Therapy for Therapists

Teachers have their own teachers for their personal career goals or to use as a mentors. Their children may be taught by a different teacher depending on the grade level and subject. Nurses, doctors, and dentists will go to their own primary caregiver or dental provider. Tax advisors may hire their own tax advisors. Even lawyers will have their own lawyer instead of acting as their own. While these individuals may all be considered experts in their fields, they still don’t have the resources, capacity, or time to blend their work life with their personal life and provide the same services to themselves or their family members. The same can be said about therapists. Let’s learn more about why therapists need therapy too.

In the realm of mental health and therapy, practitioners often find themselves at the crossroads of compassion and ethics, facing complex and sensitive situations that require careful consideration and decision-making. These moments, commonly referred to as ethical dilemmas, stem from a variety of situations and are not unique to the field of therapy. Nonetheless, they are particularly significant in a profession dedicated to helping individuals navigate the intricacies of their emotional and psychological well-being.

You speak about the benefits of therapy day in and day out. As a therapist, sure, it’s your job, but you’ve also seen it work for your own clients. You have several clients that have seen and experienced the benefits firsthand. You have new clients that are slowly opening up and starting to see the benefits as well. Being a therapist isn’t an easy job. Sure, it’s a rewarding one, but no two days look exactly the same. Some days are easier than others. Some clients experience breakthroughs while others experience breakdowns. You’d be lying to yourself if you didn’t admit feeling the same way from time to time. Let’s learn more about the benefits of therapy for therapists. Here are 4 key benefits of therapy for therapists.

Let’s face it: You’ve been debating for a while whether or not you should go to therapy. You tell your clients each and every day that reaching out for help is one of the strongest things they can do, that everyone can benefit from therapy, and to at least try it out before you dismiss it completely. While it might seem easy to tell these things to others, it can be difficult to tell these things to yourself. Should it be required for therapists to attend therapy? Let’s find out!

You never know who is going to give you a call, schedule an appointment, or walk through your office door. Each and every day, you deal with people of all different backgrounds, histories, ages, genders, and experiences. Your clientele is filled with a vast array of different personalities, demographics, and reasons for attending therapy in the first place.

Day in and day out, you’re taking care of other people. You’re listening to them, asking them to dive deeper into their thoughts and emotions, and helping them with healthy coping strategies.  You’re there for all of your clients, each and every day. You’re the person they run to when they need help or when they’re seeking advice. But who’s taking care of you? Who’s there for you when you need help? Therapists need help every now and then too. Part of the job is to empathize with others’ experiences, which can take a toll. Here’s how therapists can cope with the emotional burden of their work.

As a therapist, you sit there daily and open yourself up completely and fully for each client. You throw all of yourself into each and every session. You’re fully invested physically, mentally, and emotionally. It can be a very intimate experience, especially when working with ongoing clients. You love the bonds and relationships you’ve been able to build with your clients. You wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. That being said, you’re still feeling like you’re missing out. The emotions, connection, and intimacy you’re feeling in each session don’t really replace the true 2-way intimacy you would receive from a romantic partner. Here’s what to keep in mind as a therapist when one-way intimacy falls short.

You spend most of your days inside and alone. From the moment you wake up in the morning, your commute into work, sitting at your desk in your office, and back to your home each night (if you even go to an office away from your home!). Isolation is setting in.

Let’s face it. The past few years have been a whirlwind. Black Lives Matters protests. The global COVID-19 pandemic. War breaking out in Ukraine. The overturning of Roe v. Wade. And mass school and public shootings. These are only a few of the recent happenings in the last few years. What’s going to happen next? How are you supposed to cope?

Answer the following questions with a Y (Yes) or N (No): Do you feel like you’re not good enough? Y/N Do you worry people will think you’re not smart? Y/N Do you doubt yourself? Y/N Do you hate making mistakes? Y/N Do you feel like your successes don’t mean or prove anything? Y/N If you responded with Y, or Yes, for a majority of your answers, you’re actually not alone. You’re experiencing what’s known as Imposter Syndrome.