Tending to our self.

Abstract

The life of the psychotherapist expresses a unique interplay between "becoming" and "being," as the practitioner commits himself or herself to the lifelong task of personal growth and the ongoing development of self and others. This striving for actualization reflects both a sense of duty and an inner passion, a calling and destiny. (Guy, 1987, p. 293) fine, but critical, line exists between our personal and professional selves. That our personal life serves as the undergirding and infrastructure of our professional self is a fundamental assumption in advocating therapist self-care. Therefore, we must strive to understand the different aspects of and influences on our self as well as to continue developing self-awareness.Consciously becoming self-aware enables us to evolve from an unconscious, externally dependent, reactive mode to a more "mindful" means of caring for our physical, psychological, and spiritual being. By nurturing our self, we can then genuinely care about, and share with, others. This chapter guides therapists in examining aspects of our self, the influences of our formative and ongoing life experiences, and our motivations to become a therapist. A therapist self-care questionnaire is found in the appendix at the end of this chapter. Responding to this questionnaire and completing the journaling exercises in this chapter will offer you an opportunity to reflect on your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to therapist self-care.

Self-care in clinical psychology graduate training.

“…Of the five domains of self-care assessed in this study, two emerged as particularly important for graduate students: professional support and cognitive awareness. The key contribution of professional support suggests that, as has often been emphasized in the professional self-care literature (e.g., Baker, 2003; Norcross & Guy, 2007), utilizing support-focused strategies, such as sharing work-related stress with colleagues, avoiding isolation, and building positive relationships with mentors, may be especially useful. Similarly, the substantial impact of cognitive awareness suggests that, as has been found among professional psychologists (Dorociak et al, 2017), self-care strategies promoting self-awareness, such as remaining mindful of one’s feelings and needs, being thoughtful and proactive about managing challenges in one’s work, and noticing triggers of personal distress, can be especially critical for students.…”

“…Beyond prevention of problems, proactive and ongoing self-care enhances functioning and overall well-being, thus contributing to a more optimal level of professional functioning. Efforts to promote self-care have yielded a rapidly expanding literature that includes books on self-care (e.g., Baker, 2003; Carter & Barnett, 2014; Norcross & Guy, 2007), articles in professional journals (e.g., Barnett et al, 2007; Wise, Hersh, & Gibson, 2012), and empirical studies of self-care (e.g., Rupert & Kent, 2007; Stevanovic & Rupert, 2004). These resources aim to raise awareness about the importance of self-care for psychologists, to provide practical guidance for integrating self-care into personal and professional lives, and to develop a professional culture that values and encourages self-care as a means of enhancing wellbeing and effective functioning.…”

Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear: A primary prevention model for ethical decision making.

“…In an effort to increase self-awareness, practitioners are well advised to frequently question their motives, emotions, values, and possible biases by asking questions such as, "Why am I doing this?" (Baker, 2003;Bamett, 2007). Through such selfquestioning, a practitioner may gain insight into the factors that may be prompting their actions and determine that something needs to be done to more effectively regulate them.…”

“…Aspinwall and Taylor (1997) warn that “high stress environments exacerbate cognitive load, reduce perceptions of personal control, and reduce the opportunity to engage in proactive coping” (p. 421). In order to increase the chances of successfully meeting the challenges posed by ethical dilemmas, practitioners must learn to monitor the effectiveness of their stress-coping strategies (Baker, 2003). The resources of one's social network, such as practical help, information, and emotional support, can broaden a practitioner's coping repertoire and boost his or her resilience against future stressors (Greenglass & Fiskenbaum, 2009).…”

“…Self-reflection activities, such as journaling or participating in psychotherapy, can foster self-awareness through the process of personal exploration, during which practitioners can consider the origins of their personal morals and how they align with our ethics code (Bashe, Anderson, Handelsman, & Klevansky, 2007; Handelsman et al, 2005). In an effort to increase self-awareness, practitioners are well advised to frequently question their motives, emotions, values, and possible biases by asking questions such as, “Why am I doing this?” (Baker, 2003; Barnett, 2007). Through such self-questioning, a practitioner may gain insight into the factors that may be prompting their actions and determine that something needs to be done to more effectively regulate them.…”