When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.
If you are a professional of psychiatry, psychology, social work, or psychotherapy – ensure that you still consider your own mind. As you strive to better understand the human psyche and support your patients, continually working on your own emotional well-being will ensure that you can provide the highest quality of care.
Do not forget to manage your own mental wellness.
Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of other people.
As a practitioner of your clients’ mental well-being, it is your ethical duty to continually prioritize your own psychological health. Without commiting to your own personal psychotherapy, you risk allowing past trauma to negatively affect your ability to facilitate growth and healing in your patients. By discussing your mental processes to work through psychological sticking points, you can optimize your treatments by gaining a firsthand understanding of therapy from their perspective.
A 2023 study analyzed a sample of mental health practitioners and showed that 73% of those in their ‘20s participated in their own personal therapy. Clearly, the importance of self-reflection and understanding your own mind is critical. By working with me to improve your psychological well-being, you will have an outlet to practice vulnerability and apply your professional knowledge to your own personal experiences.
There is a wide selection of mental distresses that can develop as a result of treating clients regularly. These negative effects can be overcome by consistently working on your own mind. Practitioners who do not regularly consider their own psychological well-being often burn themselves out. As a result of the significant, emotional discussions that come with psychological work, you may also risk experiencing vicarious trauma.
Another common challenge faced by those working in the mental-health service industry is the development of a saviour complex. This psychological pattern emerges as a desire to ‘save’ every patient you work with. This can significantly inhibit your ability to help clients by undermining boundaries, objectivity, self-care, and client autonomy. It is important for therapists to recognize and address any tendencies toward a saviour complex through self-reflection, supervision, ongoing training, and the development of healthy professional boundaries.
The primary role of a mental-health practitioner involves not only patient treatment but also the ongoing enrichment of industry knowledge. By regularly assuming a student-oriented mindset, you can uphold a contemporary conceptual framework of the human psyche and enhance therapeutic proficiency. By collaborating with a seasoned psychotherapist, you can significantly improve your efficacy in caring for patients.
One of the initial challenges encountered by many therapists and social workers is establishing patient trust. Each individual’s mind is uniquely intricate and benefits from a tailored approach in treatment. Due to the one-of-a-kind nature of each patients’ trauma, some may struggle with complete openness. In such instances, engaging in discussions with an experienced professional like myself can yield valuable strategies and methods that foster comfort and help you create a constructive therapeutic alliance.
The therapist-client relationship carries substantial weight and can lead to transference and countertransference. This phenomenon occurs when patients unconsciously project their emotions towards other relationships in their life onto the therapist. For instance, patients might perceive their therapist through a lens of unresolved familial trauma, often assuming a maternal role. While some therapists aim to circumvent transference, it can offer profound insights into the patient’s mind. These reactions provide valuable clues into relational dynamics and emotional patterns associated with the trauma that underlines the transference.
Countertransference on the other hand is something that requires continuous management of the therapist’s mental well-being to effectively avoid. This complication occurs when you begin emotionally reacting to information expressed by your client. Due to the strong alliance created between both of you, a common example of this is seen when professionals develop protective, or avoidant feelings towards their client. These emotions can severely inhibit your effectiveness in treatment as it is difficult to maintain healthy boundaries, an objective stance, and client focus.
By embracing an open-minded stance and regularly conversing with me, we can work together to refine your patient care methods. With a clearer understanding of your thought processes and the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other, you will be better equipped to nurture positive connections both in your professional endeavours and personal life.
Before you heal someone, ask them if they are willing to give up the things that make them sick.
As a psychotherapist, philosophy has served me as a guiding light while working to understand the human mind and its many complexities. By integrating a philosophical framework into every online psychotherapy session, I will help you answer the existential questions and dilemmas that often underlie psychological distress.
Supporting patients requires ongoing self-care and self-awareness. Through online personal therapy and professional supervision of therapists, I help them build resilience to combat emotional challenges while enhancing their therapeutic skills.
To conveniently explore my range of fees available for psychotherapy and clinical mentorship, please visit my Jane App link below. Through this platform, scheduling your next appointment to seamlessly connect via video conference for your treatment sessions is made simple. Should you require clarification on my fees, feel free to contact me via email for assistance.
