Having self-reflection and support as part of your self-care routine can lead to much better outcomes for everyone in your life, including you.

You care about helping others. You were drawn to this field because of your own life experiences. For most therapists and helping professionals, work is more than just a job. It's a calling. And an incredibly rewarding and meaningful one. You feel honored that your clients trust you with their most intimate vulnerabilities and pain. You pour your heart into caring for and being there for others. But some of the things that make being a therapist so rewarding also take a toll on your personal life and relationships. Sometimes putting others first bleeds over into your personal life and can have negative effects on your health and relationships. Having your own safe place to get support and to process what's happening in your own life can mean all the difference in maintaining balance and being a therapist sustainably long-term. You deserve to have your own safe, judgement-free time to reflect on your work, your relationships, and the impact of being a helper on your own life. It's time to make your own personal therapy a foundational part of your self-care routine.

Holding space for others on a daily basis can trigger your own wounds and past traumas.

Many therapists are intimately familiar with family dysfunction, trauma, neglect, and grief. Maybe you were drawn to this field because of your own personal history. Maybe you've worked on your own issues already, but you still find yourself feeling the impact of those early experiences brought up by working with your clients. When this happens, it can be scary and destabilizing. ​It can leave you feeling inadequate and questioning yourself as a therapist. These feelings can be a heavy burden to carry when your job is to help others. ​Making time to be present with your own emotions and needs can help you be more present with your clients and loved ones.

Overwhelm and exhaustion don't have to be your norm.

You devote your career to bettering the lives of others. Being in close contact with so much human suffering changes you. Being a therapist can be exhausting and emotionally draining. The impact of the work over a lifetime can have negative effects your personal relationships with your loved ones. If you don't take time for your own self-care, you may find yourself feeling drained, empty, or like an observer in your life.

You're used to attuning to others' needs, adapting, mirroring, putting yourself last. You may put high expectations on yourself to manage your own relationships and tragedies because of your training. It can be really hard for therapists to reach out and ask for help. But just because you're strong doesn't mean you don't also need support. You don't need to carry the weight of the world all alone. You also deserve your own safe space to let your guard down, to process, replenish, and grow. 

Having your own personal therapy can help you be a better therapist. Your own therapy can move fluidly from talking about your personal life to a form of case consultation if you're struggling with a particular counter-transference issue or feeling impacted personally by a client session. Talking it out in a safe space- where you can bring your whole self to the discussion without fear of being evaluated- can help you gain clarity, maintain boundaries with your clients, and be more fully present in your work.

Personal therapy with an experienced therapists' therapist allows you to set aside a regular, consistent time to process your own life events, mitigate burnout and compassion fatigue, and talk about insecurities and impostor syndrome related to being a therapist.

Preventing burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization.

Being a therapist is an incredibly rewarding life path, but what makes it so rewarding can also make it incredibly draining and isolating. The work is emotionally demanding, challenging, and isolating. You care about your clients, and your work requires you to immerse yourself empathically into your clients' experiences. If you have your own history of family dysfunction, trauma, or grief- as so many who're drawn to this field do- your likelihood of burning out increases. 

Attending to your own mental and emotional wellbeing is key in avoiding burnout and vicarious traumatization. Having a safe space to talk about your life and how your work affects you can be hugely beneficial and empowering.
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If you find that being a therapist is fulfilling and meaningful, but worry about the long term effects on your personal life, I'm here to help you. I help therapists improve their capacity to work with other people's suffering in a sustainable way.

It's time to make self-reflection and self-care an integral part of your practice.

I'd be honored to be your safe haven on your journey to self-care and helping others sustainably long-term. I offer a free 15-minute consultation to help us get a feel for each other and see if it's a good fit. Schedule your free, confidential consultation online by clicking the button below. Or visit my FAQ if you have more questions about getting started. 

You deserve to get help from an experienced therapists' therapist you can trust.

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