Therapy for Therapists

Entering into a helping profession comes with many benefits and rewards, but it also requires a great deal of self-care to maintain balance and effectiveness.  Over time, it is easy to put yourself on the back burner, as you squeeze in extra sessions, experience an increase in crises, and stay late at work to maintain your paperwork and other duties.  This is your passion, so of course you are giving your all.  However, helpers are at risk for burnout and vicarious trauma because of the work they do, so it is essential to make certain you are refueling yourself and taking care of yourself.  In terms of congruency, it is important to model what you encourage in your clients as well, which is seeking out support when it is needed.

Each person has different signs and symptoms when it comes to burnout, but these are some of the most commonly reported experiences:

• Finding it difficult to go to work and possibly even dreading it
• Finding yourself repeating the same feedback/interpretations over and over
• Giving advice as a shortcut rather than helping clients learn and grow
• Beginning sessions late and/or ending early
• Dozing off or spacing out during sessions
• Experiencing a noticeable decline in empathy
• Doing things that would make your former ethics professor cringe
• Pushing your theory, technique or agenda rather than listening and adjusting
• Feeling relieved when clients cancel
• Lacking in continued education and/or reading about the field in general
• Self-disclosing in ways that are not helpful to clients
• Fantasizing about other professions

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Vicarious trauma consists of experiencing similar thoughts and feelings, to a lesser extent, that the trauma survivors you are treating have faced and felt.  It can be the result of hearing a narrative that was overwhelming and repeated, and it is sometimes tied to burnout or compassion fatigue.  This is a normal reaction, but it is also a sign that it is time to seek support for yourself.
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You may want to enter into therapy for reasons outside of burnout or vicarious trauma and that is encouraged also!  At OakHeart, all of our therapists provide treatment to therapists and we believe in the importance of knowing and appreciating the experience of being a client.  Moreover, we have the utmost empathy for being a therapist.  Whether you want to process the aforementioned topics, have extra support in your life, or just learn about yourself, we offer effective and evidence-based therapy to meet your needs.