Informational Interview Report: Child Therapist
[Thanks to JM for sharing her informational interview with a child therapist.]
My current career goal is within the psychology field, specifically to become a school counselor or child therapist. For my informational interview I chose to interview a behavioral therapist for children whom I have known as a family acquaintance for about seven years now.
My decision to interview her came from the comfort I felt in interviewing her as well as the ability to interview her via email.
My goals for the interview were to get both a broad picture and an in-depth idea of what her education route looked like in becoming a child therapist. I was also interested in learning how the education that is learned is different than the actual use of all the knowledge on the job day to day.
Although I have read and done a lot of research on psychology, specifically regarding children, I don’t really have an idea of what goes on behind the scenes. Mostly, I was interested in learning if this career is something I feel like I am capable of doing.
How did you know that you wanted to be a child therapist? What inspired you?
My interviewee was inspired to work with children since she was about the age of 10. There were times her family would gather together at church, and she found herself wandering into the child care center that the church provided. She loved to interact with the children, talk to them, help them, and play with them, acting as if they were her own children.
As she became an adolescent, she realized that kids were really drawn to her, as compared to her sister who was only a year older. She would hear her parents talk about how well she played with children of all ages.
She states, “I didn’t know specifically what I wanted to be when I grew up. I thought a teacher was all I could be in order to work with kids. It was my high school counselor who encouraged me to take psychology classes in college. I started taking psychology courses as an undergrad, and I was obsessed!”
What does a child therapist do?
As a child therapist, my interviewee specializes in working with kids and teens who suffer from anxiety, depression, eating disorders, as well as other issues such as family relationship. She also provides support for parents.
She doesn’t just listen to the children she helps; she teaches behavioral therapy which consists of understanding the underlying reasons to certain fears or disorders. She helps children by helping them become aware of when these fears arise and how they can better cope with them the next time they do come up.
How long have you been in the field of psychology, specifically working with children?
She has been working with children for 11 years straight out of graduate school.
What kinds of stressors and challenges did you come across while in school or on the job?
Although my interviewee cannot remember any specific challenges she had while in school, she does share that this field requires a lot of education, studying and an extensive amount of patience.
Aside from the education, there is a short-term period of training experience that is full of exploration.
The most stressful part of working as a child psychologist is working with children who are not open to the therapy. Many times parents become frustrated at home as they do not know how to cope with their child’s anxiety. They force the child to go to the therapeutic sessions; however, the child is not always willing to share their thoughts or apply what they learned outside of the office.
What does a typical day look like?
A typical day as a child therapist consists of about 6 or 7 therapy sessions with clients. Usually her day starts at eight in the morning and can go until seven or eight in the evening. In between sessions, she responds to client portal messages, phone calls or client notes.
What is the most gratifying part of being a child therapist?
The most gratifying aspect is watching her clients grow and come out of their little caves that they mentally build for themselves.
She says: “Observing how valuable the therapy that I provide for a client is a magnificent feeling!”
Do you think there are any common misunderstandings in the world of psychology?
One common misunderstanding some of her patients have is assuming that she just listens to a child’s problems and doesn’t really understand them.
Being a child therapist involves feeling what the child is feeling and understanding at what level of behavioral therapy will be the most beneficial. This job actually means feeling the feelings of the client and helping them think outside of those thoughts that cause the bad feelings.
Throughout your educational journey, did you come across other opportunities within the psychology field?
Aside from a child therapist or psycholologist, another opportunity pondered was becoming a school counselor. However, she decided to pursue her graduate degree in psychology which then led to getting a Ph.D.
What advice would you give someone who is interested in becoming a child therapist?
The advice my interviewee wishes to share is that this is an exciting and rewarding career. Once you begin working with clients and building a relationship with them, seeing how they grow and become more powerful is what makes it so meaningful.
Reflection
I thought that the answers were phenomenal. The most interesting thing to me is how long a therapist’s day might be. Seeing 6 to 7 clients a day means listening to 6 or 7 different stories or problems. I can only imagine it must be exhausting wanting to help all of them but at the same time having to be patient since patients grow and learn at different rates. I will be honest; this idea discouraged me some.
I also realize the lengthy education needed probably prepares you for all the patience that is going to be needed. Being that I am so early in pursuing this career, it can be a bit overwhelming to imagine helping clients overcome their problems.
So many questions arose in my head: What if I am no help? What if I don’t understand their fears? What if a child doesn’t want me to help? What do I tell the parents?
The more I thought about this, I remembered about the point in my interviewee’s education where she experienced observed training, sort of like a residency that medical doctors go through. I was not aware that psychologists also have to go through this sort of training. In a way, this knowledge gives me peace of mind and that as a psychologist, you don’t just get thrown into a practice and are expected to know how to help people.
My interview was loaded with emotional questions, more for my sake of trying to figure out if I am cut out for this field.
If I could do another informational interview,, I would probably completely change all the questions and ask instead: How was it getting started straight out of graduate school? How did you figure out that you wanted to help children (or adults)? How do you learn about what kind of therapy to offer?
I am grateful for the information and insight I received from my interviewee. I expressed my appreciation by sending a thank-you note for her time.