We were lucky to catch up with Noushine Navabi Palatchi recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Noushine, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
This is such a hard one and frankly still comes up from time to time. I have days where I feel like I’ve mastered my clinical skills, discovered all the solutions, and am sitting on top of the world. There are also other days where I feel completely stuck, directionless, and unhelpful to my clients. Those are the days I worry about not being good enough and not doing meaningful work. Every day I lead my work from my heart. So when my clients are coming to me in their most vulnerable moments and in pain, that hurts for me too.
What I’ve had to learn is to stand firm in what I already know to be the truth. I am (usually) a confident and self assured therapist because I’ve worked incredibly hard and still continue to in order to deepen my clinical knowledge and sharpen my skills. I attend countless advanced trainings, read technical books, and attend monthly consultation groups. I don’t pretend to have my personal life’s conundrums fully figured out, but I know I am a strong therapist and show up that way for my clients.
I’ve also learned to notice and explicitly name parallel dynamics when they’re happening. When one person feels something in the room, generally the other person feels it too. For example, when I’m feeling stuck, less than, or not good enough in those moments I have to ask myself if that’s really my own baggage, or if it’s in fact my client’s. Naming it and putting back on the client helps not only with attunement, but also allows me to get out of the way and invite the client to move through those hard battles rather than away from them.
I’ve realized that it is rarely about me in those moments and often remind myself of the difference between causing vs exposing. I am not causing clients to feel stuck, ashamed, unworthy, not good enough, ect. That is their past showing up in the present. Of course it tugs on my heart strings to see clients in the trenches, but if I try to shield them from their own pain, it completely robs them of their agency and opportunity for growth. I care deeply about my clients and naturally want them to be well and succeed, so what that means is not making their pain and struggles about me.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
For those that may be unfamiliar with my story, in the past I have worked as a clinician in crisis stabilization, residential treatment for survivors of sex trafficking, and a substance abuse treatment facility. In 2020 I opened my private practice as the owner and solo clinician, but hoping to expand to a group practice in the future. I specialize in trauma and EMDR, which is trauma specific modality, and I work predominantly with marginalized populations including women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC. Beyond trauma I also work a lot with anxiety, depression, grief, and racial identity. Additionally, I am trained in ketamine assisted therapy, and also provide psychedelic preparation and integration sessions.
The more I do this work, the more I fall in love with it and feel aligned with my many purposes. I am very grateful and fortunate for my work to be my passion. There is something incredibly moving and humbling about being invited by clients into the world of their deepest hurts, and being witness to their perseverance.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
First and foremost, the best advice I can give anyone, but especially therapists, is do your own work! I firmly believe that therapists can only take clients as deep as they’ve gone with themselves. This has been crucial in my professional journey.
I’ve always considered myself highly organized starting from a very young age. I love developing a system and breaking things down into categories, which to me also assist with my time management. I’ve been dedicated to improving these methods and skills for years. Initially it served me well in school in order to improve my retention and understanding of the material, but it became especially beneficial when I started my practice. As a therapist in solo private practice and business owner, I have to navigate two worlds: clinical and business. In order to save overhead costs, I try to do as much myself as I can. The way I structure it is to dedicate 4 days a week to clinical work, and one day to do admin / business where I tackle all my bookkeeping.
This segues into my next point of being detail oriented, which I once again find crucial for both clinical and business work. I think being detail oriented with general bookkeeping including tracking income, expenses, quarterly taxes and payments ect, is vital for obvious reasons. Naturally I want to keep growing a healthy business and stay in good standing with governing agencies. But beyond that, attention to detail is vital in my clinical work, especially when merging somatic and trauma work. Assisting clients pay attention to their smallest clues and body signals can lead them to experience deepened insight and embodiment.
Lastly, I am highly sensitive and empathetic. Frankly this felt like a hindrance growing up because it resulted in me often feeling consumed by others’ emotions, pains, and struggles. I was able to relate and empathize so well that people would turn to me for support even when I did not have the capacity. Overtime I’ve learned how to honor myself first, so I can then turn around and utilize my gift to serve others. There are certainly days where sessions take a mental and emotional toll on me. When that happens it is a gentle reminder for me to drop inwards, introspect, and prioritize self care.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I absolutely love being in community with other like minded clinicians or individuals in helping professions! I am always looking to build my referral network of coaches, psychiatrists, treatment facilities, women’s clinics, and BIPOC professionals, just to name a few. For individuals that don’t have a clinical background but are interested in learning more about trauma and its impact, I would be happy to discuss speaking engagements and presentations. Lastly, for anyone interested in connecting with me, the best way to do so is through my website. Anyone can find my email directly listed at the bottom, or fill out a contact form.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.noushinenavabi.com/
Image Credits
Olivia Behind the Camera
