Imposter Syndrome in Music Therapy: A Real Session and the Thoughts No One Talks About

I wanted to dedicate this post to talking about Imposter Syndrome—also known as the Imposter Phenomenon. It’s the feeling that you’re not competent or knowledgeable enough to be in the position you’re in. And it’s something so many of us experience, across so many professions.

I want to walk through a typical session I facilitated recently and highlight the imposter-like thoughts that popped up. My hope is to bring awareness to these moments, and to remind all of us that sometimes our brains lie to us—we’re usually doing far better than we give ourselves credit for.

Setting the Scene

This was a group music therapy session at a memory care unit—a facility I’ve been contracted with for about 5–6 months. At this point, I have a strong rapport with both the patients and the staff.

Still, even in familiar settings, imposter syndrome can show up.

Imposter Thought #1: “I’m late… everyone is judging me.”

I arrived about five minutes late after notifying staff. But walking onto the floor, my brain immediately whispered:
“The patients must have been waiting. The staff probably thinks I’m unprofessional.”

Rationally, I knew everything was fine. Emotionally? Imposter syndrome took the wheel.

Imposter Thought #2: “I don’t know enough about musicals.”

I’ve been running an intervention where we explore different U.S. states, talk about musicians from that state, and engage in positive reminiscence. This session, we were in Oklahoma, which naturally brought up the Oklahoma! musical.

Since I moved to the U.S. in high school, I didn’t grow up with American musical theatre the way many people did. As patients shared memories and talked about various musicals, another thought hit:
“Maybe I don’t know enough to lead this conversation. Maybe I’m not as competent as other music therapists.”

Imposter Thought #3: “I should be able to play this myself.”

Because I’m less familiar with some of these musicals, I used my phone to play a few songs. Immediately, another imposter-like thought crept in:
“A real music therapist would be able to play this live.”

Even though using recorded music is entirely appropriate and clinically effective, my brain still tried to convince me I wasn’t doing enough.

Imposter Thought #4: “Was this session meaningful?”

At the end of the 50-minute session, I found myself thinking:
“I hope this was meaningful. I hope the staff still value my contract here.”

That’s four or five imposter-like thoughts in under an hour—more than enough to feel heavy in the moment, even if they seem small on paper.

What I’ve Learned About Managing These Thoughts

Thankfully, my training and experience help me recognize these thoughts as they arise. Over the past few years, I’ve made a conscious effort to identify, name, and privately unpack my imposter-like thoughts instead of letting them take over.

And here’s the part I want other clinicians to hear:

You’re not alone.

If you’re a therapist, clinician, or helping professional who experiences imposter syndrome, I hope this post reminds you that so many of us feel this way—even in sessions that go well.

In fact, I facilitated the same group again yesterday, and it felt entirely different. I maybe had one small imposter-like thought the whole session, and the experience left me feeling energized and fulfilled.

Our brains can generate doubts based on stress, background, past experiences, and even the smallest details—but we get to decide whether those thoughts define us. Most of the time, they don’t reflect reality at all.