Am I Doing Therapy Right?

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I wrote a post with this title back in 2015. Click here for the original post. In 2015, I had been in the field for 5 years. Now in 2020, it’s been 10 years. And guess what? I still think “am I doing therapy right?” ALL THE TIME. I think some of it has to do with the fact that when you’re school based, you aren’t really able to specialize in one area. We have to take whatever comes at us and if we’re not knowledgeable in an area, we have to quickly become more knowledgeable so that we can treat effectively.

I also think that graduate school doesn’t fully prepare us for the broad spectrum of what is technically within our scope of practice. The saying “jack of all trades, master of none” comes to mind often.

I can confidently say that I feel much more comfortable evaluating, treating, writing reports and IEPs, collaborating with other professionals, and talking to parents. All of that just comes with time. Do I still get nervous for some meetings? Yes. Do I still sometimes think “am I really qualified to answer that question?” Yes. Do I still seek out research and consult with other SLPs when a student or issue has me stumped? Yes.

I say all this so that if you’re in your first couple of years in the field and overwhelmed, know that it does get better. Not everything of course, but you develop your own style as a clinician and you become more confident in yourself. I still very much call my SLP friends to say, “HELP ME!” And no one other than your SLP friends will truly understand our jobs! So find a few that you connect with and trust, and roll with the rest of it.