On Becoming a Therapist: Growth, Doubt & Human Connection

IN THIS EPISODE:

Through a candid, unscripted conversation, two associate therapists explore what it really feels like to step into the role of healer while still learning how to hold space for themselves. Liam and Sarah reflect on their paths into therapy, the tension between confidence and self-doubt, and how the therapeutic relationship transforms both client and clinician.

TOPICS:

becoming a therapist, early-career therapy, therapist vulnerability, relational therapy, self-doubt, impostor syndrome, authenticity, capitalism & mental health, therapeutic relationship

SUMMARY:

In this episode, Liam and Sarah—two associate therapists early in their clinical journeys—sit down for an honest conversation about what it's really like to become a therapist. They unpack their own winding paths into the mental health field, from political organizing and museum gift shopsto EMDR and case management.

Sarah shares how growing up in deep one-on-one conversations shaped her sense of belonging and guided her toward therapy—even as fear and self-doubt made herquestion whether she was “cut out for it.” Liam reflects on his resistance to traditional work structures, and how therapy offered not just a career path, but a relational home—one built on authenticity, curiosity, and mutual care.

Together, they challenge productivity-based models of mental health that treat therapy as something to be “fixed.” Instead, they advocate for therapy as a slow, relational unfolding—one where connection, not just coping skills, becomes the vehicle for change.

Whether you’re a fellow clinician, someone considering a mental health career, or a client wondering what goes on behind the scenes, this conversation offers a rare window into the inner worlds of two therapists still becoming.

KEY QUOTES:

• "I realized that while my therapist was helping me, I was helping her—just by being in that relationship." — Liam

• "It’s not like I woke up one day and said, 'This is what I'm meant to do.' It took a lot of hard conversations and reflection." — Sarah

• "You go to someone and tell them you’re feeling awful, and they hand you a worksheet? That’s not therapy. That’s capitalism." — Liam

• "People aren’t coming to be fixed. They’re coming to be felt with." — Sarah

• "There’s wisdom in everybody at every age, if we’re willing to be real with each other." — Liam

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Therapists are always becoming. The work requires constant self-reflection, vulnerability, and a willingness to grow.

• The therapeutic relationship is not one-directional.Clients often help their therapists evolve, too.

• Quick fixes don’t work. The deeper healing happens overtime, through connection and presence—not productivity hacks.

• New therapists often struggle with doubt. Community, mentorship, and honest conversations help keep us grounded.

• Being a therapist means being human. It's not about having the answers—it's about being willing to sit in the unknown with someone else.

This episode is bringing you to the Decolonizing Therapy podcast, From Root to Bone.

From Root To Bone is the podcast for people who are parched, poised and primed to rehydrate our souls and do some unlearning. Dr. Jenn unlocks the gates and has real ass conversations with elders, teachers and her intellectual crushes, folks doing the real ass work towards reclaiming the juiciest parts of our ancestry, history, collective health and liberation.