Editor's note: This text-based course is a transcript of the webinar, Positive Communication To Help Reduce Future Imposter Syndrome, presented by Jessi Andricks, MS, CCC-SLP.
*Please also use the handout with this text course to supplement the material.
Learning Outcomes
- After this course, participants will be able to recognize imposter syndrome and name the five types.
- After this course, participants will be able to identify the difference between imposter syndrome, burnout, and stress.
- After this course, participants will be able to list at least three activities/strategies to reduce stress for themselves and their grad students to support occupation.
About the Speaker
Welcome everyone. I want to share a little more about why I’m here. I’m a speech-language pathologist, and I’ve worked in many different settings over the years. If you’ve been in the field for a while, you’ve probably had a similar experience. I started on the medical side and truly believed that was where I’d stay forever. But I burned out quickly. Circumstances like the recession, layoffs, budget cuts, and living in a smaller rural area with limited job opportunities led me to transition into the school system.
All the stress and upheaval eventually led me to step away from the field for about five years. At the time, I had just completed my yoga training and decided to dive into that world fully. I spent those years working as a yoga instructor and coach focused on mind-body fitness and holistic health. Through that experience, I started noticing how beneficial these practices were—not only for my stress but also for the people I was working with. They were seeing positive changes in how they handled the demands of daily life.
Two major life changes eventually brought me back to speech-language pathology. I had my first child, and the yoga studio where I worked closed. I took it as a sign to give being an SLP another try. When I re-entered the field, I had no resources at all. I was doing teletherapy before it became mainstream due to the pandemic, and I felt completely lost. I turned to Facebook groups and began gathering resources there. That’s also when the curtain lifted for me—I realized how many other professionals were stressed, burned out, and struggling to find clarity in their work.
That experience motivated me to begin sharing the practices that had helped me. I introduced them to fellow SLPs, educators, and related service providers. Over time, I’ve adapted these practices to my current work setting. I now work in a school, supporting pre-K through upper elementary students. I also help other professionals incorporate these approaches into their work, whether with children, adults, or future clinicians they’re training.
Centered and Grounded
Before we dive into today’s official webinar, let’s take a moment to get centered, grounded, and settled. If you need anything—a glass of water, a blanket to curl up, or a notebook if you’d like to take notes—go ahead and gather it now. Then take a second to find stillness.
Find your seat. If you’re listening while driving, continue to stay focused. But if you’re at home or in your office, close your eyes for a moment.
Wherever you are, let your shoulders rise as you breathe in. As you exhale, roll them back and let them drop down. Take another breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. One more deep breath in, and then let it go. If you can, begin to breathe gently in and out through your nose. As you inhale, feel your belly rise, your rib cage expand, and the breath travel up to your chest. As you exhale, feel everything soften and empty back out, down into your belly. Take about five slow breaths here. As you do, notice where the breath feels open and where it feels stuck. Notice any areas of tension or tightness in your body. Gently observe your thoughts—how your mind is showing up today—without judgment, just awareness. Take one more breath in. When you’re ready, let your breath return to its natural rhythm. Open your eyes again, and see if you feel just a little more grounded and present. You now have more awareness of how you're arriving today and how you’ll show up as you begin to learn.
Supervising
We're here to talk about supervision, and before we begin, I’d like to hear from you. Type your response in the chat: What setting are you currently working in, and who are you supervising? There are many types of supervision in different settings. In most roles, you're likely supervising or mentoring someone.
ASHA Supervision - Defined
What exactly is supervision? For SLPs, ASHA defines the requirements for serving as a supervisor or clinical fellow (CF) mentor in relation to certification. According to ASHA, individuals must hold current certification, have completed at least nine months of clinical practice post-certification, and have earned a minimum of two professional development hours in supervision or clinical instruction. This is a one-time requirement. The definition is limited. It establishes whether you’re eligible to supervise a CF or an SLPA, but offers little insight beyond that.
Many related service fields likely have similar baseline definitions. The challenge is that while these requirements confirm eligibility, they don’t provide practical guidance on supervising or what to do when issues arise. Meeting the criteria doesn’t always mean feeling equipped to support someone through complex clinical situations.
What Are the Biggest Challenges for You as a Supervisor?
Some of the biggest challenges I’ve encountered—or that others have shared with me—often come down to simply knowing what to do in the moment. What are the issues you’ve faced as a supervisor? Or, if you think back to when you were being supervised, what challenges stand out from that experience?
Feel free to share in the chat (from the live event). Here’s what I’m seeing: needing more pragmatic support, a mismatch of expectations, and a lack of medical training. Some have mentioned struggling with mismatched feedback styles—either giving feedback that wasn’t well received or being on the receiving end and not feeling aligned with the approach. Giving critical feedback can be especially difficult when the person receiving it is defensive or dismissive.
Several people have mentioned the lack of strong foundational knowledge, especially among newer clinicians. Others noted the importance of giving grace and balancing correction with compassion. Communication style came up more than once, especially when trying to tailor feedback in a clear but not overwhelming way.
Another theme is the dynamic of control—whether supervisors are too hands-off or struggle to step back and allow their students more responsibility. There’s also the pressure some students feel to be perfect, especially in competitive academic programs, and how that pressure can make them hesitant to take risks or ask for help.
These are real and varied challenges, highlighting how complex supervision can be. There isn’t one clear issue with a straightforward solution. Instead, there’s a wide range of dynamics at play, and effective supervision often means navigating all of these with thoughtfulness and adaptability.
Issues in Supervision
Here are a few additional issues. One recurring theme is the anxiety students carry when entering clinicals without much hands-on experience. Some haven’t had the chance to practice therapy until that point, which leaves them feeling unprepared, unsure of what to do in a session, how to interact with a patient, or how to select appropriate treatment strategies. That uncertainty can be overwhelming, especially when they’re expected to perform in real-time.
Some students also feel pressure to be perfect right from day one. Many internalize the belief that they must get everything right immediately, often because they feel they have to be flawless just to get accepted into their graduate programs. That mindset can make it difficult for them to accept feedback or to view mistakes as part of the learning process.
Generational differences also play a role. These can show up in communication styles, expectations around feedback, work habits, and how students engage with learning. These differences aren’t inherently problematic, but they can lead to misunderstandings or frustration if they go unacknowledged.
Lastly, there’s a lack of clear, standardized guidance on supervising. Many clinicians find themselves in the supervisor role with little direction on what’s expected or how to approach it effectively. The rules around eligibility may be defined, but the “how” of supervision—how to coach, navigate challenges, and adjust based on the learner—is often left unclear.
General Issues
There are also broader, more systemic issues in the field that many of us are all too familiar with. One of the most common is the judgment and all-or-nothing mindset. There’s often this unspoken message that you must do therapy a certain way or not at all. You're seen as doing it wrong if you’re not using a specific method. Use this approach and you’re praised; use another, and suddenly you’re viewed as less competent. That black-and-white thinking creates pressure and can stifle growth and professional confidence.
Then there’s the issue of compensation and recognition. Many of us feel that our pay doesn’t reflect our education, expertise, or work intensity. Along with that, there’s often a lack of understanding from others about what we do. Our scope of practice is broad, which sometimes means we’re expected to do everything simply because we can. This contributes to the weight of high caseloads and mounting workload demands.
Even in places where there’s been a shift from a caseload to a workload model, the workload remains intense. Managing documentation, meetings, therapy planning, and direct services—it's a lot, no matter how it’s labeled.
One phrase often passed down from supervisors to future SLPs is: “It’ll get better when you’re on your own, doing it your way.” You may have said this yourself, and it’s usually said with the best of intentions. It comes from a place of encouragement, acknowledging that things are hard right now because you’re learning someone else’s system and style. The promise is that you'll feel more confident and less constrained once you’re out there doing things your way.
In some ways, that’s true. There is a sense of freedom and ownership that comes with practicing independently. But that doesn’t mean the stress disappears. It just becomes a different kind of stress. The pressures are still shaped by new responsibilities, decisions, and expectations.
Three Factors
We will examine three key factors contributing to stress and how we can begin to prevent stress, burnout, and imposter syndrome. These are deeply connected—not just in the field in general, but especially at the grad school level and in the early stages of supervision.
The first factor is stress and burnout. These probably aren't new concepts for you. Today, I want to revisit these just briefly, not only to explore how they’re connected, but to look at how they can lead to imposter syndrome. From there, we’ll consider what can be done to break that cycle and prevent it from taking hold for ourselves and the people we supervise.
Stress and Burnout
Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse and very demanding circumstances. From the Oxford Dictionary, that definition may feel a bit wordy, but it’s accurate and powerful. Stress is both mental and emotional. It creates tension, and it stems from experiences or demands that challenge or overwhelm us. These are the things that take up space in our minds and weigh heavily on our time and energy.
Stress is the brain’s reaction to a perceived threat or negative stimulus. It's not the event that defines stress—it's how our brain reacts to it. That reaction triggers a cascade in the body, shaping how we feel and behave in the moment.
Burnout is something else entirely. The World Health Organization recognizes burnout as a state of chronic stress. It shows up as mental and physical exhaustion, and a growing sense of self-doubt, particularly in the context of one’s work. While burnout was described initially as a job-related condition, we now understand it can arise from any prolonged, high-demand role, including caregiving for family, managing home responsibilities, or simply trying to keep up with our daily expectations. Burnout is the result of stress that builds and stays unaddressed.
Stress often begins in small ways, through everyday irritations. Maybe it’s a repetitive task or a frustrating part of your routine. For example, I used to feel stressed just walking from my car into the building, past my desk, and then upstairs to clock in before heading back down. It seemed inefficient and was a minor daily annoyance. I didn’t dwell on it before or after, but in the moment, it created friction.
Daily stressors like that tend to be manageable on their own. But when they multiply or intensify, they become harder to ignore. Maybe that paperwork now takes longer, or it's on your mind before you begin your day. When the stress starts showing up before, during, and after an event, and there’s no time to reset, it becomes chronic. When chronic stress goes unmanaged, burnout often follows.
There’s a helpful way to visualize this progression: stress burns like a flame, growing brighter and hotter until there’s nothing left but burnout. It builds and builds until something gives out.
Here’s what’s happening in the brain during that process. The stress response begins with the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for detecting danger. Under normal, non-stressful conditions, your brain takes in information and routes it through the prefrontal cortex—where problem-solving and executive functioning take place. But under stress, especially when a threat is perceived, the amygdala takes over. It activates the fight, flight, or freeze response.
During this process, the prefrontal cortex dims down. You may feel like you're trying to think clearly but just can’t. Your hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning, actually starts to shrink. Your ability to recall helpful information is reduced, and you may feel stuck and unsure of what to do—even if you've handled similar situations in the past.
This becomes a cycle. The brain is trying to protect you from perceived harm, as it did long before we had the cognitive tools we use today. The problem is that your brain doesn’t differentiate between the kind of threat that requires true survival instincts—like a predator—and modern-day stressors like difficult emails, tight schedules, or a high caseload. They all trigger the same stress response.
As the brain tries harder to protect you, it begins scanning for more threats, keeping the stress response active. The result is a constant state of hyper-awareness and depletion. We begin to anticipate stress, which increases it further. We tell ourselves we should know how to manage it, which adds shame or guilt into the mix. And the cycle continues.
Understanding this loop is the first step in interrupting it. Stress is inevitable, but recognizing how it operates within the brain and body gives us the opportunity to respond more effectively—and to prevent it from spiraling into burnout.
Imposter Syndrome
What does all of this have to do with imposter syndrome and supervision? Quite a bit, actually. Imposter syndrome often stems from chronic stress and burnout. The more stress someone is under—especially when it's prolonged or unaddressed—the more likely they are to experience imposter syndrome. That applies not just to us as seasoned professionals, but to students and clinical fellows who are still finding their way in the field.
Because stress and burnout are so prevalent in our work, it’s essential that we talk about ways to reduce their impact—both for ourselves and for those we supervise. Preventing imposter syndrome means being proactive about recognizing the signs of stress and burnout, and creating environments that support learning, growth, and honest communication.
Take a moment to reflect or share in the chat: when have you experienced imposter syndrome? And when have your students shown signs of it through what they've said or acted?
Some of the responses that came in included teaching a class, being in meetings, or even leading a yoga session when another teacher is present—those moments where doubt creeps in and suddenly you're questioning your own credibility. Others shared that it shows up during the CF year, when starting a new job, launching a private practice, or being thrown into an unfamiliar setting. One person mentioned it happening daily. Another talked about having to "wing it" through unexpected problems, unsure of how to respond. Someone described a grad school supervision experience that bordered on abusive, with threats about their license. Others mentioned students placed in settings they didn’t choose, or the pressure of presenting at a conference, especially in front of colleagues. And of course, things like state testing or walking into a new facility can easily trigger that feeling.
It’s helpful to know that this experience is common, and it’s even more powerful to hear someone say that the feeling has diminished over time. Sometimes that comes with age or experience, or simply reaching a point where the pressure to prove yourself softens.
Imposter syndrome is a mental condition in which a highly accomplished or successful person feels like a fraud. They believe, paradoxically, that they’re not as skilled, talented, or competent as others think they are. It’s not necessarily about low self-esteem; it’s about a persistent sense of internalized doubt. A fear that someone will eventually discover you don’t belong in your role.
Think of students who feel they must be perfect from the start—not because of their grades or clinical performance, but because they fear being “found out.” They feel they must justify their place in graduate school or the profession, despite having already met all the requirements.
It’s the same for clinical fellows or even seasoned professionals in the field for decades. You may have earned your degree, passed your exams, taken continuing ed courses, and worked hard to serve your clients—and yet, that fear lingers. The fear that someone will realize you don’t know what you’re doing, even though your experience says otherwise.
This syndrome is marked by intense internalized doubt and fear of being exposed. You hesitate to speak up or try something new because you fear one wrong move will confirm all your self-doubt.
The term “imposter syndrome” was first used in 1978 by Dr. Suzanne Imes and Dr. Pauline Rose Clance. It was initially studied in high-achieving women and continues to be most commonly seen in women and other marginalized groups. Given that our field is predominantly made up of women, it makes sense that imposter syndrome shows up here more often than we might expect.
Statistics from Psychology Today suggest that 25–30% of high achievers and about 70% of adults experience imposter syndrome at some point. It’s not a formal diagnosis in the DSM-5, though it often co-occurs with anxiety, depression, or other stress-related conditions. It can also exist independently, rooted in performance pressures, perfectionism, and identity.
Understanding this helps us support the people we supervise in more meaningful ways. We can start recognizing the signs and creating a space that allows room for questions, mistakes, vulnerability, and the confidence to grow.
Characteristics
Some common characteristics of imposter syndrome are essential to recognize, especially if you’ve never experienced it. Knowing these traits can help you identify them in the students or clinical fellows you supervise. If you notice these patterns, it may be a sign they’re struggling with imposter syndrome.
One key trait is self-doubt. That moment of thinking, “I don’t think I know what I’m doing,” or “Why am I even here?” Another is undervaluing contributions—when someone does something well but brushes it off, saying, “Oh, I didn’t do anything,” or “That wasn’t a big deal.” This isn’t humility—a more profound belief that their efforts or knowledge don’t count.
Another sign is attributing success to external factors. Instead of acknowledging skill or preparation, students might say, “It was just good timing,” or “I got lucky.” Some may even sabotage their success by dismissing their achievements or downplaying their knowledge and effort.
Conversely, some set unrealistically high expectations for themselves—standards they can’t possibly meet. Because those expectations are unreachable, they never feel successful, even when doing well. That leads to a persistent fear of falling short; over time, this fear becomes a constant stressor.
Other common traits include emotional exhaustion, feelings of being a fraud, and an ongoing fear of being found out. These individuals believe it’s only a matter of time before someone realizes they’re not as capable as they appear. Resources from BetterHelp and the University of Cincinnati outline these characteristics.
If someone is experiencing imposter syndrome, they are also more likely to experience burnout. This is where stress, burnout, and imposter syndrome begin to overlap. A 2016 study found that individuals with imposter syndrome showed increased levels of exhaustion, emotional fatigue, and depersonalization—all key signs of burnout.
Both burnout and imposter syndrome are also associated with depression and anxiety. A constant sense of not being good enough is at the core. That feeling builds stress over time; it can quickly lead to burnout without intervention or support. Recognizing these signs is the first step in helping others—and ourselves—break that cycle.
5 Types
There are five types of imposter syndrome, and someone can relate to more than one at a time. You might notice some of your students shifting between these types, or you may recognize more than one in yourself. These patterns are helpful to understand, especially when supporting someone struggling with self-doubt.
The first type is the perfectionist. This person sets unrealistically high goals and is never satisfied with their achievements. It often starts early, getting perfect grades in high school to get into a competitive college, then needing perfect grades again in college to get into grad school. Once in grad school, the pressure continues with the desire to stand out in clinicals, perform at the top of the class, and land a great job afterward. Mistakes feel unacceptable, and anything less than perfect becomes a perceived failure. The drive is constant, and satisfaction is rare.
The second is the superhero. This person feels like they have to excel in every role they play. In school, that might mean being the best in the clinic, the best in the class, and also managing responsibilities outside of school, like a part-time job, family obligations, or even just maintaining a life outside of grad school. I worked in the evenings in grad school, so I understand what it’s like to balance class, clinic, study, and work. The superhero feels they're failing if they do not do everything exceptionally well.
The expert is always hungry to learn more, which is excellent. But in this case, the desire to keep learning comes from a need to prove worth. It's the idea that if someone else knows more, they must know nothing. Their identity is tied to maintaining expert status; if that status slips, they question their place entirely.
The natural genius believes that intelligence and ability must be innate. They expect to pick things up quickly; when they don't, they feel like they’ve failed. There's no room for learning curves or making mistakes. If a new therapy technique arises, or a client presents a challenge they've never seen before, and they don’t immediately know what to do, they assume they’re not cut out for the field. This type doesn’t lean on a growth mindset. Instead, there’s a belief that you either have it or you don’t.
The soloist prefers to work alone, not out of a preference for solitude but because their self-worth is tied to doing things on their own. Asking for help feels like a sign of weakness. They believe that accepting support means they’re incapable, and they measure their success by how independently they can manage.
These types show up in subtle and not-so-subtle ways and can profoundly affect how someone moves through their clinical training or work. Recognizing these patterns helps us create more supportive environments, where students and colleagues can feel safe being learners instead of feeling like they always have to prove their worth.
Prevent Future Imposter Syndrome
Now that we’ve taken time to understand imposter syndrome more fully—reflecting not only on how it shows up in our own lives but also in the experiences of those we supervise—the next question becomes: what can we do about it?
If we can prevent this from taking root and support our students and colleagues in a way that builds resilience and confidence, we can truly shift the culture of our field. When we help dismantle those internal narratives of “I’m not good enough” or “I don’t belong here,” we create space for people to step into their roles with competence and confidence. That shift opens the door to a stronger, more collaborative, and empowered professional community.
Imagine replacing those thoughts of “I’m not qualified to be here” or “I’m not making a difference” with a sense of grounded confidence—someone thinking, “I am the SLP. I have something to contribute. I know things, and I’m still open to learning more.” That mindset doesn’t just help the individual—it uplifts the entire profession. It allows for mentorship, curiosity, and collective progress.
One powerful way to support that shift is by incorporating mindfulness and positive psychology principles into our supervision. This applies whether you're in a traditional supervisory role, mentoring a CF, guiding a grad student, or managing a team at a clinic. How we communicate with those we’re responsible for—how we frame feedback, help them reflect, and model presence—makes a difference.
Mindfulness allows us to pause and respond with intention. It gives us tools to regulate our stress and also models that regulation to others. Positive psychology helps us emphasize strengths, resilience, and growth. When we bring those into our interactions, supervision becomes less about performance and more about development. That slight shift can help someone see their worth, own their growth, and stay in the field with a healthier, more sustainable mindset.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose in the present moment without judgment. That’s the most straightforward and most foundational definition. It begins with awareness—just noticing what’s happening—but it’s not passive. You’re paying attention on purpose, with intention, because you’ve chosen to be present.
The focus is on the present moment, not the past, not what might happen next, but what’s happening right now. And that awareness comes without judgment. It’s not about labeling the therapy session as good or bad, or evaluating whether something is right or wrong. It’s about being fully present with what is, just as it unfolds.
Mindfulness also invites us to respond, rather than react. When something challenging comes up—maybe a student makes a mistake, a session doesn’t go as planned, or something unexpected happens—mindfulness gives us a pause. It creates space between the event and the response. Instead of immediately reacting, we can step back for a moment, take a breath, and choose how to move forward. That shift from reaction to response can change the tone of supervision and communication, making space for reflection, growth, and clarity.
Positive Psychology
Positive psychology, sometimes called positivity, is the scientific study of the strengths that allow individuals and communities to thrive. This framework comes from the University of Pennsylvania, where much of the foundational work in this area was developed. Positivity is often misunderstood as being happy, but the two are different. You can have a hard day, feel overwhelmed or discouraged, and still be positive. Positivity isn’t about ignoring difficult emotions but about how you relate to them.
It’s rooted in optimism and resilience. Instead of denying that hard times exist, it’s about believing they won’t last forever. It means being grounded in the belief that growth is possible, even when things feel difficult. It also means asking questions like: what is working? What did I learn? What are my strengths, and how can I use them moving forward? This approach helps individuals and groups overcome challenges without getting stuck in defeat.
Mindfulness, Cont.
While mindfulness helps reset the stress response, positivity helps rewire the brain. Mindfulness quiets the amygdala, responsible for the fight, flight, or freeze response, and brings the prefrontal cortex back online. That allows you to access problem-solving, executive functioning, and memory. With consistent mindfulness, your brain forms new pathways—so when stress shows up, you're more likely to pause, reflect, and respond with clarity rather than reacting automatically.
Positivity builds on this by helping the brain look for what’s going well. It reinforces neural patterns that support hope, motivation, and confidence. Over time, it shifts how we interpret challenges and how we recover from them. Together, mindfulness and positive psychology offer powerful tools for supervision, learning, and navigating stress in the field with more intention and balance.
Positivity
Mindfulness resets it. Positivity rewires it.
While mindfulness turns down the stress response, allowing the brain to shift out of fight, flight, or freeze mode, positivity works on rewiring how the brain processes experiences. Your brain is naturally wired to detect threats—it’s built to look for what might go wrong. That’s a survival instinct. So, it tends to focus on the negative things in your day because they feel urgent or dangerous. Meanwhile, the positive moments often get overlooked or pushed aside.
This isn’t about ignoring the negative. It’s about training your brain to notice the positive alongside the challenges. By intentionally focusing on what’s going well—small wins, moments of connection, strengths used effectively—you start to change the lens through which your brain views daily life. You shift from seeing only what’s wrong to the full picture: the hard, hopeful mistakes, and growth.
This matters deeply when it comes to imposter syndrome. Chronic stress builds over time and, when left unchecked, leads to burnout. That burnout creates the conditions for imposter syndrome to take hold. But mindfulness can interrupt that stress cycle, and positivity can rewire the brain’s attention patterns. Together, they build a buffer that decreases the likelihood of imposter syndrome showing up and helps prevent it from growing when it does.
By starting with stress and burnout and moving intentionally through it, we create space for clarity, confidence, and growth. That’s how we begin to shift the pattern—not just for ourselves but also for the students and clinicians we supervise.
Common Grad School/CF Challenges
Common challenges in grad school and the clinical fellowship year came up a lot in the chat earlier, and they’re important to revisit. These are times when clinicians are learning as they serve. They’re actively delivering therapy, but also understanding what that therapy looks like in real time. Often, they’re following someone else’s protocols or clinical style. It’s not necessarily how they would do things themselves, but it’s what they’re being asked to do in the setting they’re placed in.
They’re new to the role and may not know exactly what to do in unfamiliar situations. Even with a strong knowledge base, they’re stepping into systems and environments where things have been done a certain way for a long time. That makes it difficult to assert one’s ideas or to trust one’s instincts. There’s a constant balance between trying to learn, trying to adapt, and trying not to step out of bounds.
There’s also the illusion of independence. In graduate placements, students may begin seeing patients or students independently, but they’re not truly independent. Their work is still under supervision. As a clinical fellow, they might appear to be functioning daily, with occasional check-ins, but those check-ins still carry weight. A supervisor can step in to redirect or reframe their work. So while they may feel the pressure of being on their own, there’s still that presence of oversight, which can be both comforting and stressful, depending on the dynamics.
All of this brings us to the importance of positive communication. When we take the reality of these early professional experiences—when someone is doing their best but is still figuring it all out—and combine that with the risk of stress, burnout, and imposter syndrome, we start to see just how critical our approach to supervision becomes.
Positive communication is about supporting someone’s growth while still holding space for accountability and feedback. It’s imperative when you need to give critical feedback and are unsure how it will be received. The goal is to create a relationship where the person being supervised doesn’t feel controlled, but supported. You’re in charge, but the goal isn’t to micromanage or undermine. It’s to guide, model, and encourage a space where questions are welcome and learning is mutual.
That starts with how we frame feedback, acknowledge what’s going well, and approach challenges as opportunities for development. It also means being transparent, willing to share your own experiences of uncertainty or growth, and reminding the person you’re supervising that they are not alone in this. That balance of being both grounded and collaborative can make all the difference in someone’s early professional experience.
Positive Communication
We could use positive communication. This is mindfulness and positivity, like in action. And if we're using this, it's less likely to trigger the stress, the burnout, but also give tools for those things and to model using some of the tools for those to help prevent that imposter syndrome.
Basically, this: Your words matter. As we move forward, we don't have to pop this one into the chat, but I just want you to keep in mind what positive communication means to you.
So positive communication is communication that's based on respect and it builds trust and collaboration. So there's that, that foundation of mutual respect. You respect who you're supervising and they respect you as the supervisor. But there's also trust. You trust them.
You trust them to do the best that they can in that moment. And they also trust you to guide them and to support them and help them continue to learn. And there's collaboration. So it's not just you telling them what to do or them saying, I'm just going to do what you do, or, I don't want to do what you do. I'm doing what I want to do.
The way we can kind of work through these is to listen and learn, to empathize and support, to share and reflect. This is from mentalhealth.org.nz.
Things to Use to Prevent Future Imposter Syndrome- Cont.
Let’s examine tools to help prevent imposter syndrome. We've covered the background; now, here are practical strategies.
One approach is using a “what is working” mindset. This ties into listening and learning. The question comes from positive psychology and the growth mindset. It's not about ignoring what's not working, but identifying what did. You can use this during daily or weekly reflections—after sessions or at the end of the day. Ask: What went well? What did I learn today?
This focuses on both challenges and strengths. What was difficult? What came more easily? The idea isn’t to only do what’s easy but to recognize what's already solid and use that as a foundation to improve other areas. You can check in at the start of the day with something like, “How are you showing up today?” That’s more intentional than “How are you?” It encourages reflection—Are you tired? Feeling scattered? Dealing with a heavy caseload?
This type of check-in gives insight into what kind of support may be needed and highlights what strengths they bring into the day. It helps push back against imposter syndrome by making space for struggle and progress. Each day is different, and that’s okay. It models a realistic, reflective communication style that they can use with their clients later.
Mindfulness supports the “share and reflect” process. While mindfulness meditation is an option, it’s not required. It can be as simple as taking a few deep breaths before transitioning between tasks—after meetings or between sessions. This resets the stress response. Journaling can also be helpful—daily reflections or gratitude lists to reinforce what’s going well. That’s how we rewire the brain.
Movement is another tool—walking, fidgeting, or pacing can help someone get out of their head and back into their body. If someone is feeling overwhelmed, physically moving can support emotional regulation. This creates connection and acceptance. It says, “You’re allowed to show up as you are.” It also builds awareness without judgment, which creates space for growth.
Now, the three Bs: boundaries, buffers, and balance. These fall under the empathize and support category.
Boundaries—modeling start and end times is crucial. New SLPs may struggle with this. Teletherapy can blur these lines. Logging in early or working unpaid prep time adds up. Having clear expectations protects mental health. Work stays at work, and home stays at home. Occasionally, you may need to handle something off the clock, but when that becomes a habit, it leads to stress and burnout and fuels imposter syndrome.
It helps to model and talk openly about this. You don’t need to have perfect boundaries yourself. You can say, “Here’s what I’m working on,” or “I wish I had done this differently.”
Buffers—Build in time between transitions. A moment before the day starts to shift from home to work mode, and a moment at the end to step away, gives the brain a chance to reset. Even short breaks between preschool and third-grade sessions can help. Share strategies and offer ideas for small pauses and mental resets.
These practices create a positive environment that supports growth. That’s the purpose of supervision—to grow future SLPs, whether they’re undergrads, grad students, CFs, or SLPAs. Even those with formal education need time to practice and expand.
We support growth by communicating with respect, empathy, and patience. We allow mistakes. We share our challenges and strengths. This builds trust and collaboration. It shifts focus from what’s not working to what is—and how to build from there.
I’ll leave you with this quote. Depending on your source, it’s Voltaire or Uncle Ben from Spider-Man: “With great power comes great responsibility.” And it's true.
Resources
All right, so these are a few resources for you. They’re in your handout. Some of the content on imposter syndrome is also on my blog. In addition, I referenced Psychology Today, Mind Help, BetterUp, the University of Cincinnati, PositivePsychology.com, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
That wraps it up. Thank you for being here. If you have any questions, please drop them into the Q&A. If you’d like to follow up, you can find me on Instagram @JesseAndrickscommunication, email me at jesse@jesseandricks.com, or visit my website at jesseandricks.com, where I have more blog posts and resources on these topics.
Summary
Thank you for being here. We're just past the hour, and I know that much of what I shared tonight was framed around SLP, because that’s the world I’m immersed in daily. However, take that word and insert occupational therapy practitioner (OTP) into it if that’s your space. I work closely with OTPs and deeply value those collaborations. So much of what we do overlaps, and so many challenges- the stress, the expectations, the weight of the work—are shared across our professions.
Exam Poll
1)What are two contributing factors that can lead to Imposter Syndrome?
2)All of the following are types of Imposter Syndrome, EXCEPT?
3)Which of the following is a mindfulness strategy that helps reset the stress response?
4)Positive communication is defined as communication that is based on:
5)Which of the following is a key component of reflecting on "What went well" in a supervisory or self-assessment setting?
Questions and Answers
How can we set boundaries? What is an example?
Someone mentioned they’ve been honest with their team by asking not to be stopped in the hallway for patient discussions, and instead requesting scheduled times. That’s an excellent example of setting boundaries clearly and respectfully. It also serves as a great model for those you're supervising. Whether it’s staff, nursing, a colleague, or another therapist, knowing your preferences and limits is healthy and professional.
Can we apply these strategies even when working with colleagues, not just supervisees?
Yes. These tools aren’t limited to formal supervision. Whether it's a coworker, a peer, or someone new in your facility, positive communication, boundaries, and mindful leadership support a healthier environment for everyone.
Summary
Thank you all for being here and for your participation throughout the session. The comments and interaction were wonderful. My contact information is available if you have questions or want to follow up. Take care of yourself and let that care be visible to those you supervise. That mutual respect goes a long way. And remember what it felt like when you were new, whether as a student, a CF, or even starting a new job. It can still feel intimidating. Leading with that awareness helps reduce imposter syndrome for you and creates a more supportive experience for the next generation in your field.
References
See additional handout.
Citation
Andricks, J. (2025). Positive communication to help reduce future imposter syndrome. SpeechPathology.com, Article 20748. Retrieved from https://SpeechPathology.com
