Second-guessing? STOP

Struggling with self-doubt as a play therapist? Learn how to recognize imposter syndrome and build confidence in your clinical skills.

Why imposter syndrome shows up in play therapy and how to build confidence in your clinical decisions.

Have you ever walked out of a play therapy session wondering, “Am I actually good at this?”

Maybe you're working with a complicated case, progress seems to have stalled, or a parent is questioning whether play therapy is helping their child. Suddenly, you're replaying everything that happened during the session, wondering whether you made the right decisions and worrying that someone is eventually going to realize you don't know what you're doing.

If you've ever felt like a fraud as a play therapist, I want you to know something: you're not the only one.

I've been working in child and adolescent mental health for almost 35 years, and I've experienced those feelings myself. I've also talked with countless play therapists who struggle with the same doubts, whether they're just beginning their careers, have several years of experience, or are learning a new therapeutic approach.

The problem is that imposter syndrome can make you question your clinical judgment even when you have the training and skills to help your clients. And when those doubts take over, it's easy to lose confidence in the very things you've worked so hard to learn.

So let's talk about what imposter syndrome looks like in play therapy, why it happens, and what you can do to start feeling more confident in your work.

Why Play Therapists Experience Imposter Syndrome

Most of us enter the mental health field because we genuinely want to help people. For many play therapists, this work feels like more than a career. It's something we're passionate about, something that gives us purpose, and something we've invested years of education and training into.

So when we begin questioning whether we're actually helping our clients, those doubts can feel especially personal.

Imposter syndrome is that persistent feeling that you don't have the knowledge or skills to provide effective therapy and that, at any moment, someone is going to discover you're not as competent as they think you are.

In my experience, imposter syndrome is often rooted in perfectionism and insecurity. We want to do such a good job that we begin believing every difficult session, unexpected response, or lack of progress is evidence that we're not good enough.

But struggling with a complex case doesn't mean you're a fraud. Sometimes you're learning how to apply a new play therapy model, navigating challenging family dynamics, or working with a client whose needs are particularly complicated.

That doesn't automatically mean you're doing something wrong. It means you're doing clinical work, and clinical work requires ongoing learning.

5 Signs Imposter Syndrome May Be Affecting Your Play Therapy Practice

Imposter syndrome doesn't always show up as an obvious thought like, I'm not qualified to do this. Sometimes it influences your clinical decisions and how you interact with clients and caregivers.

Here are five signs I frequently see in play therapists who are struggling with self-doubt:

You feel anxious or overwhelmed about helping your clients. You're constantly worrying about whether you're doing enough or whether your interventions are effective.
You secretly worry that you're a fraud. You wonder whether another therapist would do a better job or whether your clients would be better off working with someone else.
You second-guess your clinical decisions. You replay sessions in your head, question the interventions you've chosen, or start trying one play therapy activity after another because you're unsure what to do next.
You avoid difficult conversations with parents. You worry that caregivers are questioning your competence, so you put off conversations about progress, expectations, or treatment decisions.
You over-accommodate caregivers. You stop requiring regular parent consultation sessions or avoid setting necessary expectations because you're afraid of upsetting parents or adding to their stress.

That last one is especially important because it can begin affecting the therapeutic process itself.

When we're afraid parents might question our competence, we may hesitate to explain why certain parts of treatment are necessary. Instead of confidently guiding the process, we begin adjusting our clinical decisions around what we think will keep everyone happy.

Recognizing these patterns is the first step toward changing them.

1. Remember That Making Mistakes Doesn't Make You a Fraud

One of the most important things I want you to understand is that even experienced play therapists make mistakes.

I've made plenty throughout my career. And when I look back at those experiences, I often realize that what initially felt like a mistake actually gave me important information.

Maybe I learned something about my client's needs, their family's relationship patterns, or where we were in the trust-building process. Sometimes I learned something about myself, including my own emotional reactions or assumptions.

A mistake doesn't automatically mean you're a bad therapist. Sometimes it means you've gathered information that can help you make a better clinical decision.

Our responsibility is to reflect on what happened and consider what we need to do next. Was something happening within the client? Was I reacting to something personally? Was there a dynamic between us that I hadn't recognized?

That reflection helps us develop greater self-awareness and improve our clinical work.

If you're newer to play therapy, you're going to encounter situations you haven't experienced before. That's part of developing your skills. You don't have to interpret every unexpected outcome as evidence that you aren't qualified.

Instead, use those experiences to become more curious about what your client needs and how you can continue growing as a therapist.

2. Trust Your Training, Even When You Feel Unsure

I remember struggling with imposter syndrome when I was first starting my career. I wanted so badly to help children, and I felt an enormous responsibility to do everything correctly.

One of my supervisors had to remind me of something more than once: I had completed extensive education and clinical training, and that training gave me knowledge and skills that the families I was helping were coming to me for.

At the time, I wasn't entirely convinced. My insecurity and perfectionism were pretty strong, and I needed to hear that reminder repeatedly.

But here's what I've learned over the years:

You can feel unsure and still be qualified.

Feeling uncertain about a particular case doesn't erase your education, clinical experience, or professional skills. It may simply mean you're encountering something new or haven't yet developed confidence in applying what you've learned.

There's a difference between not knowing everything and not knowing anything.

When you find yourself questioning your abilities, return to your training. Think about what you already understand about child development, therapeutic relationships, and the play therapy process.

And when you need help applying that knowledge to a specific situation, seek consultation.

Confidence doesn't mean you'll always know exactly what to do. It means you have a foundation to return to and know how to find support when you need it.

3. Choose a Play Therapy Model and Learn It Well

If you've listened to my podcast for any length of time, you've probably heard me talk about the importance of having a solid play therapy model.

And there's a reason I keep coming back to it.

Your play therapy model is your GPS. It helps you understand what's happening with your client, what stage of treatment you're in, and what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.

Without that framework, it's easy to start second-guessing every decision. You might find yourself jumping between interventions, trying different activities, or wondering whether you should be doing something completely different.

When I first started learning play therapy, my foundation was Child-Centered Play Therapy. There were times when I felt uncomfortable, wanted to try something else, or questioned whether I was doing it correctly.

But I stuck with it because I wanted to understand the model well enough to apply it with different clients and presenting concerns.

That foundation helped me recognize what was happening in the playroom, understand the stages of treatment, and explain the therapeutic process to caregivers.

Now, I use a more integrative approach, but those foundational skills are still incredibly important.

I'm not suggesting that everyone needs to use Child-Centered Play Therapy. Maybe Adlerian Play Therapy, Gestalt Play Therapy, or another model aligns more closely with your clinical philosophy.

The important thing is to choose a model that makes sense to you and develop a strong understanding of how to use it before trying to integrate multiple approaches.

Your model also gives you the language to explain play therapy to parents.

I remember a therapist who worked in my group practice years ago. She was passionate about Child-Centered Play Therapy and created a short PowerPoint presentation to explain the model to caregivers. She used it to help parents understand what play therapy was, why she was using it, and what their role would be.

I thought that was such a great idea because she wasn't simply hoping parents would understand the process. She had a clear framework and could confidently communicate it.

When you understand your model, you have a much stronger foundation for making clinical decisions and explaining those decisions to families.

And that can make a tremendous difference in how confident you feel.

4. Build Confidence Through Consultation and Community

Learning a play therapy model is important, but you also need opportunities to practice applying it with different clients, presenting concerns, and stages of treatment.

That's where consultation becomes so valuable.

Sometimes we're too close to a case to recognize what's happening. We may be struggling to understand a child's play, wondering whether treatment is progressing, or feeling overwhelmed by difficult family dynamics.

Having trusted colleagues who understand play therapy gives us an opportunity to step outside our own perspective.

Someone might recognize a pattern we missed, ask a question that changes our case conceptualization, or suggest another way to apply our theoretical model.

And sometimes, the most helpful thing is simply hearing another therapist say, “I've experienced that too.”

This is one of the reasons I created Play Therapy Academy. I wanted play therapists to have a place where they could develop deeper clinical skills while receiving ongoing support from other professionals who understand the work.

Through structured case presentations, we explore what's happening with a client, how to make sense of it using a play therapy model, and what clinical decisions might help move treatment forward.

What I love about this process is that you're not only learning from me. You're learning from the collective experience and perspectives of everyone in the group.

I've watched play therapists enter Play Therapy Academy feeling overwhelmed by self-doubt and gradually develop greater confidence as they strengthen their clinical skills.

Because confidence doesn't come from knowing every answer. It develops as you learn how to think through difficult situations and trust your clinical decision-making process.

When Parents Question Play Therapy, Don't Let Self-Doubt Take Over

Imposter syndrome can become especially loud when you're working with complex cases or when caregivers begin questioning the treatment process.

Maybe a parent tells you that their pediatrician recommended another type of therapy or that someone told them play therapy doesn't work. Or perhaps they're frustrated because they aren't seeing the changes they expected.

Those conversations can be difficult, especially when you're already questioning whether you're doing enough.

But I want you to remember that parents are often asking these questions because they're worried about their children. They want things to get better, and they're looking for reassurance that treatment is helping.

Our job is to remain grounded in our clinical framework, explain the therapeutic process, and respond to their concerns thoughtfully.

That becomes much easier when you understand your play therapy model and have the support of colleagues who can help you work through challenging situations.

You don't need to have a perfect answer to every question. You need a clear understanding of what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how you're assessing whether it's helping.

You Don't Have to Be a Perfect Play Therapist to Be an Effective One

If there's one thing I want you to take away from this conversation, it's that feeling uncertain doesn't automatically mean you're unqualified.

You can be a thoughtful, skilled play therapist and still encounter situations that challenge your confidence. You can make mistakes, learn something new, and adjust your approach without interpreting those experiences as evidence that you don't belong in this profession.

The goal isn't to eliminate every moment of uncertainty. It's to develop the clinical foundation, self-awareness, and support that help you navigate those moments.

Choose a play therapy model and learn it well. Trust the education and experience you've already gained. Be willing to reflect on your mistakes, and surround yourself with people who can help you continue developing your skills.

You can feel unsure and still be qualified.

And you don't have to figure everything out alone.

Build Your Confidence Inside Play Therapy Academy

If you're ready to move beyond constantly second-guessing your clinical decisions, I'd love to invite you to explore Play Therapy Academy (PTA).

Inside PTA, we focus on strengthening your case conceptualization, learning how to apply your play therapy model through every stage of treatment, and developing the clinical decision-making skills that help you feel more confident with complex cases.

Our cohorts are intentionally small, with structured case presentations and opportunities to learn from both my nearly 35 years of experience and the collective wisdom of other play therapists.

And if you're looking for a supportive community with ongoing consultation and opportunities to exchange ideas, Play Therapy Elevation CIRCLE (PTEC) may be a better fit.

Because becoming a confident play therapist isn't about doing everything perfectly. It's about having the knowledge, skills, and support to keep growing—even when the work gets complicated.

Categories: : Burnout, Case Conceptualization, Imposter Syndrome, Play Therapy Academy, Podcast