Family Service Learning Reflection

Over the course of this semester, I have gone from having no clinical experience to having over 90 direct client service hours. At Family Service Association, I have encountered many clients and heard about many more in supervision. I have attended many trainings and was able to sit in on sessions with other therapists. Over the semester, I have gained a lot of useful experience and learned a plethora of valuable information.
One thing I learned over the semester was how to relax in session. When I first started seeing clients I was so anxious that it was hard for me to keep my head in the moment and to give the client my attention. I was also so focused on getting through all of the intake questions that I failed to slow down and connect …show more content…
However I was not happy with the sessions I was doing with mainly humanistic approaches because I did not feel that any progress was being made. It seemed in these sessions that the client would just vent and we would go in circles. This was the turning point where I took more time to explain the CBT therapeutic process that we would be using and the evidence behind it early in therapy, and then I would extend the check in portion of the session as needed so the client would feel heard and validated, while still shifting their focus over to the session plan.
The most important thing I learned over the semester was to trust myself more. I went into this semester scared and nervous and I carried my self-doubt all the way until my case presentation. I had tried to get a peer to look over my presentation as well as a third year because I was so sure that I would do poorly on the assignment. When I got feedback on the case I realized that although consulting about clients and adjusting therapeutic methods helped, I needed to trust in my training and in myself. I learned that I am capable of being a therapist and I need to relax and focus on doing the best I