Feeling isolated and/or lonely as a mental health professional is common. Think about it…we can’t really talk about what we do and if we are in private practice, we could be the only other professional in our office. Not to mention, with the rise of online therapy we might not leave the house all week. Yes, therapist isolation is real.
You might be wondering why I am talking about this in the Trauma Treatment Collective. Well if you have been hanging out in the community for any time, you know I am big on self-care of the therapists and really believe our ability to hold space and support our clients is key to their healing. This concept is called co-regulation. Check and older vlog here on the topic of co-regulation
Taking care of our own social needs is vital to taking care of ourselves as therapist. Having awareness of these social needs is the first step. Let’s dig a little deeper.
I encourage my clients to look at their life as a pie and each slice is a different piece that makes up the whole of them. I also use this analogy in my own self-care. So, if I was to slice my pie out, I would have the following parts: spiritual, career, cultural identity, health and fitness, family, social network, mental health, and finances. This pie has changed over time and I expect it will change again, but for now, this makes up the whole of me.
As I look at each piece of the pie, I try to assess and set goals that will help me live a well-balanced life. I also try to focus on each piece in some small way, making sure to spread myself around rather than being hyper-focused on one piece, which I tend to do sometimes.
As I mentioned above, one of my pieces is social. Making sure that I am social is important to me and making sure that I am working on that helps me stay balanced.
In this week’s vlog, I provide details on some things we can do to help combat therapist isolation and/or loneliness. Below are a couple to wet your appetite…I share a total of 7 things in the vlog. Click on the link below to hear all 7.
1. If you notice therapist isolation within yourself, don’t worry too much.
2. Engage in consultation and supervision on a regular basis.
3. Explore new hobbies unrelated to mental health.
Other blogs and vlogs you might enjoy related to this topic:
Co- Regulation in Trauma Treatment
Collaboration in Trauma Treatment – Blog
3 Things to Help You Stay Healthy While Treating Trauma – Blog
