Day in the Life of Psychologist in 2022| Adult Clinic Vlog!

Summary

This vlog follows a psychologist through their day at a clinic, offering insights into their makeup routine, office setup, and client interactions. With a focus on a client with schizophrenia, the video highlights the importance of a recovery-oriented approach and teamwork in treatment. The psychologist also emphasizes self-care, showcasing their lunch break routine and the balance between professional responsibilities and personal well-being.

Takeaways

• 🎥 The video is a vlog documenting a day in the life of a clinical psychologist.
• 💄 The psychologist starts her day with a shower, food, and a simple makeup routine due to wearing a mask during sessions.
• 👔 She mentions wearing a conservative shirt with a hole in the back and loose pants for comfort.
• 🏢 The psychologist's workspace is described, including the seating arrangement for sessions and the use of a whiteboard for note-taking.
• 🤝 She interacts with the clinic manager, who handles reception, bookings, and overall clinic administration.
• 📅 The day's schedule includes four clients, with a mix of returning and new clients, and a lunch break.
• 👩‍⚕️ The psychologist discusses an NDIA client with schizophrenia, highlighting the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach.
• 🌡️ She notes the need to turn on the air conditioning due to the heat and mentions the clinic's tight but cozy space.
• 🍲 During lunch, the psychologist prefers not to work and instead goes for a walk or people-watches, emphasizing the importance of self-care.
• 📝 The vlog ends with the psychologist wrapping up her day, writing letters to a client's psychiatrist, and preparing to head home.

Q & A

What is the profession of the person speaking in the transcript?

The person speaking in the transcript is a psychologist.

What is the main reason the psychologist is filming their day?

The psychologist is filming their day because it's a 'very chill day' compared to usual, and they have a lighter schedule.

How many clients does the psychologist have on the day of filming?

The psychologist has four clients on the day of filming.

What is unique about the client scheduled at 12 PM?

The client at 12 PM is a new person, which makes this session different from the other returning clients.

What does the psychologist typically wear to work?

The psychologist typically wears a conservative shirt with a hole in the back and loose pants for comfort.

Why does the psychologist prefer in-person sessions over telehealth?

The psychologist prefers in-person sessions because they believe they can be more effective and they enjoy the personal interaction.

What is the role of the practice manager mentioned in the transcript?

The practice manager handles reception, bookings, intake, ensures the happiness and well-being of the staff, and takes care of the accounting for the business.

How does the psychologist's supervisor contribute to their professional development?

The supervisor provides expertise in therapeutic techniques, guidance on risk and safety, administrative support, and checks in on the psychologist's personal well-being and capacity level.

What is the significance of the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) client mentioned?

The NDIA client has a diagnosis of schizophrenia, a full team of support including psychiatrists, a caseworker, and a social worker, indicating a complex and comprehensive care approach.

What self-care routine does the psychologist's supervisor have during lunchtime?

The supervisor engages in vigorous physical exercise during lunchtime to combat fatigue and maintain self-care.

How does the psychologist handle their lunch break, and why is it important?

The psychologist takes a lunch break to eat and go for a walk, which is important for clearing their head and providing a necessary break before the afternoon sessions.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Daily Routine and Clinic Preparation

The speaker begins their day with a shower and food before heading to the clinic. They perform a simple makeup routine, acknowledging that it's often concealed by a mask during sessions. The speaker dresses comfortably for the day, highlighting a casual yet professional attire. They provide a tour of the clinic, introducing the clinic manager who handles various administrative tasks, ensuring the smooth operation of the clinic. The speaker also shares their daily tasks, which include checking on clients, preparing for sessions, and managing the clinic's environment.

05:01

🏥 Clinic Tour and Professional Insights

The speaker offers a detailed tour of the clinic space, describing the setup for client consultations, including the placement of seats, tissues for emotional support, and the importance of the clock for session timing. They discuss the use of a whiteboard for session notes and the preference for in-person sessions over telehealth. The speaker then interviews the clinic's principal, who shares insights about the role of a supervisor in the field of psychology, emphasizing the importance of self-care, professional development, and the supportive environment within the clinic.

10:03

📝 Session Summaries and Lunchtime Reflections

The speaker recounts their morning sessions, summarizing the work done with clients, including a job interview review and the introduction of thought-challenging skills. They also discuss a formulation session aimed at understanding the psychological model behind a client's distress. After the sessions, the speaker takes a lunch break, highlighting the importance of downtime and self-care. They share their preference for a quiet lunch, often spent walking or people-watching, to clear their mind and recharge for the afternoon.

15:04

🌳 Afternoon Walks and Client-Centered Approach

Despite the slightly dreary weather, the speaker takes a walk during their lunch break, finding the outdoor environment refreshing and conducive to mental clarity. They emphasize the importance of breaks in maintaining work-life balance. The speaker also discusses their approach to working with a client diagnosed with schizophrenia, focusing on a recovery-oriented approach and addressing societal stigma. They mention the client's intelligence and the goal-oriented therapy they provide, along with the collaborative effort of the client's support team. The speaker concludes the day with administrative tasks and a letter to the client's psychiatrist, reflecting on the day's work and the importance of documentation in client care.

Keywords

💡Makeup routine

The makeup routine refers to the simple, daily process of applying makeup, which the speaker mentions is minimal due to the fact they wear a mask during sessions. This highlights the practical approach the speaker takes in their day-to-day life, where personal appearance is not the primary focus while working in a clinical setting.

💡Client sessions

Client sessions refer to the scheduled appointments where the speaker, who is likely a psychologist, meets with individuals to provide therapy. The speaker describes the nature of these sessions, including their structure, the types of clients (e.g., returning, new, or those with specific mental health diagnoses), and the therapeutic goals. These sessions form the core of the speaker’s professional day.

💡NDIS client

An NDIS client is a person who receives support through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia. In the video, the speaker mentions a client diagnosed with schizophrenia who has a team of professionals, including psychiatrists and social workers, assisting with their care. This term emphasizes the multidisciplinary support system for individuals with disabilities.

💡Supervision

Supervision in this context refers to the ongoing oversight and support that psychologists receive from more experienced colleagues. The speaker discusses their supervisor's role in guiding therapeutic techniques, risk management, and ensuring self-care. Supervision is critical in the mental health field to maintain professional standards and ensure practitioners' well-being.

💡Telehealth

Telehealth refers to the delivery of healthcare services remotely using technology, such as video conferencing. The speaker describes how they conduct telehealth sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic, though they prefer in-person interactions. Telehealth allowed continuity of care when face-to-face meetings were restricted.

💡Thought challenging

Thought challenging is a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) technique that involves questioning and re-evaluating negative or distorted thoughts. The speaker introduces this concept in a session with a client who has social anxiety, helping them recognize that their fears about a job interview did not materialize as expected.

💡Formulation session

A formulation session is a psychological process used to assess a client's background, stressors, and current issues to create a treatment plan. The speaker explains that this session helps understand the underlying causes of distress and strategize a way forward in therapy. It serves as a diagnostic tool to structure future therapeutic work.

💡Self-care

Self-care is the practice of taking time to maintain one's own physical and mental health. The speaker emphasizes its importance, especially in demanding professions like psychology. They provide examples, such as exercising during lunch breaks and setting boundaries during downtime, to manage the emotional toll of their work.

💡Private practice

Private practice refers to the professional environment in which the speaker works, as opposed to public healthcare. In private practice, psychologists often work more independently and have smaller teams. The speaker notes both the benefits (e.g., autonomy) and challenges (e.g., isolation from peers) of this work setting.

💡Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental health condition characterized by episodes of psychosis, including hallucinations and delusions. The speaker discusses working with a client who has schizophrenia, focusing on recovery-oriented approaches and reducing societal stigma. This highlights the therapeutic goals of supporting the client in achieving personal objectives, such as returning to work or study.

Highlights

The vlogger begins their day with a shower and food before heading to the clinic.

A makeup routine is mentioned, with a link to a full version available for viewers.

The vlogger wears a mask for sessions, emphasizing the conservative attire due to the nature of the work.

A tour of the office is provided, showcasing the clinic's setup and the practice manager's role.

The practice manager discusses their responsibilities, including reception, bookings, and accounting.

The vlogger's daily schedule is detailed, including client sessions and a lunch break.

A new client with schizophrenia is introduced, highlighting the interdisciplinary team involved in her care.

The importance of self-care is emphasized, with the vlogger discussing their own self-care routine.

The vlogger's supervisor is interviewed, sharing insights on the role and benefits of supervision in psychology.

The supervisor's unique lunchtime routine of vigorous exercise is revealed for maintaining energy levels.

The vlogger's first session is a review of a client's job interview experience and the introduction of thought challenging.

A formulation session is conducted to understand the psychological model of a client's distress.

The vlogger discusses the challenges of working in private practice versus public health settings.

Lunchtime is used for relaxation, with the vlogger's preference for no work and outdoor walks highlighted.

The vlogger's approach to treating a client with schizophrenia is discussed, focusing on recovery and goal setting.

The day concludes with the vlogger writing a detailed letter to the client's psychiatrist and preparing to head home.

Transcripts

me

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um

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oh

finished i'm gonna

shower grab some food and then we're

heading to clinic today just doing my

makeup routine which if you'd like to

see a full-on version of it you can

watch it here or up there or somewhere

it's usually really simple like i'm

wearing a mask in session anyway so no

one can see anything

wearing a shirt it's like very

conservative front then there's a hole

in the back then i'm just wearing these

really loose

pants because they're comfy and it's a

friday

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oh

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so

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good morning

welcome to my office

so

first things first i will probably

log on and check my clients i decided to

film today because it's a very chill day

compared to usual so i have four clients

thank you so i have a

10 am who's a returning client

same with my 11 and then i've got a new

person at 12

and then i've got

lunch break for one i've got a free hour

where i think supervision was moved and

then i've got another client as well and

they're an interesting case because

they're an ndis client she has a

diagnosis of schizophrenia she has ndis

support and she has a full team around

her with

psychiatrists i think she has a

caseworker and a social worker

and we're all kind of like a mini team

but my first three are

just typical firstly i need to turn the

aircon it's so hot in here

doesn't he remind you of the

teletubby with the

the like i'm going to fill up my water

bottle and say good morning to our

clinic manager oh it's flattering i've

forgotten how to do this i haven't done

like a vlog in so long because of

lockdown

oh yeah and then now it's just gonna be

at home yeah and like i don't even know

like what hand to put everything

this is

a wonderful clinic manager who sits oh

yes so when clients walk in

they walk in and then they're like good

morning

good morning

i am the practice manager so i handle

everything from

reception or the taking of bookings or

the intake

um look after all of you guys yes

very well make sure you're all happy and

i do all the accounting for the business

as well so that yeah it's a full-on job

it is a full-on job but i enjoy it it's

really very yeah and busy and yeah so

many little things to think about yeah

look we need you guys to be happy in the

roles and comfortable that's our number

one priority okay and then you can give

the best to your clients yeah thank you

oh that was shoddy filming but

thanks tony

so i think it's time for a little bit of

a clinic tour and decorations are also

courtesy of our practice manager who

has come in and hung up all these really

nice things

but it's a bit of a tight space oh so

messy i should really tidy this first

um

whatever this is realistic

so you walk in

through this door and then usually with

clients i'll ask them to take a seat and

then i'll close the door after them

clients usually sit in that seat i

usually sit in this seat as you'll see

there's some tissues here in case

we get big feelings

um also covered

and i'm sitting here because it's a

little bit closer to the door

not that there's any duress here usually

and also the clock is placed here

so when i'm sitting here i'm aware of

the session time usually when the

clients aren't here i'm here working on

the computer we also do

telehealth here occasionally and

especially during coverage so i'll show

you the telehealth system as well

so

hello

during session i might do stuff like

add a whiteboard i might do

some sort of model here or we might

write down

goals or something but it's nice having

a whiteboard and then i can download

those after the session as well and

email them to a client

even though co-view is really great and

it you know kept psychologists working

throughout the whole pandemic i still

so much more prefer doing sessions in

person so i'm really really glad that

we're back i'm gonna go see if my

supervisor wants to talk

all right

sorry

this is my supervisor and uh i'll tell

you a bit more about supervision later

but

uh i wanted to ask a little bit about

your role as

the

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clinic

so i think we technically call it um the

principal principles yes so that sort of

means that

i'm usually i mean the principles

usually my senior in terms of experience

so i see clients just like you do i

supervise everyone here

in different sort of levels of

sort of intensity so for instance with

you i would supervise you sort of weekly

um the other psychologist here i would

supervise this but at the same time

hopefully you know sort of as a practice

we have a pretty school environment

whereby we're

you know sort of offering assistance and

support all the way through on an ad hoc

as this process

can confirm that's true oh if you had

like one piece of advice to like people

who want to get into psychology as a

career like it's it is an amazing job in

terms of

just the relationships you form with

people

what you learn from people

how it shapes you as a person

the great thing about the job is it's

never the case that i ever sort of leave

the office thinking i didn't do

something that was valuable in some ways

you know like so even if i didn't feel i

was particularly successful on that day

i know that i was trying to do something

that was you know helpful for people and

trying to make a difference as best i

could in people's lives it's exhausting

though you know yeah

it's a you know challenging job and i

think you know it's one of those jobs

that you've got to really work out how

to look after yourself at the same time

as how to keep up with all the

developments in the field it's a

fascinating job one last question which

is something that's really unique to my

supervisor which i've never noticed in

anyone else which is your lunch time

things that right you do yeah in terms

of exercise yeah yeah okay come one

o'clock it's sort of a family thing

everyone in my family does the same i

just start being pooped out and i

discovered that if i engage in vigorous

physical exercise in the middle of the

day that is eradicated

and the reason i bring it up is because

i think self-care and i've talked about

this a lot but self-care is so important

and everyone has like their own way of

doing it yeah and your way is really

interesting because they'll see you in

like running clothes yeah

i think when you first started i was

doing yoga in the room yeah i think i

walked in you were doing a yoga class

that didn't last very well so that was

my supervisor and he is

such an amazing like really experienced

supervisor and

in addition to providing

expertise in terms of therapeutic

techniques general questions about risk

and safety and admin and like how to be

a psychologist a supervisor is also

there to

check in on

how you're tracking personally as well

so capacity level well-being

encouraging self-care this practice in

particular is so on top of that that i

feel really well supported psychologists

are required to have supervision

throughout their entire career so my

supervisor has a supervisor as well you

have certain training requirements that

you must meet every year and there are

certain supervision requirements that's

one way in which we prevent falling

behind

um in terms of the research but also

um so that there's a a community support

and so we're not completely isolated as

well 9 57 so i'm just gonna stop filming

wind down

be present because i've got three

clients in a row so

i will check in with you when i can and

maybe talk through what i'm doing as

well

so i just finished my first session and

i'm just writing up the notes now so we

wrapped up the session at 10

50 and then usually i take about five

minutes to write down notes it's a lot

quicker in adult settings compared to

child settings usually because i just uh

described very briefly the skill that we

learned and also how the client

responded to it did a bit of a review so

they had a job interview and we reviewed

how that went um and we also kind of

debriefed the fact that she thought it

was going to go really badly even though

the interview was a bit strange that she

coped better than expected and because

she presents with social anxiety that's

really helpful evidence that you know we

expected it to go really badly and then

it didn't go as badly as we thought also

we coped way better than we expected and

then i introduced the skill of thought

challenging cool i've got second session

and this one is a formulation session

okay

second session done

that was really good uh we did a

formulation

which is basically a

psychological model of what has

caused

the current period of distress and we

look back on background factors stresses

that are continuing now treatment plan

forward so how we're going to tackle all

the different areas and it sounds very

confusing it took me a long time to

figure it out and i think this is my

client

hello

thank you

that was just a call to say that my

client's here so i will talk to you soon

third session down it is now uh 1 10. i

did go a little bit over time with my

last session

it was a new client

and it wasn't necessarily the most like

difficult assessment she presented with

depression and anxiety it was actually a

bit more low level but very persistent

and so they'd been feeling down for a

long time and couldn't really recall a

time where they felt

high but they also couldn't particularly

recall any

stresses and so it actually took a

little bit of time to like dig now i've

got lunch

and then

i've got

a one-hour break which is great i'll

we'll have a chat finish at

4 p.m today which is unusual but nice

because i'll catch up on admin and i

also just got a call from my

child clinic director who is asking me

to call a gp back because someone's

mental health care plan is

there's something wrong with it so i'm

gonna have to do a little bit of a gp

call as well

okay lunchtime

i

didn't get a chance to meal prep last

night but i have these bowls this is

like a mexican

chicken burrito bowl thing oh it's

sliding

and honestly like once a week i probably

ate one of these because i can't be

bothered to meal prep the night before

or it's like a friday actually it's

usually always like a friday so one of

the um

cons of working in private practice is

that it's quite solo in public health i

remember like sitting around a big group

table and everyone has lunch together

because you've got such a big team

whereas

right now in our practice we've got um

the principal like my supervisor we've

got a practice manager there's one other

registrar working today and sometimes

the registrars have lunch together but

yeah that's like all you get to see the

entire day aside from your clients a bit

of a tough environment if you're someone

who thrives on working like within

massive teams where

you know you really get to bounce ideas

off each other

really therapeutically because things

are confidential i just bounce ideas off

my supervisor i get that social need met

outside of work that's probably why it's

so important to have that self-care

routine and that downtime routine

speaking of which i

put an instagram

story up asking people what they wanted

to

see

um oh yes this is my

insta handle it's at underscore the

psych diaries but i was asking people

like what particular aspects of a day in

the life would you like to see and like

all the responses are like

the free time

or the down time or the chilling out

down time is

lunch hour i eat and i usually go for a

walk as well so i might show you if i go

for a walk today it's a bit

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it's a little bit dreary but

it's fine as long as it's not pouring i

usually go for a walk because it's

really good just to clear my head i

never work during lunch time so often

i'll just like sit here with the window

open and people watch because i'm like

in quite a busy area and everyone's like

street level and i'm elevated so a bit

creepy people watching but it's nice in

terms of like mindful eating

sometimes i might watch like a youtube

video or two but

the only rule i have is no work during

lunch so

even if i have like i have two sessions

worth of notes to write up that i

haven't done i leave it because i need

the down time for the afternoon

if i ever have leftover admin work it's

usually done if i'm three hour or like

end of day

yeah

okay it's a bit cold

also kind of sprinkling

so i'm going to stay close to the clinic

because i didn't bring an umbrella

this area is really nice there's so many

trees everywhere and

bushes and stuff so

it really helps clear my head

just to break up the day and to go

outside and i remember very early on

when i first started private practice in

the child clinic i would stay inside for

literally from 9am to 6pm

and i'd i'd have no idea what the

weather was that day nowadays pretty

much every day i work in private

practice i leave

for the middle of the day just so i can

get some air

oh yeah

how pretty

hello so it's now 4 p.m and i just

wrapped up with my last client hello oh

editing row here i am just popping in

because i'm reviewing the footage now

and realize i completely skipped over

what i'm doing treatment-wise so for

this particular client they have a

diagnosis of schizophrenia um which

basically means that they've experienced

psychosis unfortunately for people who

have had psychosis

there's a lot of stigma in our society

against them and often they're quite

marginalized there's maybe been like

some sort of disruption in their work or

study maybe during periods of being

unwell but also there's so much stigma

that often if employers know that they

have schizophrenial psychosis they might

not get jobs even if they are well and

they they're motivated and they really

would like to engage and so it can be

really really tough the way that we work

psychologically with psychosis is really

taking a recovery oriented approach and

a lot of the stigma comes from these

myths that to be honest i only recently

learned about this view that psychosis

was this lifelong disorder that would

just get worse and worse more research

is demonstrating that around a third of

people actually completely recover and

never have those symptoms again and

there's also a community of people who

talk about living with the voices the

approach that i'm taking with this

client is really looking at their goals

to engage with either like work or study

they are so incredibly intelligent that

and to be honest so many of my clients

are very perfectionistic and push

themselves very hard and so we talk a

lot about boundaries and making sure

that they don't push too hard there it's

just a little bit more management in

terms of working with a full team okay

back to the video

i

am going just to write a letter to her

psychiatrist with just my observations

of my work with her and

in a little bit of a way like advocating

right switching over the phone who knew

taking photos of my toast this morning

was going to drain the battery so

quickly i don't know this is just me but

does anyone else love scanning

so satisfying okay

hello it's 5

55.

i admit i got a little bit carried away

with this letter

um i got really into the swing of like

writing

and

also with the initial assessment

um there were so many things that i'd

written down that when i was reflecting

on it i was like oh my gosh that's like

this and that looks list so yeah anyway

it was a fun process but one of it over

time which is super chill because my

mate's still working

um but yeah i'm gonna head home now and

then i think we're gonna meet up for

dinner and then that's basically it

okay

okay

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do

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