Hello! This is Claire Robinson, one of the newest counselors to join the Mending Roots team. It’s not often you get the chance to learn about your counselor/potential counselors, so I thought I’d invite you into some of my world and background as a counselor. In the spirit of full transparency, I want you to know that although this seems like an interview, I found/formed these questions and then answered them in a free flowing manner with minimal editing, as if I had been asked them in an interview. If you have any other questions you’d like to ask, feel free to reach out for a consultation call, review my bio here, or ask me in one of our sessions!
What inspired you to become a therapist?
I went to college to be a marine biologist and study animal behavior, so I like to joke that I then went on to get better acquainted with my own species! After college, I became a facilitator of connection games for adults and went on to support the facilitators in finding their own leadership styles. All of it was very rewarding, but one weekend training every couple of months could not pay the bills. My life led me on a path to discovering who I was a little bit later in life. When wondering where my life would go next, my therapist asked me, “Have you thought of being a therapist?” I had not, and reflecting on it now, it was a great honor to be seen by the best therapist I’d had as someone who could be a good fit for her very profession! One thing led to another, and counseling just felt like such a good fit for me and my strengths, and here I am today! I realize I didn’t quite answer the question though—I believe that if everyone was adequately supported and had the space to process and feel their emotions, the world would be a much more peaceful place. I would not be who I am today without having had my own therapy, and I am honored to hold space for others and support them in living their best life.
What were your internships like?
I started my practicum (pre-internship semester) with a desire to try working with kiddos. However, I ended up at that site for a solid 1.5 years, which is longer than the typical internship because I worked through the summer between semesters. I thoroughly enjoyed my time doing child-centered play therapy with little kids mostly aged 3-5. I also worked with a few older children and teens as well as some adults. I was largely school-based, which means I went into daycares to see the kids for their sessions. This means I engaged with teachers and parents as well. During this time, I was introduced to a variety of neurodivergence across the lifespan, and I saw the developmental stages in action. I also sought out a second site for my final semester of internship and worked with college students individually and ran an LGBTQIA+ group. This experience showed me that my strengths really come alive with adults, and that I appreciate the ability to collaborate in session with my clients rather than their parents or teachers outside of sessions. I also feel that my time with kids allows me to better support the inner child I believe we all have inside, to better understand how my client’s experiences in childhood might impact them today, and to support parents who may be having struggles with their children. Child-centered play therapy is the child-adapted form of person-centered counseling, which is the foundation of my approach today. Someday I hope to have a sandtray in my office to bring the metaphorical and play to my sessions with adults too!
How would you describe your style? Are you short term or long term? Do you lead or follow?
I think my style really depends on which therapy is the foundation of our work. With some clients, I use EMDR therapy as the main framework with person-centered along the way. With others, I use person-centered therapy as the main framework and bring in other modalities as fit with the client’s needs. When using EMDR therapy, I am a little more guiding because it is a more structured modality, whereas with person-centered, I follow a lot more. However, with both, I still hold the space as your time, and we collaborate on what is needed or what would be most supportive that day. Because everyone is fairly complex, I tend to look at counseling as a more long-term endeavor. However, I have had several therapists for various phases of my life, and sometimes all you want is to work on one specific piece of your life, and that’s totally fine. Of course other areas might weave into your goal, and we can address them as makes sense. One thing I will say about EMDR therapy is that it is often considered a “faster” trauma healing approach. While this is true, this is in comparison to years-long therapeutic approaches, so it often still takes several months for single incident traumas and years for complex or developmental trauma. Regardless of modality, counseling is a journey that is worth taking, in my opinion!
What are your strengths?
Sometimes this is hard to answer because as I get to know my strengths they often feel more like double-edged swords. I am a highly sensitive person, so I am often aware of much that goes on around me, especially sounds and movements. This is wonderful in counseling because it helps me attune to my clients and understand more fully what is going on for them, which allows me to invite in noticing your body’s response to what you’re saying in session, for example. However, sometimes this awareness can lead to overwhelm because I am picking up on so much more sensory stimuli in my surroundings than is always necessary. This means I need to take breaks between clients to decompress and prepare myself for the next client. I also make connections in my head around what might be related to something else in your story or how this modality might be a good fit for this topic and so on. Another strength of mine is a voracious appetite to know more, learn more. I like to dive into topics and learn all about them from many different angles. This is great because I learn quickly and will always be studying or brushing up on counseling modalities or aspects of counseling, which directly supports my clients. I also strive to create a calm and soft space in my office where you feel able to relax and settle in for our time together. I’m not sure how I do this exactly, but several people throughout my life have commented on the calm and kindness I bring to our connections.
Have you ever been in therapy before?
Oh yes. My mom put me in therapy when my parents divorced as a kid. I also saw a therapist in college and have tried several therapists in the years after college, with two being the main therapists over that time. I currently see a therapist and value our work together. I think it is an important part of being a counselor, to have been on the other side of the room, and especially for certain modalities like EMDR therapy. I am an experiential learner, so I often remember how a certain modality felt and decide to study that to support my own clients or bring in a similar way of doing things as I have seen done before.
What are some of the benefits of being with a new counselor versus a more seasoned one?
Obviously I’m a little biased here because I am a new counselor! Of course, there are pros and cons to both seasoned and new counselors, and it can be tricky to distinguish between the two terms. At what point does someone become a seasoned counselor? Does entering the field later in life have an impact on whether you’re more seasoned or not? I certainly bring in a lot of different experiences from my life into my role as a counselor, and I do not believe I would be nearly as supportive had I gone directly from college to grad school. This is not to say that someone who does so cannot be supportive by any means. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and the relationship between client and counselor is one of the most important parts of counseling.
Something that new counselors have going for them is supervision. These supervisors are seasoned counselors the new counselor is meeting with weekly or every other week to discuss how things are going with their clients. This can offer perspectives they may not have considered. Two brains are often more advantageous than one when it comes to support. I think new counselors are more willing to try out new modalities and adapt to the client, whereas more seasoned counselors might be more set (and practiced) in their select modalities and don’t branch out from there. As the profession changes, what is taught in school is also different. I know I received a lot of good information about multicultural counseling that simply didn’t exist to the same extent a decade ago. Thus, a newer counselor might have more of an understanding of certain topics like social justice, multiculturalism, LGBTQIA+ identities, newer modalities, and so on. These would have been required components of training for new counselors but may not have been as extensively learned by more seasoned ones. That said, more seasoned counselors may have sought out such learning in their required continuing education. All in all, it really comes down to what you’re looking for and the connection between you and your counselor.
What excites you about being a counselor?
I think we all need as much support as we can get, especially in such chaotic and divisive times. People need to feel heard, understood, and supported to move confidently in the world. Even if all I do is be a counselor, I know I am helping to make the world a better place, one session at a time. I also engage in social justice work which has more meaning since becoming a counselor because I hold my clients and their stories with me when I go into the community to fight for all of our rights. The profession itself is wondrous and new modalities and techniques are continuously coming forth. It’s a fascinating time to be a counselor! I am particularly appreciative of adaptations to EMDR therapy that invite the complexities of attachment and developmental trauma into the already powerful standard protocol. I am in the middle of several rabbit holes right now in these areas! I appreciate that I am required to continue learning as part of being a counselor because I’d be doing it anyways.
What brings you hope right now?
It is such an honor to sit in my office with several people a day who share what is going on for them and what they’re struggling with and how they’re trying to cope. The fact that each of my clients is in my office, doing the work to become a better person, whatever that looks like for them, gives me hope. The more people process and get curious and move through their emotions, experiences, and struggles, the more they are able to show up in their life for themselves and everyone around them. This is such a rewarding profession, and I see it being a steady source of hope for me for decades to come.
Regardless of whether you’re a client, potential client, a colleague, or someone else entirely, thank you for reading and for engaging in the work that we do!