Many of us believe or assume that professionals – in any field, but especially in the case of therapists – improve over time; that accumulated experience leads to a natural increase in skill and better outcomes.
But, the research suggests that this is a myth.
The research has shown that, on average, we actually get worse over time. Why do our skills deteriorate over time? Here are a few reasons to consider and keep in mind on our path to becoming a master therapist and growing our psychology practice:
- We may go on auto-pilot as we age in our profession.
- We can get stuck on one technique instead of learning new ones.
- Repetitive methods can reinforce bad habits.
- We may focus on tenure, but competency should be judged by outcomes.
- Growing consistently requires deliberate practice.
What is deliberate practice for therapists?
Deliberate practice is commonly used in the arts, in sports, in aviation, in most other “performance” based fields to master the skills needed to be a “master” performer. As therapists, we can benefit greatly by following the lead of other professionals in order to become masters in our field, to become Master Therapists. In psychotherapy fields, deliberate practice may look a little different than it does in other fields, but the basic aspects are the same.
JOIN a FREE Training with Dr. Tori Olds
Introduction to Deliberate Practice in Psychotherapy
In this video series, you will learn:
The essential problem with most other therapy training programs.
Six myths about becoming a more effective therapist.
What Deliberate Practice is and why it is so important
The five steps on the roadmap for clinical excellence
Deliberate practice for therapists, as explained by Dr. Olds and taught in her online course for therapists, includes four key elements:
- Deliberate practice is solitary by nature. Just like a piano player practices skills on her own after a lesson with her teacher, you will learn to identify what aspects of your chosen technique or method can be practiced with focus on your own, then go do that outside of sessions.
- Deliberate practice has you focus on your growth edge, also called your zone of proximal development. This is doing work that´s appropriate for your level of development, i.e. practicing skills that are neither too easy, nor too hard for where you are at any given moment in your path towards mastery.
- In deliberate practice you focus on specific skills. This may facilitate your personal skills, theory techniques, and specific aspects of the method you specialize in. What is important is that you focus on one skill at a time, which is another reason why this is done alone and not during sessions when we are “performing” various skills all at once, unable to focus on increasing proficiency with any one of them.
- Deliberate practice must include reviewing and practicing the basics again, and again, and again! This is the most important aspect. Just like a basketball player or a musician, a therapist must master and continue to strengthen the basics to improve their overall skill level, or even to just stay at a plateau, and certainly to become a Master Therapist.
Therapy is a craft
It’s an old-fashioned, traditional, and honorable profession that we take pride in doing. In our journeys as therapists, we start out as novices then move into an apprenticeship where we learn from others. Eventually, with the right training and skills, we can then become a master of our craft. We can become master therapists.
Becoming a master therapist isn’t about being better than your colleagues. There’s no arrogance or feeling of superiority involved.
It’s about refining your skills and feeling a sense of mastery in using your skills to help your clients—and seeing those clients get results, again and again.
