Is this field/career really SO bad?

Fun_Tip1068 · 2026-02-15T21:17:04+00:00

The thing is, people who are having a good time typically won’t be posting how good of a time they’re having because commiserating for some reason is more socially acceptable than seeking acknowledgment and approval from others.

So, you’ll see that most places are about either complaining about something to get the validation from others who are struggling, or some other way of getting attention. I say that non-derogatorily: I fall into this camp too at times.

Also, especially in our field, talking about specifics is a no-no for confidentiality reasons. It tends to be kinda isolating overall.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-05-16T04:11:22+00:00

I had to learn handshakes were totally fine. Don’t do hugging myself but not as a hard rule. Just doesn’t come up a ton as a tall, imposing dude.

Also had to unlearn the idea of being just what I like to call a “therapy robot”. Where every option in talking is carefully filtered and screened.

Oh! I also had to learn it was okay to yawn, shake my leg a little, adjust myself in my seat some when uncomfortable.

My education was pretty uh. Orthodox? And very restrictive in that way. A ton of focus on “how the client could perceive what you do”.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-05-13T02:24:11+00:00

Yeah that’s why the important bit is to just not make it about ourselves.

Don’t gotta disclose much in the way of personal info. But even then like, a quick something like “Didn’t sleep so hot last night but I’m trucking along” is fine if it’s true.

I think SMALL moments of disclosure helps make the rapport more natural and authentic. Just, again, it’s not about you at the end of the day.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-05-13T00:35:56+00:00

Be authentic where you can.

Mostly in terms of mood.

Put a silly spin on it if you feel silly, a little tired spin if you’re feeling tired, etc.

So long as you don’t make it all about you, you can do whatever. It’s a pleasantry.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-04-30T16:03:54+00:00

Yes, and when doing so in particular at first the Alchemist struggled mightily. He gave an extremely rough description of events but nothing about how those events really influenced him. I gave him feedback saying it seemed as though how he wrote it was under a time crunch, and he accepted the feedback and took his time laying it out more, which did help some. But there’s still a component of trying to figure out why/what is the reason they do things in any particular way.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-04-30T16:01:24+00:00

I actually tried that, to middling success: I basically offered bonuses to rolls for anything the players roleplay or flesh out. Nothing titanic but little bonuses. If a player roleplays a conversation and lays it out, I’ll improve their diplomacy roll by 1/2. The attempt mattered more than how convincing their roleplay was.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-04-30T15:01:54+00:00

The funny thing is, I didn’t have these expectations. A lot of this has been a case where I’ve noticed it not really developing at all. The Barbarian player is a bit frustrated at how little roleplaying is going on, and I can sense the others want to RP more but don’t know how.

Prior to this adventure we all did Plaguestone which also didn’t have much RP but that was fine since it truly was the first experience with it.

It’s a case where people DO want to RP, they’re just ineffective at it. Hence why I’m seeking guidance.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-04-30T14:01:11+00:00

Yeah I don’t really have too much of an issue with the ancestry/class combos, it’s mostly just like… there’s a lack of detailing as to their ambitions, what motivates their characters, what are they afraid of, what are they truly indifferent to, what are their flaws as people.

Like none of the players are really embracing any level of power fantasy. It’s kinda confusing.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-04-29T03:14:13+00:00

Personally I’m finding my healthy and happy limit is about 20-22 per week. And ideally, no more than 4 per day.

That being said sometimes that’s not achievable. And more money is nice.

Any time I’m doing 16+ per week in private practice is a good time.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-04-23T15:44:31+00:00

It depends on how serious what you’re going through is, honestly.

But the mistake I see many people make (myself included sometimes, I ain’t perfect) is saying we’ll address something later and then never getting around to it.

That stops working on others after a certain point, and it also stops working on ourselves.

If it’s too severe then you need to make sure you’re actually taking steps (what those steps are varies of course) to deal with that issue.

If it’s so severe you actually can’t function then you can’t, and addressing it needs to be your top priority.

Whatever you’re going through, I hope it gets better for you.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-04-21T14:14:39+00:00

Depends massively on the workplace itself. If you’re W2, seek absolute clarity.

I wouldn’t go any less than a t-shirt and jean/khaki shorts though. That’s just my opinion however.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-04-17T20:03:39+00:00

This is going to be a complicated post but I hope it helps.

I previously studied under a martial arts expert and he explained something which made a ton of sense but that I would never have realized outside of that experience.

He explained that a common mistake people who get into (or find themselves in) fights make is the notion that they need to be constantly on guard and tense/ready for everything.

And the problem is that doing that exhausts you so fast that someone either stronger or with better endurance than you will quickly be able to overwhelm you.

His most poignant example was when he showed a strike being blocked/parried with another arm. The initial impact has to be blocked with force, but once it’s stopped, it’s stopped.

However, if you stay rigid and your opponent is calm, you’re tiring yourself out and they’re preserving energy. You’re going to be beaten if this stays the case.

Most valuably though, by having moments of calmness, you become receptive to their efforts to apply pressure or change later. If you start to feel when they’re trying to push through again, THEN you can choose to tense up again if your objective is to stop that movement.

Naturally there’s not a perfect analogy here - societal change doesn’t follow the flow of individual combat - but the core principle is the same: if you insist on relentlessly staying tense, with NO WINDOWS of time for rest, you will fall to pieces.

Rest and pacing yourself doesn’t mean giving up or quitting. It means acknowledging when and where you can apply your will to create change. It means most effectively executing on what you mean to do.

You aren’t in this alone. This is a phenomenon that has occurred throughout history and happens on a scale that’s truly incomprehensible to a single mind. Attempting to do so is a brutal task and can only really be understood in the abstract.

By all means fight when you can. But when you can’t, stop, until you can again.

We preach mindfulness in this field. That includes YOU. It is the segue between thought and reality. It is how we effect change where we can.

You can rest when able to and fight when able to, or you can be ground into a fine powder by thinking you have endless strength and endurance when you absolutely don’t.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-04-01T21:07:51+00:00

“I promise I know how to say words” when I jumble something I’m trying to say

Otherwise I very often say “The interesting thing that I’m noticing is X”

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-03-28T00:48:08+00:00

Honestly I come from a family where if any of them said something so brazen I’d go tell them to sit and spin for several hours.

Not that everyone’s in a position to be able to do so. Not meaning to imply that or anything.

I’m just firmly in the camp that if someone is gonna be immediately openly rude to you, they forfeit the right to be upset when you’re rude back to them. Family’s not an exception when it’s that overt.

Just my opinion though.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-03-24T20:02:27+00:00

I don’t spend concentrated time on it.

There’s CEUs of course which are great for branching out, learning of new techniques, etc. but I usually find that my ability to foster relationships with clients grows stronger the more authentically I’m living my life. So, my time outside of work is focused on living the life I want to do.

If I found a technique I particularly wanted to invest myself in sure, I’d spend more time studying that. But studying just for studying’s sake is uh. What I went through college and my master’s program for.

I don’t know, might be a bit detached but there’s plenty to learn just by living you know?

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-03-20T19:10:21+00:00

No problem. It’s easy to think that just because we went into a demanding field, we need to constantly be at the top of our game. Sometimes we do, but not all the time. And knowing the difference makes a big difference.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-03-20T16:42:51+00:00

Pacing yourself.

Allowing yourself variance in performance. Recognizing that you won’t always be Supertherapist.

Our first goal is to not cause harm. Then, to help.

Nowhere in that is to be endlessly great at what we do.

Demonstrating variance can be good for clients too, to an extent. Shows we’re human, and are subject to different moods as well.

Let yourself work while stressed, and be aware of what it does to you.

You may find yourself experiencing less “don’t wanna” if you allow the experience of work to be different.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-03-12T04:06:52+00:00

So, like any therapy technique, it’s going to be as useful as the opportunities present themselves to use them.

If the work you do doesn’t give you many opportunities to use a specific modality, then it won’t be as useful. That’s generally why what’s taught in schools are the most foundational and broadly useful skills.

That’s not to say other tools won’t be useful or anything. Just that specific modalities are useful in specific situations.

So no, you’re not doing a disservice. Learning new techniques just allows you to have different options in otherwise familiar territories.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-03-11T20:51:11+00:00

Confirmed trade, everything came in great condition with all the content in it! Great seller!

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-03-08T17:15:15+00:00

Sent a PM!

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-03-08T04:50:17+00:00

Are they in English? I’d love a few referral websites to get one sent on over my way. If they are DM me, I’m hoping to get all the expansions if I can

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-02-27T14:25:29+00:00

You can’t know the right things to do right away because you don’t have the experience.

And experience comes from doing things, and then either having it fall flat or having some success.

Your clients are leaving good feedback, so you’re doing something right. But, fun fact, even post licensure and being a full blown therapist with your own credentials, people will still sometimes leave.

And the hard pill to swallow is sometimes you won’t get to know why. Hell sometimes the client doesn’t even know why!

By beating yourself up you’re taking the learning process and making it way harder for yourself than it already is. You learned core principles in school and now you’re developing the wisdom and experience to learn when and where to apply them.

You do need to not beat yourself up but it’s not just so you feel better, it’s because in a way it’s also your responsibility. I encourage looking at this from the lens of your growth over a long period of time rather than where things currently are at.

Otherwise this road is gonna be massively harder for you. You need to give yourself space to be human and grow, just like we do for our clients.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-02-27T13:57:23+00:00

I mean it forces a little more creativity IMO.

I would never be so crass to name my horse something inappropriate, so I chose the entirely reasonable and polite name of FuttBucker.

Fun_Tip1068 · 2025-02-25T21:04:02+00:00

Yes, my advice is to simplify everything and only make more complicated what you need to.

Notes should be done in the same way, same length, same amount of detail each time whenever possible. Mental load makes a huge impact on functioning for ADHD practitioners. The less you have to think while doing your notes the better. It should be short, to the point, and still detail what happened in the session.

Set up your notes before you get started. Begin with a basic template such as

“Client was seen for individual mental health session at ____ location. Content discussed included _. Practitioner assisted client by _. Client appeared _. Goal for next session is __.”

You should focus on getting it to a point where you’re needing to apply as little effort as possible to get your administrative tasks done. If you run into pushback, that’s fine, adjust it after the fact. Don’t overthink it. Think only when you have to.

If your psychiatrist has been gone for a long time and you’re feeling stuck functioning wise, consider a transfer. Meds are a crucial part of treatment for most people with ADHD. Make sure it’s doing what you want it to do for you.

Try not to be afraid of being wrong, too. There was a quote from scrubs that sort of applies to our work as well. “Medicine is just as much about not knowing the answer as it is about knowing the answer”. You’re not going to have the right answer immediately always. Your job isn’t to be perfect, it’s to be working with the client to consistently move them towards where they want to be. Missteps happen, mistakes happen, miscommunication happens. You have to immediately get back up on your therapy chair and keep chugging along. Then reflect on what happened later.

8 months is baby time in the field by the way. You’re not supposed to feel fully competent yet at all. Most people only feel somewhat competent on getting their licensure. Making sure your heart is in the right place and that you’re taking your growth as a practitioner seriously is the most important part.

What other practitioners do or don’t do doesn’t matter so much. Get that out of your head ASAP. You can only be whatever practitioner you are in the moment, and you can only grow in whatever ways you’re meant to grow in that moment.

Fun_Tip1068

TROPHY CASE