Self-Care Plans For Therapists: Tips For Taking Care Of Mental Health
Self-care: It’s a term that gets used a lot in the context of therapy, and with good reason. Self-care practices—behaviors aimed at promoting overall wellness—can play a key role in mental, emotional, and physical health. But what about self-care for therapists?
What is self-care?
At its most basic, self-care is just what it sounds like: the practice of taking care of yourself. The term is often used to describe behaviors and habits designed to promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Self-care is not a one-and-done treatment, but a set of lifestyle habits that are meant to be built into your routine. These can take various forms, such as:
Physical self-care
- Getting regular exercise
- Eating a balanced and nutritious diet
- Getting enough healthy sleep
- Taking care of your teeth and skin
- Practicing good hygiene
- Getting regular check-ups
- Avoiding excessive alcohol and drug use
Mental self-care
- Reading books or listening to podcasts
- Taking classes in subjects that interest you
- Practicing mindfulness or meditation
- Practicing stress-reduction activities
- Seeking treatment for mental illnesses
- Regularly checking in with yourself about your mental health
- Avoiding excessive social media use
Emotional self-care
- Journaling
- Spending time in nature
- Engaging in enjoyable hobbies
- Practicing gratitude
- Building awareness of your emotions
- Setting realistic personal goals
- Practicing self-compassion
Social self-care
- Spending quality time with loved ones
- Setting healthy boundaries
- Practicing honest and open communication
- Practicing healthy conflict resolution
- Seeking support from loved ones and offering support in return
- Being assertive when needed
- Practicing empathy
Regularly practicing self-care habits like these may have various benefits, such as reduced stress, improvements in physical health, and lower levels of depression and anxiety.
Self-care for therapists: Why is it important for mental health professionals to practice self-care?
In a 2018 study, researchers in the U.K. conducted a survey of over 600 clinical psychologists. Two-thirds of the people surveyed reported that they had experienced mental health challenges themselves. This might seem surprising, but it may be worth remembering that as fulfilling as working in mental health can be, it can also be demanding. Therapy sessions can be intense and emotionally draining, and mental health providers are often exposed to a lot of stress and pressure. This can contribute to mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, and burnout.
What is compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress?
Another common concern among mental health professionals is compassion fatigue, also known as “secondary traumatic stress.” This describes the mental health symptoms that can emerge for people who frequently work with survivors of trauma. These are often similar to the symptoms of PTSD.
Symptoms of compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress
- Social withdrawal
- Mood swings
- Insomnia
- Trouble concentrating
- Changes in appetite
- Aches and pains
- Feelings of numbness or helplessness
- Reliance on substances like drugs or alcohol
In addition to work-related stressors, mental health professionals may also face the same life challenges that other people do outside work, such as:
- Relationship challenges
- Financial worries
- The loss of a loved one
- Becoming a parent, getting married, or getting divorced
- Major illnesses
- Moving
- Changing jobs
Life events like these can often trigger or worsen mental illnesses, and this goes for therapists, too. This is why mental health professionals often develop self-care plans—to prevent feelings of burnout and work-related stressors, which can affect themselves and their clients.
Self-care plans for therapists
Given the various challenges people working in mental health services may face, practicing self-care can be especially important. Tending to one’s mental, physical, and emotional health can be a key factor in avoiding these issues and managing them when they arise.
How to practice self-care as a mental health professional
If you work in mental health, taking care of yourself can be just as important as taking care of your clients. Whether you’re dealing with a specific challenge or you just want to make sure you can keep doing your best work, the following strategies may help you practice self-care plans as a therapist.
Establish a consistent self-care routine. Between working with clients and managing outside stressors, it can be easy to let self-care take a backseat. Setting a consistent schedule may help you make self-care a habit. You might consider scheduling time to yourself in advance, even if it’s just five minutes a day. Finding ways to integrate self-care into your daily routine may also be helpful. For example, you could try meditating between therapy sessions, taking hourly stretch breaks, or packing a healthy lunch ahead of time.
Tend to your physical health. Staying physically healthy may have benefits for mental health and overall well-being. Consider starting an exercise routine, which may help reduce stress and generate endorphins and other feel-good chemicals. Being mindful of your diet can also be helpful, even if that just means making small changes, like reducing your sugar intake to keep your energy levels steady. It may also be worth making sure you’re getting enough rest by practicing good sleep hygiene and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule.
Prioritize healthy boundaries and your own self-care. When you’re a mental health professional, it can sometimes be hard to disconnect yourself from your clients’ lives and worries. That said, maintaining healthy professional relationships can be important for staying well and helping others. Make sure you establish clear boundaries with your clients, and give yourself permission to decline new work if you believe you’re spread too thin.
Consider personal therapy. Seeking counseling can help develop or round out your self-care practice, whether you have a mental health diagnosis or you would just like extra support. Therapy can be a source of guidance and advice, as well as a tool for building self-awareness and resilience. With the help of a counselor, mental health workers may be able to better prioritize their well-being and keep doing their best work. They may also guide you with the right resources to help with your concerns.
Online therapy
One potential challenge of seeking therapy is finding a counselor in your area who understands the unique challenges you face. Online therapy may make this process easier, offering the option to be matched with a therapist or choose your own, and to change therapists whenever you want.
Efficacy of online therapy
Studies have shown that online therapy is an effective treatment for mental health challenges that may be common among therapists. In a 2021 study, 63 medical residents facing high levels of stress and burnout were given a three-month online psychological intervention. After finishing the program, participants showed significantly lower levels of burnout, emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and depression.
Takeaway
How do mental health professionals practice self-care?
Like everyone else, therapists need to prioritize self-care to support their clients effectively. They can practice self-care by setting boundaries, exercising regularly, prioritizing sleep, meditating, seeking therapy, and more. They can also practice coping strategies and utilize other beneficial resources to combat stress and emotional exhaustion.
What are some self-care plans for therapists?
Therapists' self-care plans often include physical, mental, and emotional self-care. Exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, practicing mindfulness, meditating, and seeking therapy can greatly impact their well-being. Therapists may develop self-care plans and coping strategies to avoid burnout, which can affect their careers in counseling or clinical psychology.
How can I improve myself as a therapist?
As a therapist, you can do several things to improve yourself and your skills. Even after completing formal education in graduate school, psychological therapists may continue learning through taking courses and resources, which can provide many benefits for their professional development in the mental health field. A therapist may continue education by taking seminars, training, and psychology courses and resources, which can help to develop essential skills needed in their career. Usually, a therapist must be open to accepting positive and negative feedback from clients. Constructive feedback can help you know what you might improve and focus on as a therapist.
In addition, a therapist usually must prioritize self-care, which is often vital for professionals in professional psychology and clinical psychology. As a therapist, you need to focus on taking care of yourself as well, not just your clients. Self-care activities such as exercising, getting enough sleep, meditating, or spending time with friends and family who can provide support and encouragement may be of help. Engage with things that make you happy and feel relaxed after a long day. Meta-analysis and systematic reviews suggest that mindfulness-based stress reduction can effectively improve the psychological functioning of healthcare professionals and the general population.
How do you do emotional self-care?
As a therapist, you can practice emotional self-care by being aware and attuned to your feelings and expressing them healthily. Regularly check in with yourself to assess both the positive and negative emotions you are experiencing. Practice self-compassion, especially on days when you feel overwhelmed. As a therapist, you may also practice emotional self-care by establishing your boundaries and learning to say no to things that drain you on a regular basis. Therapists may also try practicing loving-kindness meditation, also known as metta meditation, which helps cultivate feelings of loving kindness. It starts by directing feelings toward oneself, then gradually extending them to others.
How do therapists avoid burnout?
To avoid burnout as a therapist, it’s often essential to maintain a healthy work-life balance and seek support from friends and loved ones. Engaging in self-care strategies and activities can also help prevent burnout. Some examples of self-care activities therapists can engage in include meditating, journaling, reading, or listening to music. Try to engage in activities that you enjoy and hobbies that lessen feelings of burnout. This is important to address because burnout may decrease the quality of care provided by a therapist in the long run. Therapists may consider reading various articles and resources online if they want to understand more about how to avoid burnout.
How do you write a self-care plan?
Self-care plans are personalized ways of managing one’s well-being, including a therapist’s personal goals outside the therapy room. They typically include a list of self-care needs that promote physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health in one’s personal life. Individuals may start writing self-care plans by identifying needs in their personal lives. Conduct a self-assessment and write down strategies and activities to help you stay healthy, manage stress, process your feelings, improve your career, and have a sense of purpose in life. Brainstorming strategies that can target various domains of your life is a key aspect of developing effective self-care plans.
- Physical: Strategies that address one’s physical health include exercising, eating healthily, and getting enough sleep. Proper physical activity and rest balance can benefit the body and mind.
- Mental: Meditating, reading, mindfulness techniques, and coping strategies can maintain or improve mental health over time.
- Emotional: Activities that help reduce stress and make you relax when you feel overwhelmed, such as practicing gratitude and engaging in activities that give you happiness or foster self-discovery, can promote wellness.
- Spiritual: Volunteering, attending religious services, praying, and meditating can address spiritual needs and offer a sense of purpose and meaning in life.
- Social: These involve strategies that promote spending time with loved ones and others.
Develop a schedule after writing down the activities you want to focus on. Some personal habits can be done daily, and some can be done weekly or monthly. It’s up to the therapist how they will incorporate their personal goals into their daily routine as a professional. There are resources for those who want more guidance on how to develop self-care plans.
What does therapist burnout look like?
Anyone—workers, graduate students, professionals, and others—may experience burnout. Therapist burnout may include the development of cynicism, emotional exhaustion, loss of motivation, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of ineffectiveness. A therapist should be aware of these signs and work to address them immediately before they affect their quality of life and the way they provide support. Burnout can be addressed through prioritizing one’s own self-care, talking to loved ones, and seeking professional guidance. A therapist may consult another mental health professional to help them see the bigger picture in addressing their problem; they can also help when it comes to cultivating self-care plans.
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