An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Give yourself some grace. Humanity is riddled with beautiful imperfection. The reality is you won’t be your best all the time and that is okay. Be patient with yourself and allow those chances to learn and grow and improve. Recognizing that you aren’t perfect but that you are good enough can be a freeing experience. Once you latch on to the idea that you don’t have to be perfect you free up space to be your best. Your free up space to realize that you are competent and do belong here.
As a part of our series about how very accomplished leaders were able to succeed despite experiencing Imposter Syndrome, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Samantha Jacobson.
Samantha Jacobson PsyD is a licensed psychologist with multiple years of experience in treating children and adults. She specializes in trauma, specifically working with survivors of narcissistic personality disorder, using an integrative and client-tailored approach. Dr. Jacobson is trained in several modalities and most relies on her training in EMDR and play therapy. She provides assessment in the areas of autism, specific learning disability, psychoeducation, differential diagnoses, and ADHD. She administers qEEGs and neurofeedback services within Serin Center. Research, relationships, and creativity are her framework for success. In her free time she likes spending time with family and being outdoors. She also loves to spoil her Aussiedoodle.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
I grew up in a small town of about 2,000 people. I was the first on my father’s side to graduate high school and the first on both sides to pursue a graduate-level degree. I took a solo trip across the country at 21 to pursue my new passion of becoming a doctor of psychology. By 25 I was a doctor seeing patients who had suffered from some pretty severe trauma. In the field of psychology, it is typical to either go towards therapy as a psychologist or put more of an emphasis on brain functioning and assessment and take the neuropsychology track. It’s pretty standard to choose one or the other and I had chosen therapy. My clients were making progress with therapy but I could see that there was a gap I could fill with neuroscience. I then decided that I wanted to have my cake and eat it too. Doing therapy alone wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to be able to tap into that neuropsychology side and have that deep understanding of the brain so I could explain to my patients what they were experiencing neurologically and why- and then take it a step further by also providing healing. I started my neuropsychology training learning to integrate neurotechnologies with therapy under the training of Dr. Amy Serin. By combining both neuropsychology with clinical psychology modalities I have been able to not only heal wounds but also promote healthy brain functioning that nurtures and encourages quality of life.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
I’ve met many interesting people and worked with some wonderful clients and I think I learn a little bit from each of them. There is one particular client who stands out though. I can’t go into much detail due to confidentiality but this particular client was the survivor of a major and ongoing trauma. They were kidnapped, and after a series of terrifying events, survived a homicide. These are the kinds of traumas that I often work with but this particular client was one of my first major trauma cases and I found myself becoming paranoid about my own safety. There was a period of a few weeks where I would interpret any strange behavior of a stranger as suspicious and a potential threat. I knew if I was going to be able to help my client I needed to get my act together because they were truly suffering and I was developing secondary trauma. I learned how important it was to take care of myself as a clinician. I also learned that even though I am a professional and a specialist, I am also human and vulnerable, as we all are.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
The company I work for has very clearly defined core values that we refer back to frequently and they truly guide how we do business and interact with patients. They were created with not only our patients in mind but also with our team in mind. We work really hard to foster happy and healthy humans and I think the mindset we approach our work with permeates through all aspects of our company and its noticeable by others. As an example of this, our CEO, Dr. Serin has each new employee complete a strengths based assessment. She then puts our top five strengths on a compass for us to display as a reminder for us to find fulfillment by aligning our work with our strengths. As a team we talk frequently about how we are or are not using our strengths in our lives and we look out for others using theirs so that we can encourage one another as we grow.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I could list multiple people who have helped me get to where I am today, and when I stop and think about my professional achievement two women stand out to me. The first being Dr. Ashley Garrett. When I was younger and very new to the idea of potentially becoming a doctor I interned under Ashley at her counseling clinic. She instilled confidence in me that I needed to take those first steps to get started. She also trained me in play therapy which I now refer to as “my roots” in terms of therapeutic approaches. Once at a social event hosted by Garrett Counseling I was introducing a friend and casually made the joking comment, referring to Dr. Garrett, “ she’s getting me in grad school” to which she quickly introjected “you’re getting yourself into grad school” and that is just the perfect picture to describe how she constantly was sowing that still, small voice inside of me to grow.
As abundantly as I am grateful for Ashley in being a cheerleader in my start I am equally grateful for Dr. Amy Serin’s influence in my growth and development. There is probably not a single person who has poured more into my shaping as a professional than she. She is a trailblazer in the field and a mentor to me personally and professionally. Once while I was still a student she made a comment that I not only never forgot, but remind myself of frequently and I think it plays in really well with what we are talking about today. She said, “as healers, we can’t be perfect but we can be good enough and that is transforming.” I’ve resonated with that a lot over the years as I fight my own bouts of imposter syndrome.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the experience of Impostor Syndrome. How would you define Impostor Syndrome? What do people with Imposter Syndrome feel?
Imposter syndrome is when a person who is qualified feels as though they are inadequate for the job. They feel like an “imposter” walking around pretending that they know what to do when they do not. The reality is that they in fact do know exactly what to do and logically they may even register that, but there is a disconnect between logic and feelings. Someone with imposter syndrome will have an inner critic in their head that sounds something like, “What am I even supposed to do? How can I trust myself? Maybe I am too young. Can I truly help them? I’m in over my head.”
What are the downsides of Impostor Syndrome? How can it limit people?
It limits people because it makes them doubt their selves and limit their potential. It causes people to be averse to trying new things, taking on new roles or responsibilities, and stifles confidence. Imposter syndrome can lead to burnout because you are never feeling good enough and that is exhausting. It also leads to comparison. Imagine how it might feel to be in a position where you feel as though you don’t belong because the job you do won’t measure up. No doubt that would affect your confidence and likely your performance. You might not ask for that promotion coming up or try that new exciting product you’ve been researching about. You would get in your own way of success.
How can the experience of Impostor Syndrome impact how one treats others?
Communication and relationships are hindered due to holding back and sometimes even from resentment of those we view as more competent. Someone struggling with imposter syndrome may hold back in performance or even just in interactions due to feeling unsure. As a doctor, holding back because of self-doubt might result in me withholding the best possible treatment for my client because I am worried I don’t measure up or might fail. The key here is that I am more than qualified, but if I don’t FEEL qualified and allow that narrative to run rampant in my mind then I suddenly fall victim to my own belittling and that affects my mood and the quality of relationships with colleagues and clients alike. If someone is always feeling crummy about themselves it is only a matter of time until that negativity spreads to others as well.
We would love to hear your story about your experience with Impostor Syndrome. Would you be able to share that with us?
As an early career psychologist I have had to work really hard to combat Imposter Syndrome. And more so, being a YOUNG, fresh face in the world of healers I can see how my age will sometimes play a role in that. I skipped my last year of high school and started this journey at 17; by the time I completed my doctoral program I was still only 25 and wide eyed. Many people might see my accomplishments in my youth as impressive or as an indication that I must be intelligent or work hard and those things are true, but it is also easy to fall into the comparison of those who are older and more experienced and feel as though I don’t measure up to their accolades or expertise.
Did you ever shake the feeling off? If yes, what have you done to mitigate it or eliminate it?
Yes, I mean it comes and goes right? It has certainly decreased since I first started providing services. I have learned a lot over the last several years and I’ve worked to overcome my own doubts and find that inner confidence to succeed. In my opinion the way to do that is through compassion, humility, and grace- as well as community. I think that if you talk to most professionals across fields and they are being honest with you, even the most experienced and well-known, will show you that we all struggle with Imposter Syndrome from time to time. And that’s okay. Let’s talk about it. Let’s not suffer alone. Let’s discuss what concepts and practices teach us to trust our skills, rely on our knowledge, and increase our confidence so that we can be the best practitioners and professionals we can be. It isn’t something we just outgrow but it is something we transcend past. Part of the way we do that is to have open and honest communication about what we are experiencing. And let’s learn to appreciate it. That might sound weird but in a way Imposter Syndrome keeps us in check and motivates us to continue to learn and improve. It keeps the hunger alive. We don’t want it out of control but if we can take a step back from the overwhelm of it all we can start to see how to make Imposter Syndrome serve us. In small doses, it can keep us humble. Personally, I never want to get to a point where I feel as though I have mastered it all because there is always room to improve, and if I let my ego get too big and get too comfortable in my “doctor status” that is when I will start slipping.
In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone who is experiencing Impostor Syndrome can take to move forward despite feeling like an “Impostor”? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Name it to tame it. Be honest. You are feeling inadequate and that stinks. But claim it so that you can combat it instead of trying to ignore it. There is power in just putting a name to what is going on.
- Reach out. Talk to those you admire and have been through the same thing. No man is an island. You can find some peace of mind just by leaning on those you trust. And you’ll learn what tips and tricks work for them to try for yourself. I would have suffered a lot less and would have helped my trauma client I mentioned earlier more sufficiently if I would have just reached out sooner than I did. Instead I thought I had to tackle the world on my own to prove I was qualified.
- Give yourself some grace. Humanity is riddled with beautiful imperfection. The reality is you won’t be your best all the time and that is okay. Be patient with yourself and allow those chances to learn and grow and improve. Recognizing that you aren’t perfect but that you are good enough can be a freeing experience. Once you latch on to the idea that you don’t have to be perfect you free up space to be your best. Your free up space to realize that you are competent and do belong here.
- Find a mantra. Recite affirmations to remind yourself why you are competent, capable, and a total Boss Babe (or Bro). Something magical happens when we speak kindly to our minds and when we repeat those things over and over- we start to believe them. It doesn’t happen overnight but it does happen. Create a mantra that truly speaks to you. Make it specific. Then live by it.
- As an added bonus, trick that brain of yours into feeling powerful and confident by standing in Superman pose for 30 seconds to one minute. So that’s standing tall, feet spread under shoulders, with your hands on your hips. And don’t forget to smile! That’s important.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 😊
I think it would be to just inspire true kindness. As I have gotten older I have really explored the difference between just being nice and being kind. Being nice is intended to keep the peace, to please others. It’s doing what others want or expect to save face. Nice often comes with the expectation of return or some gain. Kindness is different. Kindness comes from a place of genuine care. Its doing what is needed out of love and compassion and sometimes that means making the hard moves or having the difficult conversations. It means understanding people in deeper ways. I strive to be kind. I believe that if we acted out true intentions of kindness we would be better professionals, friends, and humans.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
Growing up as a small town country girl I have always admired Dolly Parton. Everyone knows her as the country star but she is also a champion for education. She covers tuition costs for her Dollywood employees, created a literacy program that provides free books to children, and regularly donates to and speaks up for projects that she believes in and I think that is really cool.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can follow my whole team on Facebook or Instagram. Our handle is @serincenter on all accounts.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Thank you for having me!
Dr Samantha Jacobson of Serin Center On How To Thrive Despite Experiencing Impostor Syndrome was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.