About
Hi, my name’s Iain Dolan. I work as a psychologist in Canada. Here’s a picture of me looking both enthusiastic and hesitant about a slobbery dog kiss. Early Career Therapists is a site where I share my writing for those new(ish) to the field, addressing the void in support after school or licensing.
I reflected on the resource I needed during my first few years as a new therapist and tried to create that here. Some of us are fortunate enough to get excellent clinical supervision during graduate school or the licensing process, but unfortunately supervision declines substantially or stops altogether once it’s no longer externally mandated.
I’ve worked as a psychologist and clinical supervisor for years now, and I love how much the work captures my attention. I feel deeply engaged when I join therapists for a stage of their development, or even just for a consultation. Working to refine my understanding of the therapeutic process and practitioner development is compelling for me.
Being a clinical supervisor has illuminated some of my blind spots; attempting to articulate what I “knew” and was simply doing lead me to read, reflect, and then write for my supervisees over the years. My grad students routinely slay my ego with their excellent questions, and I slowly apply the Richard Feynman technique to improve, and then impart, my skills.
So, these articles are intended to be advice for new therapists, psychologists, MFT, MSW, LMFT, LCSW—anyone doing psychotherapy. In counsellor development, much of the depth involved comes from factors unique to each therapist, thus much of the actual work needs to be in your own supervision, therapy, personal reflection, and so on. Be wary of avoidance; it’s easier to talk about therapy rather than actually showing our work to peers and doing the hard work of growing as an individual.
I hope this is of use to you. If I’m further ahead, it’s only because I’ve made more mistakes.
Legal Disclaimer:
The information on this website is general in nature and provided for educational purposes only. Consult a qualified, relevant professional in your jurisdiction for all legal or clinical opinions for your specific situation. Particularly if you are still not fully licensed, you should consult your clinical supervisor before utilizing any material presented here. Always act in accordance with your local jurisdictional requirements and defer to your licensing body’s dictates if it conflicts with any suggestions here. I disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects that may result from the use of the information on this site. Reading the information on this site does not create or indicate any supervisory relationship between the author and the readers.
For Clients
This is a place where I “talk shop” about therapy. Feel free to read anything here that you’d like, but I doubt the information here will be useful to lay people who are therapy clients.