Ashley L. Annestedt, a cognitive behavioural therapist and social worker, opens up about experiencing anxiety—
“Despite being a therapist that specializes in anxiety, I have certainly experienced my anxiety from time to time and am no superhuman.”
Ashley is not the only therapist reporting her experiences. There are certainly many other therapists facing mental health issues. But you know, what’s inhumane to hear— “How can you have anxiety as a therapist yourself?”
According to the Times of India, Dr. Vinod Kumar, psychiatrist, and head of Mpower – The Centre and his team reported getting close to 450 calls a month during the second wave of the pandemic.
He reported in times like these it’s harder for mental health practitioners to look out for themselves. It’s even harder to handle their emotional exhaustion.
During your training years, you learned to be empathetic, compassionate, and patient with your clients. Looking after your needs and prioritising self-care as a private mental healthcare practitioner is no sin.
We’d run out of cases where mental health professionals don’t (get) to choose themselves. And no, we are not blaming anyone here. But we hope this 7 self-care for therapists will empower you to choose yourself more every day.
Read these strategies to take care of yourself and for a more fulfilling career.
1. Financial Self-Care for Therapists: Charge in Advance
We know you’d think charging for providing therapy comes with so much hate. Charging in advance would only magnify how people opine paying for therapy sessions.
You see, you are still thinking about people who would never take therapy from you. For them, a reasonable therapy price sounds like “free therapy.”
Just to quickly remind you, this blog is about how YOU can take the responsibility of taking care of yourself. It does start with charging your clients.
Reminders:
- A tentative decision on the number of clients you can work with at any given time will protect your sanity.
- An unclear payment policy and your per-session charges.
- A process or system for handing clients once you have maximised your bandwidth for the time.
2. Set Your Non-negotiables
i) Have a cancellation policy
Speaking of charging in advance, your first non-negotiation must be having a cancellation policy in place.
Looking at the clock and waiting for your client to confirm or cancel the session at the last moment is overwhelming. Besides, it sets wrong expectations for the client.
How does having a cancellation policy help you?
A cancellation policy keeps the client aware of the consequences of not showing up without prior notice. It teaches them cancelling the session at the last minute comes at a cost.
ii) Set your boundaries.
Define your working hours, days, and times along with your preferred mode of communication with the client. We recommend having a separate contact number for work to draw boundaries.
How can they reach out to you in case of an emergency?
Setting up an out-of-office message or an email informs the client if they reach out to you during your break.
How does setting boundaries as a private practitioner help you?
It sets the right expectations a client can have from you from the start. Further, this ensures you can keep a check on your client-therapist relationship.
3. Have a Routine
Running a private practice is no less than running a business. Henceforth, all the self-care tips you share with your clients apply to you as well. A routine isn’t a rigid timetable or calendar.
Routine is about doing things consistently every day or as often as you can. The idea is to reduce uncertainties while leaving room to address them. A semi-structured day eases away the morning fatigue.
Here are some suggestions from the Vinyasa team
- Start the day by spending time for yourself – exercising, listening to music, playing sports, etc. The idea is to start your day doing things you love and enjoy outside work. Morning investments have compounding effects.
- A routine to bedtime is as helpful to you as it is for your clients.
- Time investment in marketing your business, upskilling yourself, networking, etc.
- Scheduling or semi-structuring your next day a night before.
4. Prioritise Physical Health
Robin D. Stone, LMHC, says self-care looks like moving her body and being outdoors. Moving makes her feel alive, producing endorphins that keep her happy and help her deal with stress.
You must’ve heard yourself tell your clients how important physical health is. But do you, yourself, engage in physical activities?
Being a therapist is a sedentary job. Long hours of sitting cause neck and back pain, headaches, fatigue, and out-of-control bowel movements.
Some quick ways to improve your physical health
- Taking quick breaks between the sessions, even a 10-minute walk is good for your metabolic health.
- Avoid sitting on an empty stomach for long hours. Always keep fruits, dry fruits, and salads available to you.
- Plan your weekly meals. You can do this with your research by seeing healthy recipes or consulting a nutritionist so that you eat healthily.
- Minimise screen time before hitting the bed and avoid late-night eating. Doing these two improves your sleep quality.
- Keep yourself hydrated. Keeping a bottle of water next to you can be a good start.
5. Seek Supervision and Peer Support
Supervision helps you be vocal about your issues as a private mental healthcare practitioner. It makes you feel less lonely on this journey.
For example, you can be clueless when a client is not responding. Your supervisors can help you by sharing what they do/have done in instances like this.
How does having peer support groups help you?
Having peer support groups builds fellowship. You learn about what other therapists are going through and if you can offer any help and take any help. Peer support groups also help with accountability and following ethical practices in your career.
Try joining training programs and support groups to enhance self-reflection and manage burnout. Center for Mental Health (CMH), for instance, offers a Peer Supervision Space (PSS). It helps therapists and counsellors with any issues they are facing.
Not prioritising the above-mentioned practices often leads to therapist burnout. Burnout not only affects your work but also impacts your relationship with your clients.
6. Therapists Burnout Prevention
- You can communicate and reiterate your policies to the clients. You can reduce the number of clients you take to reduce the workload.
- It’s possible you don’t just need mini breaks but a big break. It can be a vacation or visiting a loved one you’re missing.
- Start setting boundaries where you stick to office working hours and don’t take work back home.
- For a change, try exploring a new hobby. This way your day won’t only revolve around work.
7. Seek Therapy
Therapists need therapists, too and it is the most essential self-care for therapists. Because at the end of the day, you are a human too.
Like any human being, you don’t have it all figured out. Besides, it’s not just the work that sums up your life. You have a personal life, loved ones, and problems. All of this can be a big bother.
You can feel clouded about managing stress coming from the personal side of your life. And you want to feel heard and cared for too. You, too, deserve a room, a space where you can cry and pour your heart out. There is no shame in it.
Conclusion: Sustaining Your Practice Through Self-Care
Being a private mental healthcare practitioner and expecting the unexpected is a part of your job. While this journey may be fulfilling, you’re also subject to struggling with taking care of yourself. Helping others starts with you. If you’re not in the best of your state, you won’t be able to help others out either.
Self-care for therapists is non-negotiable. It is not a luxury but essential part of your life.
Note: This blog is not medical advice or a substitute for any type of healthcare advice given under the care of a qualified MHP. The content is only for informational purposes. If you are struggling and need help, contact the emergency helpline number in your country.
