9 Things I've Learned After 7 Years of Being an ECP - Part 1
When I first became a student of professional psychology I had many ideas about how wonderful life would be as a licensed psychologist. I dreamed of the private practice life that churned along all on its own. Patients were drawn to me because of my good reputation and colleagues respected me. When I finally became licensed I learned that the transition to unsupervised life was not quite as easy as I had imagined. There was so much more to the ethical business and practice of psychology than I had been exposed to or taught. There were many times when I was grasping at straws trying to figure out how to make my dream of a functioning private practice a reality. I had many hard lessons to learn, which took time. I wish I would have had clear guidelines on how to proceed and things to keep in mind, but none of this was available to me. And even when others mentioned one point or the other, I don’t know that it really sank in until later. I now humbly offer you some of the things I’ve learned in the last 7 years of being licensed.
1. Get Involved (Even though you have no time)
The day came that I was able to leave the world of contracting for other groups and could finally dedicate myself fully to private practice. The dilemma I faced was that because of non-compete clauses I was forced to set up shop at quite a distance from where I had been working. Much of the value of any of the connections I had made was lost due to distance. I was missing a community of psychologists and felt incredibly isolated. I had no guidance and nothing to ground me. I had been a member of my state psychological association but was not really using my membership effectively. On a whim I volunteered to help with a particular project, despite not knowing anyone, and was immediately surrounded by senior psychologists who knew who was who and what was what. They took me under their wing -- thrilled that an ECP was interested in getting involved -- and my career, community and confidence have never been in a better place. I had been so busy working, trying to make ends meet, I never thought I would have time to get involved and yet I learned I didn’t have time to not get involved.
2. It’s Not About the Location
At several points in my career (internship, postdoc, jobs I’ve accepted, etc.) I chose to move places and work with populations that I never imagined would interest me. This was not easy for me. I really wrestled with these decisions but knew it would be good for me to pursue expanding my horizons and learning about things, places and people I didn’t know much about. Some of the time the decision was made for me. I was not offered the placement I thought I wanted and I had to take the options I had. I often felt like I was sacrificing or losing out on something. And yet later I learned that those tough choices ended up being the best experiences of my career. Not only did I learn about weighing what mattered to me but I also found that sometimes the things that sound so good really aren’t. For example, a friend of mine had gotten the placement I had thought I really wanted, in an exciting city, at a famous site, while I “had” to cart off to the tumbleweeds in Wyoming of all places. I later learned that she had been really disappointed by her experience there while I had found mine to be a tremendous learning and growing experience.
3. Consult
Being an ECP is challenging. You’re licensed. You’re certified to know what you’re doing, right? And yet it can be so overwhelming to suddenly be handed carte blanche. I found that getting involved in a consultation group, even if it’s just you and a colleague, helps tremendously. You get to bounce ideas off another professional. You get to vent about the challenges you’re facing. You start building a network; maybe you even make a friend. You learn about how another person or people handle tough cases. Your thinking and ability to conceptualize improve. It alleviates some anxiety about feeling like you don’t know what you’re doing or that you’re alone out there. And, should you run into a tough case you can document your consultation. There is no replacing consulting with a colleague.
4. Expand Your Horizons
This may mean joining a state association and getting involved in leadership -- which has been the most rewarding for me -- joining a consultation group, your local Chamber of Commerce, finding a group of diverse professions or a Newcomer’s Club in your home town (if you’ve never heard of a Newcomer’s Club I highly recommend you look it up online. These can be a great way to meet people in the same boat as you who plan fun activities). Regardless of what you choose, get your face out there. Meet people. It does not have to be purely on a professional level, it can be social (though I suggest you conduct yourself professionally). When you start to get more fully integrated in your neighborhood or in the town where you work it will eventually result in an enhanced working experience. I used to hate “networking.” It was so difficult “advertising” myself and what I do. Elevator speeches -- blech! I avoided it, thinking I could get by just by doing good work. I found out the hard way that that takes a lot longer than the alternative. When you put effort into getting to know others they get to know you. They will acutally think of you when their friend or colleague needs a therapist. A personal referral goes very far. And, of course like most things, it gets easier over time. Now I actually enjoy it. Meeting new colleagues for lunch gets me out of the office and some turn into friends. I just wish I would have started doing it sooner.
5. Get a Mid-Career Buddy or Mentor
I joined the council of my state association and volunteered for a couple of projects and several mid-career psychologists made themselves available to me. It’s been really amazing. I had been feeling so isolated and with just a little effort on my part I was rewarded incredibly. I cannot thank these people enough as they’ve been tremendous mentors, consultants and friends. They’ve helped me with difficult clients and they’ve supported me in my professional growth. They have introduced me to others and opportunities I would not have been able to get so early on in my career on my own. Now I am very integrated in the profession. I have gained a lot of confidence. And the cherry on this fine sundae is that they refer patients to me.
6. Go to Analysis
I know, I know. This one is going to ruffle a few feathers. I cannot emphasize enough the value of doing your own intensive insight-oriented therapy early on in your career. You learn about your psychological strengths and weaknesses, your blind spots. I walked into analysis during grad school thinking I was only following a professor’s recommendation to us all and that I would walk out a week later with a stamp of approval. It was mind-blowing how much I learned about myself in those few years (and even after I had left analysis). It will help to keep you out of a lot of trouble if you have first figured out who you are and your true unconscious motivations for becoming a psychologist. If you don’t think you can afford it ask if you can afford the alternative -- getting into a heap of trouble with a patient. A cheaper alternative would be to read Freud, starting with page 1 of Volume 1 and going through to the last page of Volume 23. It will take you some time, and it may not always be palatable but you will learn about human behavior, human psychology and yourself in the process in a way that is absolutely priceless. And if you’re squeamish about the terminology of ‘oral’, ‘anal’, ‘phallic’ and ‘oedipal’, well I suggest you rush off to therapy.
7. Be tough on the contract
I cannot emphasize this point enough. I twice made the mistake of believing that psychologists are good people through and through with the motivation to help others and thinking that they are not financially motivated. While this might be true some of the time or when they are with their patients, it is less often true when they are hiring you. Twice I began working for someone before they had given me the contract that they had promised would be very simple, basic and fair. What I found out was that a few months -- or a year -- into my work with them that the contract did not really look very mutually protective at all. In fact it looked rather one-sided, and not exactly in my favor. When I showed the contract to a lawyer friend and to a relative in the business world they were both blown away, telling me that this would never pass muster in their professional worlds. As you can imagine, at that point it was incredibly challenging negotiating with my employers as we both had too much to lose and it became rather unpleasant.
We psychologists, especially we ECPs, are so excited to get the chance to practice our craft while completely undervaluing ourselves and our capabilities that we tend to accept whatever is offered to us. Even when it is completely unfair. When contracting with a group, don’t just trust it will all work out. Demand the contract before beginning working there and then read through the contract thoroughly. Consult a lawyer or someone who has dealt with a lot of contracts. It’s amazing what group practice owners feel entitled to include in their contract: broad and expansive non-compete clauses, clauses that only protect the group owner and not you, the right to not pay you for monies that came in after you left despite collections often taking months, low percentage rates (i.e. Below 68%), unethical things, etc. Don’t sign it. You can negotiate these clauses or you can find work elsewhere. Demonstrate you value yourself, your training, your abilities and your license. This may be difficult and uncomfortable but it’s much easier than getting out of a ridiculous contract.
8. Practice Like Your Waiting Room Is Full
A professor once told our class to always “practice like your waiting room is full.” I didn’t really understand all this implied at the time but have come to see this to be incredible advice. I have bent over backwards for clients; worked days or hours I didn’t want to; took on cases I was uncomfortable with, and I essentially allowed myself to get taken advantage of. Despite setting some important boundaries they were not always fully respected. The trouble with this is that I found myself becoming resentful. Not good. At that point it required some consultation to get out of what I had walked myself into. Through consultation and reading relevant articles I learned that there are expectations not just for the therapist but for the patient as well. Some patients break these rules and that is when the therapy is in jeopardy, if not technically officially over. Surprisingly clients that I terminated with due to their destructive behavior told me they understood and that they were in agreement this was best. They wanted limits imposed despite initially verbally disagreeing. More clients will come your way and work effectively with you when you demonstrate you take yourself, your job and your personal life seriously.
9. Make Time for You
You’ve heard it a million times: work-life balance. This is nearly impossible to find when you’re an ECP and trying to pay off debt while building a career. This is where some of the other points come in. I found myself incredibly stressed working the long hours and commuting the long distances when I was contracting with other groups. It was difficult to relax when I was always dreading the long drives the next day. It was also difficult feeling like I never had any time to see friends. I eventually found that I could make time for me by going to a consultation group for an hour a week. It’s a type of socialization. I also committed to reading at least one page of Freud a night before bed (set manageable goals, right?). This helped me to feel like I was making progress in professional goals. I started listening to audiobooks on my commute, which helped me to enjoy my commute despite the distance. I set up a monthly get-together with friends. You don’t have to do any of the things I did, but the concept is there. Do something for yourself that you can do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis so that you don’t lose touch with your colleagues, friends or your continued personal and professional growth while you’re slaving away paying off debt. My life only got better when I finally realized I needed to find time for me and then did so.
This post originally appeared on The National Psychologist.
Posted by: Karla Steingraber, Psy.D.October 31st, 2016 Share
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