Therapists are
People, Too
Therapists
know that it is necessary to take good care of their own mental health, because
their clients depend on them. Just because a practitioner may know everything
there is to know about stress management doesn’t mean they can’t become
mentally exhausted.
Regina
Bright, LMHC, owner of
Stepping Stones Professional Counseling, in Mary Esther, has been
working in the mental health field as a Licensed Mental Health
Counselor, Board Certified Sex Therapist, Clinical Supervisor, Parent Coordinator and Certified Florida
Supreme Court Family Mediator. She states, “I listen to clients in crisis for many
hours a day, providing support, empathy, interpretation and direction. Therapists
can easily lose track of their own issues, ignore their own problems and at
times, have a difficult time shutting off the therapeutic process.”
If
a therapist should begin to feel any “depersonalization” toward clients, or even
themself, it might be a symptom of emotional fatigue. Bright enumerates a few
ways that she likes to stay balanced.
“I
use my colleagues’ expertise regularly. We go to lunch and consult each other
on difficult cases. We bounce around different techniques and approaches that
could heighten the therapeutic process.
“I
belong to many professional organizations and am very involved in my community.
I feel that if I have the support of my community, then I am not alone in my
journey.
“I
enjoy spending time with my family. Going to the beach and reading or walking
is especially refreshing. I take two trips a year with the family, and then one
with just my husband.
“I
have developed many friendships over the years, and I enjoy spending time with
many different groups of people. I am very thankful for the friendships that I
have made.
“In
college, I could do everything that came to my mind. I achieved more things in
one day than most people did in a week. Now, I want to balance giving and
getting—with attention to my family, friends, spouse, community and solitude.”
As
a mental health professional, self-care is a minimum standard of professional
practice, and Bright insists that her clients deserve to be served by a
healthy, well-balanced health care professional.
To contact Stepping Stones Professional
Counseling call 850-226-6430.
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