@dr.matthew.parker: Do you ever feel like a fraud at work? Let me tell you a little story: In the 3rd year of residency, we are tasked with basically created our own private practice outpatient clinic to see what outpatient is like. One of the biggest concerns for me and a lot of the residents entering this year was—would 30 min follow-ups and 60 min intakes be too anxiety provoking for us? How would we fill the space? Would there be enough to talk about? And, oh God, what if there is silence? The reality? There was silence. A lot of it. Second year residents are often used to acute care settings, crisis centers, and inpatient hospitalization patients, where time is limited and immediate safety is paramount. Moving to more long-form psychotherapy sessions and longitudinal visits was a different experience and something that was anxiety provoking for a lot of us. In my sessions, especially initially, there was silence. A lot of it. I went home daily feeling like a fraud, like I was not helping my patients as much as I could, especially if I could not answer all their questions. This still occurs—I still feel at times that I am not helping my patients as much as I could. But I recognize that part of anxiety is this immediate questioning on whether I am doing enough for my patients, but as I grow into the practice, I know there can be uncertainty even when I have done all I can. What makes you feel sometimes like a fraud in your own work? #MentalHealth #psychiatry #anxiety #doctorlife #MentalHealthAwareness

Dr Matthew Parker, DO

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Thursday 11 June 2026 18:16:34 GMT