Self-care is different from selfishness, self-absorption, or self-indulgence. . . .
Given the fine line between the therapist’s personal and professional self, self-denial or self-abnegation is neglectful not only of real self needs, but ultimately of patient care.”
~ Ellen K. Baker, Ph.D. ~
The Care and Feeding of a Mental Health Professional
I made it all the way through graduate school 
without ever hearing about the self-care of mental health professionals.
However, that was 20 years ago and just within the last two years I’ve been inundated with workshops, articles, and collegial conversations about the critical need for therapists to engage in an active plan for self-care.
As a mental health professional, today your own self-care is considered to be a minimum standard of professional practice.
Your clients deserve to be served by a healthy, well-balanced, health-care professional.
And, you deserve to take the time to take care of your needs before you begin to take care of your clients’ needs.
Establish Health Routines of Self-Care
Every mental health professional needs and deserves to establish routines of self-care.
With that in mind, I’m wondering what your routines of self-care entail . . . .
Here are some questions for you to consider:
- How does your stress manifest in you physically? Mentally? Emotionally? Spiritually?
- When are you at your best physically? Mentally? Emotionally? Spiritually?
- When are you at your worst?
- What are your personal limits?
- What are the personal factors and experiences in your life that have most affected your work?
- What are the professional experiences and factors that have most affected your personal life?
Every mental health professional has vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and needs.
Take time today to identify yours.
Better yet, take these questions back to your supervisor or your consultation group to have a series of discussions about these things.
And, then, develop your own plan for establishing routines of self-care.
Tamara, Not only was it not discussed, but when I was in graduate school and during my internship, we were admonished and criticized by most supervisors for taking time for ourselves, for setting limits. We were supposed to be self-sacrificing.
In later years, when I directed an inpatient program and saw how exhausted and abused the staff were by the patients and the administration, I strongly advocated for more staff, more training, and more kindness. The initial response (by an M.D. no less), was that they all go chill at a local pub after their shifts. No worries!
Since I was in graduate school over 30 years ago and in most positions I have held, that has been the prevailing attitude. Just take it in and forget about taking care of yourself. I hear from other mental health professionals that this is one of the reasons why they go into private practice, to have control over their work lives.
Hi, Ana! Thanks so much for making these points so clearly! I know for those in agencies and community organizations, it must me encouraging to hear a former director of an inpatient treatment program validate their concerns. I know that having “more control” over my work life was certainly a draw for me, for sure.
So many things have contributed to this vicious cycle – including not enough money, not enough staff, higher acuity of client needs, as well as the feminization of the field. Since you’ve been on both sides, Ana, do you have any thoughts about how to turn this cycle around or at least minimize the risks?
Tamara, Not only was it not discussed, but when I was in graduate school and during my internship, we were admonished and criticized by most supervisors for taking time for ourselves, for setting limits, for even asking for a break. Taking care of ourselves was at the bottom of the list and this was communicated in myriad ways. We were supposed to be self-sacrificing.
In later years, when I directed an inpatient program and saw how exhausted and abused the staff were by the patients and the administration. I strongly advocated for more staff, more training, and more kindness. The initial response (by an M.D. no less), was that they all go chill at a local pub after their shifts. No worries! Needless to say it took years to change these attitudes and while progress was made, it never quite stuck. So I left. Finally.
At most places where I have worked, that has been the prevailing attitude, ignore and even discourage self-care. It’s a contradiction for sure and it goes against everything that we know, we preach, and that has been studied. We can see the impact on ourselves and others when we don’t practice it and when we do. I hear from other mental health professionals that this is one of the reasons why they go into private practice, to have control over their work lives and to take better care of themselves.
Thank you for bringing up this important and essential topic.
Hello Again,
As usual I am glad to read your post. Balance is a challenge.
My New Years Theme (Resolution) for 2011 is creating life balance. I wrote a short post back in January about the topic of balance. I included setting goals to help with creating balance.
1. Set Goals that Motivate You
2. Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals
3. Set Goals in Writing
4. Make an Action Plan
5. Stick With It!
6. Get back on track if you fall off.
Additionally, to move towards balance, I have started a peer consultation group which will be meeting on 2/21/2011 for the first time. Your posts have helped me guide the way to starting the peer consultation group.
Your questions will be wonderful to stimulate a our first discussion. I am glad you mentioned balance!
Thank you, Brenda
Brenda! We must be thinking alike! Or, maybe I read your post and it inspired this one! (Wish you had left a link to that exact post so folks could find it easily.) Thanks for sharing your steps to help you stay on balance! I’m hoping others will share, too, so that we will have a virtual smorgasbord of nudges toward better balance!
Tamara,
I did not leave a link because I read somewhere about good blogging manners, “ask first.” Kind of like hunting on private property.
Anyway, following is the link to my Janurary post of Creating Life Balance. http://creatingyourbeyond.com/life-balance/
Also, I subscribe to MindTools blog for business ideas. Click below for details of the how to implement goals.
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_90.htm
Thank you, Brenda
Brenda, you are always welcome to share resources here – both yours and others. As long as you are contributing useful information in your comments i.e. information that our online community here can benefit from, then all your comments are welcome!
If it starts to sound more like a lot of self-promotion, then I reserve the right to make you look like an ego-maniac or not post it at all. I’ve never done that – not posted a comment – so far. I think the gang that hangs in here at PPIO is a class act!