Therapist Burnout continued…..

Therapist Burnout continued…..

I am so torn having shared the last post. Please read on……

A therapist is YOURS when they are with you. The therapy hour is your space, a space where you don’t need to worry about the wellbeing of the person you’re talking to. You can have supportive conversations with family and friends too, but those relationships are reciprocal; those conversations take both parties into account. A therapist’s own struggles do not belong in the therapy room. I recall seeing a psychologist once who had a death in the family, even once they came back from leave, I constantly worried about them and felt that my problems paled in comparison.I recall, 11 years ago when my twins were born, seeing a client who had twins at the same time. I didn’t tell her I had same-age twins. But her Maternal Child Health Nurse told her and she never came back. I am sure that seeing me in my professional role made her feel inadequate, a failure. I ache for her experience as I imagine that she imagined me, all “put together” and working with newborn twins, while she could not get dressed of a morning. I couldn’t call her back and tell her that I was finding twin motherhood so hard that I had begged my mother-in-law to mind the babies in between feeds and I fled the scene! I ran to work where I feel good about myself! How lucky I am that I could do that. Here’s the thing: when I am at work I am FULLY at work. I am engaged, connected, and present with my clients. (Side note: I am so lucky to work in my dream profession. It is easy to anchor myself with adult clients who honour me with their vulnerability and with the children who gift me their authentic selves.) My promise to you is that if I am in work mode, I am *able* to be in work mode. I am able to be emotionally available and I don’t need my worries to be in the room (or on the screen). You have paid for my time and it is my duty to be present. If I can’t be fully present then I shouldn’t be wasting your money or depriving you of the support you need. So here we are, at the tail end of 12 very difficult months and we professional supporters have held on for so long. It is time for us to address our own stress. Then we/I can get back to being where I am needed, with energy and whole-heartedness.

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