Navigating the Storm: Support for Therapists
Life is throwing a lot our way. Beyond the usual daily grind, we, as therapists, are witnessing collective distress, trauma, and loss with our clients – bearing witness to their suffering, holding their pain. And, of course, we are also experiencing all this outside of the therapy room too, navigating the very same chaos and uncertainty. It's a heavy load, and it amplifies the stress we already feel.
You show incredible compassion to your clients every single day, holding space for their vulnerability and pain. And we also know that you’re offering a lot of suggestions to empower them as well. But we’re here to really, really remind you that now isn’t the time for one of those "do what I say, not what I do" comments. It’s truly time for us to practice at least a little what we encourage. To avoid burnout and work through that compassion fatigue—you need to commit deeply to your own well-being. If you’re in this therapy space for the long run, it’s a marathon, and we want you to pace yourself, include yourself in the equation, and treat yourself like your own client (Yes.. all those cliches).
So as you’re in the storm, here are some of our thoughts for you:
Ground Yourself Before the Influx
One of the most insidious ways stress can creep in is through the constant stream of information. We can’t stop the information your clients share with you—and how it activates your own system—but we can manage how we engage with information during your own time.
Acknowledge the overwhelm: News cycles, social media feeds, and even casual conversations outside of session can overwhelm us, especially when we're already processing so much from client work.
Pause before you engage: Before you open the news app, before you scroll through social media, or even before diving into emails, take a moment.
Check in with yourself: How are you feeling right now? What do you need?
Set an intention: This brief pause can create a sense of grounding and preparation, allowing you to approach information with intention instead of just reacting.
Assess your capacity: Ask yourself: "Do I have the capacity for this right now?" If the answer is no, it’s okay to step away, limit your exposure, or choose to engage later when you feel more ready. Your well-being directly impacts your presence with clients.
Fill That Cup
Take care of your basic needs: Food, water, sleep – these are foundational. For our sake, bring those three water bottles into session, and please, actually take a lunch break. If a full lunch break isn't feasible, ensure you're eating nourishing snacks during the day. And at bedtime, maybe stick to one more episode instead of three to prioritize restorative sleep. Your sustained energy fuels your ability to hold space.
Speak up for yourself: Your needs are valid. Don't be afraid to voice them, whether it's asking your partner for a little extra help, or maybe changing a night out with friends to a comfy night in. And sometimes, this means canceling a session if you’re empty – we know it's hard to do, and it is absolutely imperative for your well-being. And yes, it’s also a way for us to model healthy boundaries for our clients too! (We had to throw that in.)
Move your body: Between sessions, after sessions, don't go all in with no breaks. Get up, stretch, walk, jump, dance. Movement can be a powerful way to discharge the emotional and nervous system energy accumulated from holding complex client stories.
Connect with friends: Shared joy is vital. Make time for genuine connection.
Find joy and nourishment: Seek out moments, big or small, that make you feel good and genuinely replenish you. This is essential for preventing compassion fatigue.
Allow all emotions: Feel sad, angry, frustrated, tired. Let it out. Also, being overwhelmed isn’t "bad" here; you're holding your clients' stuff and your own, and that's a lot.
Seek support: You already know you don't have to carry it all alone. Seek out consultation groups, connect with trusted colleagues and like-minded friends, and lean into regular supervision. This isn't just professional development; it's a critical well-being strategy.
Set Those Boundaries
Honor your need to grieve or take space: Your emotional well-being is most important. Like we said, you’re experiencing the same external stressors that your clients are, in addition to carrying their emotional loads. This might mean spacing out appointments more or doing fewer appointments in a day to manage vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. You’ve got to take your space, grieve in your own ways around all of it. Go to your own therapy.
Saying no: Don't go over in your sessions, say no to that extra appointment if you're already feeling stretched thin. Saying "no" to more is saying "yes" to your capacity to sustain the work you do.
Setting boundaries and limits: This applies to news, social media, and even interactions with people who drain your energy outside of your professional role. Disconnect when you need to maintain your energetic and emotional reserves.
Be Outside Therapy World
Let’s be honest, therapy is political, which makes it really hard to actually be outside of therapy world a lot of the time. And yet there are ways.
Actively Disconnect & Distract: Make a conscious effort to step away from all things therapy-related. Read a novel (not a professional one!), watch a lighthearted show, dive into a completely unrelated hobby like gardening or knitting, or simply enjoy time in nature without analyzing it. Give your therapist brain a real vacation.
Encourage your growth and learning (beyond clinical): Instead of signing up for that next training, sign up for that dance class you’ve been eyeing or download that second language app and learn some French. We can learn a lot about ourselves and others when we take on a new challenge or growth opportunity that isn't directly related to clinical skills, and it can help us be better, more well-rounded therapists.
Lean into the Collective
During times of collective stress, we as therapists are often highly motivated to engage in hope and advocacy for systemic change, showing up outside of the therapy room to help change what’s happening for our clients in the therapy world. but when we are stretched thin, the idea of engaging in collective action or even connecting with others can feel overwhelming.
Lean into your professional community: Lean into the collective of therapists, a community that truly understands the unique demands and emotional labor of this work.
Connect with the wider world: Lean into the collective of the world, knowing you are doing good work, the grief work, for so many.
Experience mutual support: Sharing in the work, even when it’s challenging, can feel deeply energizing. There’s a profound trust that if you need rest, if you need to step back and recharge, your people will support you. You deserve to have someone hold it for you too.
Sustain the work: The work will continue. And in turn, when you are rested, you can show up for the collective, contributing your energy and support. This give-and-take relationship, this trust in shared responsibility, allows us to navigate challenging times not as isolated individuals, but as a strong, connected whole.
Implementing these strategies is an active way to care for your own well-being. It's a commitment to looking inward, managing stress with purpose, and fiercely supporting yourself so we can not only survive, but thrive, even when the world feels like a storm.
Ready for More Support?
We know the journey of a therapist is demanding, and you don't have to navigate it alone. Consider joining our mentorship group coming up this fall, designed specifically to support you as both a therapist and a person. We also offer ongoing consultation services to provide the personalized guidance and collective wisdom you need to thrive. Learn more at www.themotherloadcollective.com.