Contrary to what you may believe, therapists do have their own worries. Along with our day-to-day concerns we also worry about our clients after tough sessions. These worrisome thoughts are especially difficult when dealing with high-risk clients with safety issues or self-injurious behaviors and couples because our concerns linger outside of therapy; wondering how their relationship is doing or if they ended in a breakup or divorce. We want you to recognize that it’s normal to think about former clients and how they are doing now because we can’t backtrack with them. It’s simply the nature of the industry. So how do we go about fixing our own worries?
DO A SELF CHECK! REMIND YOURSELF THAT YOU ARE ONLY THERE TO ASSIST AND IT’S NOT YOUR RESONSIBILITY TO FIX EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING.
Burnout:
Sometimes we need to take off that superhero cape. Burnout is REAL and so is compassion fatigue. Trying to fix everyone’s problems outside of sessions is not our responsibility so it’s important to remind ourselves that the responsibility goes to the individual or the caregiver of that individual. It is our job to offer feedback and recommendations to help solve issues and allows us to disconnect and alleviate those unhealthy expectations outside of therapy.
What can you do if you feel burned out?
1. Step back and realize what is in your control
2. Reduce client case load
3. Boundaries with news and media
4. Take fewer challenging cases
5. Reach out to therapist forum groups and see who is open for referrals
The world looks completely different as therapists now in 2021. The year 2020 was the year of adaptation and make a shift to virtual therapy sessions. There is less judgement because nobody knew how to navigate the pandemic with little to no preparation to make that shift to telehealth with technology-based therapy.
Imposter Syndrome:
It never fully goes away but evolves as we grow within our industry and our experiences expand. Having those “firsts” will make you question your effectiveness but the best way to combat that feeling is through confidence in your abilities and knowledge.
CALL IT OUT!
If you are feeling “imposterish” because you are so new, remember that you have a unique perspective that you could be sharing with seasoned professionals.
Unsolicited Messages on Social Media:
· Establish your boundaries and make them VERY CLEAR for your audience
· Come up with a standard response to those unsolicited messages (even if it’s ignoring the message altogether)
· Be selective with who you communicate with, how you communicate, and what platform is your most professional avenue
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