Securing Your First Clients in Clinical Practicum

The moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived! After years of classes and discussions about the therapeutic encounter, here it actually is. You’re no longer practicing to be a therapist — you are a therapist.

And then, almost instantly, Imposter Syndrome kicks in.
What in the world am I doing? How am I going to do this ?

I was immensely grateful to find a Practicum site that felt so aligned with my values , something I quickly learned wasn’t the case for many of my peers. But here’s the thing: no one really talks about what happens after you secure a Practicum site. So, I figured I would. Once I had officially joined my site, the very first step surprised me: marketing. I was suddenly on the market as a Clinical Intern — “accepting new clients.” My fate now depended on whether people believed that I, Tyleah Symone, could be their therapist.

Every moment after that was painstakingly spent waiting for clients to come in. The next big milestone in Practicum is securing your first client. Once I did, everything started to shift. That’s when I could finally focus on the heart of the work — being fully present, creating space for others, and holding their hand through their suffering. I learned something simple but powerful: you don’t need ten clients to feel like a therapist. Sometimes, two or three is enough to remind you why you’re here, and in my case only one.