Last week, Georgia’s Licensed Professional Counselor Jill Osborne shared thoughts on how you can identify a toxic work environment. I thought it only appropriate to ask her to write a guest post here to share how she actually survived and maintained her own sanity as a new mental health professional after working in just such a situation. Here’s what she had to say . . . .
(If you are interested in writing a guest post, check out the guidelines here.)
_______________
A Guest Post by Jill Osborne, EDS, LPC
My First Job
After finishing graduate school it took me a while to find work. So when I got the call for my first real therapist job I was super excited (and financially broke).
I worked doing in-home counseling with children and families – mainly foster care. Many of the families I worked with were dealing with poverty issues and had little financial means.
I enjoyed my clients and had wonderful co-workers. My supervisor at the time had a lot of experience and was supportive of my niche i.e. play therapy and working with young children.
During my stint at this agency, I was able to expand my experience with play therapy and alternate settings including schools and homes. There were a lot of things about the agency that I loved.
Change Happens
Unfortunately, a series of administrative changes occurred that negatively affected the working environment and I made the difficult decision to leave – but not before I was feeling vulnerable, stressed, tired, disoriented, confused, and in the end, traumatized.
Now I realize that many of those feelings were normal responses to the changes that I and my colleagues were facing and the loss of the agency (as I had known it) that I had begun my work with. There was grief to work through in letting that position go.
Surviving and Staying Sane
During that time, there were several things that helped me to survive and bounce back:
- My faith, prayer and spiritual support from my relationship with God;
- A strong social support system, friends, family, my husband;
- Seeking outside of the agency supervision or consultation;
- Participating in my own therapy;
- Making time to unwind and de-compress from work;
- Writing and blogging;
- Reading about successful, healthy businesses and their practices;
- Finding the right time to be emotional and allowing the feelings I had to be there;
- Focusing on what is best for my clients;
- Maintaining my ethics and professionalism even when things felt fuzzy or grey;
- Recognizing what I did and did not have control over; and,
- Knowing when it was time to leave.
Lessons Learned
Looking back at that difficult experience now I find that I am surprisingly thankful.
There were many lessons about what not to do when running a business or supervising others. However, I saw the truth that gave me the courage to move on to a much better place in my career with more room to grow as a therapist.
I find myself in a stable and thriving practice now, with coworkers and director who have been extremely supportive. I am also thankful for the many things I have learned about myself, and how I will want to treat the people who will work for me one day.
______________________
About the Author: Jill Osborne, EDS, LPC helps families and children learn how to cope with traumatizing situations and disabilities. She is a blogger, published author and psychotherapist in private practice in McDonough and Conyers, Georgia. Jill maintains two blogs – one about personal growth, change, and spiritual issues and the other about her interests in writing and play therapy.
Please share your thoughts!