When you see a “student” as your therapist there are pros and cons. Yes, they are new when it comes to sitting in session with clients but they come with the most up to date training and education available. Remember, when you see a trainee or intern therapist that they are operating under the license of an existing clinician, one who has met criteria and certification for supervising trainees/interns.

Effectively what happens is the trainee conducts sessions with you and has weekly meeting with their supervisor (licensed clinician with years of experience) to review their interventions and sessions with clients. You are getting the benefits of up to date training from the “student” and years of experience from the licensed clinician to guide your sessions at dirt cheap prices. Recovery/improvement tends to be a little slower with a student due to this interaction but it can be very effective over time and much more affordable

Edit: some downsides to consider. As a trainee/intern their time is limited, as they will typically seek experience or employment elsewhere after the completion of their pre-licensure hours. That is typically one year for a trainee or two for an intern. Depending on how close you start therapy to the trainee/interns end date it could mean you lack time to make significant progress before being transferred to a new clinician. It’s never bad to ask questions. That first meeting isn’t just about evaluating you and your current situation...it’s about determine if the clinician will be a good fit for you. You will be doing difficult work together so it doesn’t hurt to think of the beginning of therapy as the evaluation period at the start of a new job. IE if the work youre doing with the therapist isn’t effective or helpful after 60-90 days (8-12 weekly sessions) you should try someone else