You gotta start somewhere, right? Even the most prestigious therapist started as an intern - learning therapeutic techniques and growing alongside their clients. You should always make an informed decision when choosing a therapist and yes, as with any decision, there are disadvantages to having an intern. To keep you informed - we’ll discuss the hidden advantages of seeing an intern for therapy here.
Motivation
There is no therapist, I repeat, no therapist who has more motivation, time, and energy to throw at your case than an intern. Finally getting to practice everything they’ve learned after years of education is both scary and exciting. If something’s not working, you better believe the intern will work to find something that will. And because interns typically have smaller caseloads, there is more time to treatment plan and prepare for sessions.
Help-Seeking with Enthusiasm
Interns must be supervised by an experienced therapist for at least one hour per week. This means interns have access to highly skilled therapists (and often a network of highly skilled therapists when working in a group practice) who are teaching modalities and techniques that are specific to your case. An intern grows by asking questions and soaking up any knowledge they can get while practicing. Sometimes you may find that a more experienced therapist doesn’t consult with anyone to better their treatment on a case or isn’t willing to ask for help when needed.
Modern Mindest and Evidence-Based Practices
Interns are learning about evidence-based practices in their educational courses and with their supervisors during their internship. This means they provide treatment backed by data and research proven effective. With concurrent learning, interns are encouraged to keep up with modern-day stressors and evolve, like how social media changed the mental health landscape or COVID birthed greater access to virtual therapy. Some seasoned therapists are operating in traditional therapeutic modalities that may not work for everyone in the present day.
Current Availability
One of the benefits to working with an intern is that you can get started right away. As you may already know if you've been searching, almost every therapist is fully booked with a wait list. An intern has immediate availability and if you’re looking for support right now, you can expect to receive services in the next week or two – not in an undetermined number of months from now.
It’s Incredibly Affordable
Interns are a driving force in making therapy accessible to all people. From very low session rates down to free, choosing an intern therapist can keep money in your pocket, with little downside. Looking to see a therapist in a group practice, but they are full? Try your hat with the intern. Most of the time they are learning from the therapist you were hoping to see anyways!
Whether you choose an intern therapist or not - the choice to start therapy at all is your first win. And always remember - you’re not married to your therapist. If it’s not working, talk to them to see if changes can be made in your sessions or move along to a new therapist. Intern or experienced, not every therapist will be the perfect fit for you and we encourage you to keep looking until it feels right. Want to get started with therapy? Open to seeing our intern? Connect with us today!
