Therapists in Training

Therapy for therapists in training, in person in Bankers Hill, San Diego, and online throughout California and Hawai'i. I'm Dr. Laura-Beth Fitzpatrick, a licensed clinical psychologist and EMDRIA Certified Therapist™, and I work with people who are training to do what I do.

Whether you're in a master's or doctoral program, completing practicum or post-degree hours, or newly licensed, this is a demanding stretch of life. You're learning a craft, being evaluated while you do it, and sitting with other people's pain, often for the first time.

Personal development hours

Many programs ask trainees to complete their own hours of personal therapy, sometimes called personal development hours. I'm glad to provide that work, and I will sign whatever documentation your program requires.

If your program has a particular form, a minimum number of hours, or requirements about the license level of your therapist, bring those to the consultation and we'll make sure what you need is covered before we begin.

Doing your own work before you sit with others

Sitting with other people's pain has a way of surfacing your own. Trainees often find that their family history, their losses, or the things they grew up managing start showing up in the room.

That isn't a sign you've chosen the wrong profession. It's the ordinary work of becoming a clinician: knowing your own material well enough that it doesn't quietly steer the session, and having somewhere to take it when it does. For some trainees, that includes EMDR, which also gives you a firsthand sense of how it works before you train in it yourself.

Stepping into the therapist role

There's a particular kind of pressure in this stage. Worrying you'll get it wrong or do harm. Comparing yourself to your cohort and assuming everyone else is more competent. Carrying clients home with you. Not knowing yet where you end and the therapist role begins.

Therapy here often becomes a place to build the parts of this work that no class teaches: boundaries you can hold, a pace you can sustain, and a sense of yourself that doesn't depend on how a session went.

Confidentiality in a small professional community

The clinical community in San Diego is small, and I take that seriously. What you bring to therapy is confidential, exactly as it is for any client.

If it turns out we already know each other professionally, or are likely to cross paths, we'll talk about it openly and decide together whether I'm the right person for this work. If I'm not, I'll help you find someone who is.