In part one of this series on therapist self care, we looked at how self care is an ethical consideration, and how our profession makes us more suseptical to burnout, depression and suicide than other comparable professions.
Thats serious stuff. So this should be taken seriously.
So what can you do to avoid this?
Lots and lots of things!
So here are 22 practical ways to increase your self care.
No, it's vital for both you and your clients and I'll tell you why.
I love being a therapist.
I've been a counsellor since January 2005 and it's been amazing. When the world leaves people feeling broken and confused, therapy helps to make sense of it all again.
Job satisfaction - off the scale!
But did you know being a therapist has a detrimental impact on you physically and emotionally, and change relationships in a way you may not have considered?
This is why robust self care is vital for counsellor - it's an ethical consideration.
Take a look and see what I mean.
My dad used to do this thing: he’d arrive at my house unannounced, and let himself in.
So if I was with a client, my ears would swivel around like a gazelles (ok, slight exaggeration!) and my mind would be alert wondering who had just let themselves into the house (a burglar? Murderer?), and would they come and disturb us.
I’d be distracted from my client, which would make me cross, and that too would distract me.
So I had a word with my dad. 'Please don’t just turn up unannounced, I’m working and that disturbs us'.
Okay, he said.
But he didn’t stop.
