not being qualified is normal, although it often dissipates as the therapeutic process progresses.
In any case, if as a professional you feel this way and you notice that these sensations persist, the best thing you can do is refer to another professional. Referral should not be interpreted as abandoning the patient or a way of putting the death on someone else. Rather, referral should involve searching for a trusted professional who you know can help that person, in order to send them to said professional with certain guarantees.
3. Fear of making a mistake
If you set a goal of achieving total perfection, you will most likely end up frustrated and exhausted. The profession of psychologist is complicated and learning to function as a psychotherapist requires time, experience and patience. It is natural that you make mistakes even when you have been in this sector for many years. Instead of putting the emphasis on not making mistakes, it is preferable that you try to enjoy that learning process, making those stumbles a form of learning that serves you in the present and the future.
4. Fear of not being in tune with the patient
Beyond the techniques and work approach that best suits your style, an essential ingredient for therapy to follow a satisfactory path is the bond with the patient. The bond is what allows there to be a climate of trust, respect and harmony which allows you to have an adequate base to do the rest of the work.
Of course, it’s not always easy to bond with a patient. According to our own way of being and values, it is natural that we feel an immediate connection with some people, while with others getting to this point requires more work. However, professionalism as psychotherapists must make us be open people and capable of going beyond the superficial to connect with that patient.
Of course, in some situations it may be impossible for you to feel that connection with the patient. In this case, if he himself does not make the decision to leave, the most honest thing to do is for you to close this process and refer him to another professional. Psychologists cannot be absolutely neutral, we have our own style, criteria, values… which can make the relationship difficult in some cases. Sometimes the phenomenon of countertransference can occur, so that something in the person and their history stirs us and leads us to have biases in our professional performance.
5. Fear of feeling afraid
The curious thing is that many psychotherapists are afraid, precisely, of feeling afraid. Usually, society has an image of the psychologist in its mind as a neutral, distant, cold figure capable of keeping its emotions at bay.
However, nothing could be further from the truth. Psychotherapists are, above all, people. People who feel, who have their own life story, fears, doubts and passions. Reflecting that most personal part to the patient does not have to be synonymous with being a worse professional. In fact, appearing genuine and natural is much more beneficial for the therapeutic bond. When this fear appears, remember that feeling afraid is normal, whether you have been in this profession for years or have just started your career.
6. Fear of criticism
Starting to practice a profession like this is quite a challenge. When working in a team, this inevitably means exposing yourself to criticism. Accepting that others can offer us constructive criticism is essential, since it is thanks to them that we can identify and correct our possible errors. Of course, this does not imply malicious criticism that is presented in an unassertive or disrespectful manner.
7. Fear of not knowing how to separate work and personal life
The profession of psychologist is markedly vocational. People who engage in this work do so out of a genuine desire to help others. Generally, those who practice psychology possess certain qualities such as the ability to communicate or empathy.
Putting yourself in the patients’ shoes and understanding their pain is part of the job. However, it is important to know how to set limits to correctly separate work and personal life.
Some psychologists believe that by bringing their patients’ pain home they are better therapists. However, nothing could be further from the truth. A good therapist is not only one with great knowledge and vocation, he is also one who knows how to take care of himself and his own mental health.
In any other job the need to disconnect is evident. However, in caring professions like this it is easy to forget the importance of good boundaries. In this sense, it is key that from the beginning you can frame the conditions of the therapy with your patients. This way, people who ask for your help will know that you are not a robot available 24 hours a day.
Conclusions
In this article we have talked about common fears that therapists may experience, whether they are just starting out or have been in their profession for years.
Without a doubt, the profession of psychologist is complex and exciting in equal measure. Starting to practice in the field of psychotherapy requires, from the outset, an extensive training path with a degree, master’s degree and various specialization and continuing training courses. Despite everything they have learned, many professionals feel insecure in practice. They continually perceive that they are not enough, that they are not qualified to help, that they are going to make mistakes, etc. Generally, these fears are associated more with a lack of self-confidence than with the actual absence of knowledge. It is because of that Fears are common not only in new therapists, but also in those with more experience.
When working in the field of psychotherapy, professionals often express fear of remaining blank and not having an ideal response to what their patient says. They may also be afraid of not having enough knowledge, feeling afraid and vulnerable, receiving criticism, not being in tune with that patient, making a mistake or not being able to separate their professional and personal lives.
