Three weeks before graduation, my thoughts keep returning to the people preparing to begin Practicum or Internship. I think about the anticipation, the self-doubt, and the pressure to feel “ready” before sitting across from a real client for the first time.
So, this is for you: The future trainee.
The one refreshing their email while waiting for placement information. The one wondering whether they know enough yet. The one imagining what it feels like to create space for another person’s pain while still learning how to cope with their own.
Before Internship begins, you may believe your biggest challenge will be using interventions or remembering theories. Those things matter, of course, but they are not the hardest part.
The hardest part may be learning how to remain present while feeling uncertain.
You will spend a lot of time replaying sessions in your mind. You will wonder if you asked the right question, if you missed something important, or if silence lasted too little or too long. Some days you will leave feeling connected to the work. Other days you will feel exhausted and question whether you are good at this at all.
One of the things nobody fully explains about Practicum is that becoming a counselor is more than an academic process. It is a personal one too. As you learn how to sit with clients, you also discover new things about yourself. You become more aware of your reactions, your discomfort, your assumptions, and your fears. You become more aware of your humanity.
And sometimes, that awareness can feel overwhelming too.
You may discover that perfectionism does not work well in the therapy room. Clients do not need a flawless counselor. They need someone genuine, present, and willing to stay with them in difficult moments.
That realization changed things for me. Along with it, I also found that some of the most meaningful moments in counseling happen when we stop trying to perform competence and simply stay present with another human being.
You do not need to rescue clients.
You do not need to carry every session home with you.
You do not need to aggrandize or shrink yourself to be effective.
Another thing I hope future trainees understand is how much good supervision matters. Practicum is already demanding. You should not have to move through it feeling unsupported, dismissed, or alone.
A good supervisor does more than help you grow clinically. They create enough safety for you to ask questions, make mistakes, reflect honestly, and develop your own voice as a therapist.
Sometimes finding that kind of support may even require changing sites. That can be frightening, but remaining in an environment where you are chronically unsupported can make an already difficult experience feel unbearable.
And don’t forget that part of this journey is also about finding your people. The supervisors and colleagues who remind you that you belong in this field, especially on the days you doubt yourself. The right support system can make the difference between surviving Internship and growing through it.
You will also experience something that feels personal at first: a client who chooses not to return after meeting with you once.
When that happens, try not to disappear into a rabbit hole searching for what is wrong with you.
Most of the time, we will never know why a client decides not to continue therapy, and that is okay. Part of my own growth during Practicum has been accepting that I am not the best therapist for everyone. Some clients will connect with us. Others will continue searching for someone who is a better fit for them.
That does not mean you failed.
It is possible to be caring, competent, authentic, and still not be the right match for every person who walks into the room. Accepting that can feel painful at first, but it can also be liberating.
There will be clients whose stories affect you way beyond bedtime. There may also be moments when balancing Internship, work, school, and life responsibilities feels impossible. You may feel tired in a way you have never experienced before.
Please remember to care for yourself. This work asks something emotionally real from us. Learning how to care for others without abandoning yourself is part of the training too.
And trust this: growth tends to happen quietly.
You may not notice it immediately. But one day you will realize that silence no longer frightens you as much. You will notice yourself listening more carefully instead of searching for the perfect intervention. You will feel more grounded in the room. You will spend less energy trying to prove that you belong there.
And almost without realizing when it happened, you will begin to feel less like a student role-playing a counselor and more like a counselor who is still learning.
Because that is what we all are. Still learning.
So, if you are about to begin Practicum or Internship and feel intimidated or unprepared, know this: you are not expected to begin this journey as a finished professional.
You are simply being asked to begin.
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I will see you next week!
Roque Neto 