Three Steps to Confidently Navigate Therapy in English

Here are the three things I always ask my therapist students to do to feel more confident when working with English-speaking clients.

One of the great paradoxes in life is that we wait until we feel confident before we do something scary.

“I’ll ask my crush out on a date when I work up the courage.”

 “I’ll increase my rates when I’m not afraid of how my clients will react.”

And of course, “I’ll open my private practice to English-speaking clients when I feel confident speaking English”.

To a certain extent, this is perfectly normal. Some confidence and preparation are necessary and can go a long way in these situations. But waiting until you feel 100% ready to do something is unlikely to work.

Why’s that?

Unfortunately, most people only feel 100% confident after working with English-speaking clients, not before.

Imagine for a second that building your confidence is like playing with Legos- you put one brick on top of the other until you form a solid platform.

Well, here are the three bricks you can put on top of each other to build confidence:

The first brick: Actively listen to as many sessions in English as possible. You can listen to free podcasts like Esther Perel’s Where Should We Begin? or watch videos (either free videos on YouTube or videos you can purchase from the APA https://www.apa.org/pubs/videos/).

At first, when you listen to these sessions, you might feel a little less confident, and tell yourself things like “I’ll never be able to work that way,”. This is a common reaction, but if you can, try to sit with these unpleasant feelings, giving them space.

When you’re ready, continue to watch or listen to these sessions, taking note of vocabulary and expressions that you would like to use in your own sessions. Try to limit your notes to about 10 new expressions or words per study session, because it’s also important to frequently revise what you learn.  

The second brick: Using the language you learned, role-play as much as possible. To start, you can always ask any English-speaking friends or relatives how they are and practice active listening skills with them for ten minutes. Try to make the role-playing situations longer and more complex each time. 

But, to be 100% honest …

To get the feedback and suggestions you need to work with English-speaking patients, you should ideally work with a person who is specialized in teaching English AND has a background in psychotherapy. That’s why it’s such an important part of my classes.

The third brick: work with “real” patients, for free, or at a reduced rate. Many of my students understand the benefits of working with English-speaking clients, but they don’t feel fully comfortable charging their regular rate. This means that they can get stuck and postpone working in English. A useful option could be to either volunteer in English or offer sessions at a lower price. This is a wonderful way of helping people who are unable to afford full-price sessions. It’s also a great way to start working as quickly as possible.

That being said, I would personally set some very clear boundaries with clients to prevent burnout and ensure clients attend the sessions regularly. I would charge a minimum of 50% of my current rate and limit this discount to six months or one year (depending on your therapeutic orientation). It’s also important to include a well-defined cancellation policy.

 As you can see, building your confidence in English is simple. There are only three main steps.

 Maybe you’re thinking “Simple, really?! It doesn’t look simple to me!”

Well, simple doesn’t mean easy. This process involves doing uncomfortable things and accepting feelings of anxiety, vulnerability, and uncertainty. This can be difficult. It can be a time-consuming, confusing, and lonely journey when you don’t have personalized help and support.

You are perfectly capable of going through these steps alone, but that doesn’t mean you have to.

That’s how I can help you. Together, we build up your confidence in a safe, non-judgmental way. I provide tailored guidance and feedback based on your specific needs, making the process much faster and more efficient. Our work together keeps you accountable, making sure you stay on track during challenging times. Find out more here.

Not sure whether this is for you? I provide a free 60-minute consultation in which we can discuss your level, needs and objectives.

Otherwise, if you want more specialized tips on how to provide therapy in English, feel free to download my free guide and join my free email list here.