Always Becoming.
Introducing the reflections of an early career psychologist.
I was drawn to psychology by the promise of lifelong learning.
People are complex beings shaped by complex systems. No two people I work with will ever be the same. I was (and still am) excited to spend a lifetime learning about others and supporting them through the complex, beautiful, bizarre, and sometimes frightening experience of being human.
What I didn’t expect was just how much I would be learning about myself and how to ‘be with’ others. More than anything, I am learning that ‘being’ a psychologist is not a static state that I will reach; the process isn’t linear and there is no fixed arrival point.
Instead, it is a becoming.
Becoming. A continual shaping and reshaping of oneself and one’s actions, driven by self-reflection, shaped by others, in response to systems, and reaching into the yet unknown.
Who am I?
I am a practicing, early career psychologist currently completing my Master’s degree in Australia. I am choosing to remain anonymous to give myself the freedom to reflect honestly without professional polish or self-censorship.
Why am I here?
Our extensive (and expensive) undergraduate education trains us well in psychological theory, research and evidence-based practice. However, a gap exists between academic preparation and professional practice: the understanding of what it actually feels like to be a psychologist (the identity shifts, the emotional readjustment, and the grey zones that we are rarely taught to name or clearly guided to explore).
This space is my way of capturing and holding myself accountable to ongoing reflection on these experiences. Our discipline places great emphasis on reflective practice (how we apply interventions, evaluate outcomes, and refine our clinical skills). However, less explored is the reflection on becoming, the quiet bridge between theory and practice that each of us have to cross. So much change happens during this time, in who we are and how we show up for ourselves and others. This is what I aim to capture.
What can you expect from this space?
This is a space where I will record what often goes unrecorded. Not the content of our coursework, but the inner reckonings and turmoils of this becoming. It will be a record of questions, doubts, memorable moments, and uncomfortable learnings.
I will publish a series of articles that discuss the below (and likely much more):
The identity shift. After 4-6 years of study (at least!) and years of accruing clinical experience, what does it feel like to finally be able to call yourself a psychologist? Just because you get to call yourself that, when do you want to? How does the label change how others relate to you? How does it affect how you relate to yourself?
The grey zones. When working with clients for the first time, how do you navigate the grey areas where there exists little specific guidance? What do you do when supervisors or colleagues have very different opinions? What is appropriate self-disclosure? How do we navigate silence? When do we know if something we have said is helpful or unhelpful for a client?
“I don’t know”. What do we do when we don’t have the answer, especially when we feel like we should? What about when a client asks us directly? How do we hold uncertainty without losing confidence? How do we come to trust that sometimes, showing up with humility, curiosity, and care might actually be enough? When isn’t it enough?
The necessity of unlearning. When the education pathway in psychology rewards perfectionism (and where top marks are a requirement to even be considered for postgraduate study), how do we cope with having to sit with complexity and uncertainty ? How do we grapple with the fact that the skills we have honed and been rewarded for in our previous education are not necessarily the skills that will make us a good psychologist?
The boundaries of caring. In a profession where empathy is central, how do you learn to wield it in your work, but limit it’s impact in your personal life? How much do we bring our clients home with us? How can we learn to carry our care for out clients without being carried away by it in our lives?
Therapy as a therapists. What are the benefits of engaging with therapy as a therapist yourself? Where does the line sit between supervision and therapy?
The academic process. Information about the study pathway to psychology is quite limited, so I will speak on the application process for post-graduate study. Where I applied, what stood out, what didn’t, what felt human and what didn’t.
This is a space for companionship, not expertise.
I write from my own perspective, shaped by my personality, experiences and evolving priorities. I don’t have answers and I can only speak for myself (and conversations with peers) in my reflections. So I welcome your thoughts, questions, and reflections along the way. I value thinking through these things together.
So whether you are in your early career (like me), a practicing professional, an undergraduate student, or simply interested in the world of psychology, I welcome you to this space, where we are all becoming.
This feels honest in a way that is often missing from conversations about training and competence. I like how you centre becoming rather than arrival, and how you name the quiet identity work that happens alongside skills and knowledge. Creating a space for uncertainty, self-reflection, and shared questioning makes this feel companionable rather than instructional, which is exactly what many people at this stage are looking for.