Being New to the Field, a Future Therapist’s Therapy Journey

Jordan Smith is a new mental health worker currently acting in a capacity to help others with their needs prior to his graduation from a university in his chosen field of counseling. We discuss what got him interested in helping others and how it's been to move through his own therapy, what it's been like to try to set boundaries for self-care in a more therapeutic role, his expectations for his future, and what he looks forward to learning when we circle back and interview him again as he is deep in the future of his graduate school.As the first episode of this podcast, it is amazing to think that in just a short amount of time I will be presenting several topics to the general public about my field, bringing my local neck of the woods across the globe. This first episode is a culmination of years of getting over my fears of public speaking, fears of "being an imposter", and most importantly, my fears of my fellow therapists and/or clients seeing me as "a bad therapist," for whatever self-contrived and unlikely reasons that might be. Now, I look forward to using this podcast as a space for community-building. And am also aware of its likelihood of being a tool for Self-building. So it makes sense that this first The Cultured Therapist episode focuses on a newly minted mental health worker, and friend, Jordan Smith, PSR. To think back to when I started this journey in graduate school circa 2011, it does feel a long time ago. I've learned so much, and I love having this opportunity to keep it moving forward. After all, what is the point of this podcast's name if not to recognize that we are an accumulation of our cultures, of our growth cycles, and of our failures and fears. Being cultured to me is about seeing all of it, accepting it in, and pruning that which does not serve. It's a process, and it's a joy, even when it's uncomfortable or scary. For that I am thankful, and with this podcast I hope to show my gratefulness to the community at large.So enjoy hearing Jordan and I discuss some of these thoughts, and please forgive the audio: Zoom is not what I expected, and another audio recording software will be used in future episodes for a more crisp performance. Peace and love - R.C.Email: [email protected] podcast mentioned today in this episode is hosted by Riva Stoudt, A Therapist Can't Say That.