As adults, many of us seek help from various professionals to make us the best we can be. We visit massage therapists to aid aching muscles and trainers when we want to be healthier. When we want guidance and help, we turn to therapists and trust them to lead us towards a healthier state of mind. But what about therapists, themselves? Today, most programs require students to fulfill a set number of hours in therapy before they’re allowed to practice. But many don’t continue to seek help for themselves once their accreditations are complete. While they may be very knowledgeable about conditions and forms of treatment, therapists are still people – people with struggles, heartache and internal dilemmas, just like everyone else. It is especially crucial for therapists to seek counseling.
Counseling Can Help Counselors Every Day and in Business
According to LMFT, Amy McNamara, “as licensed professionals, we often consult and engage in peer consultation groups. However, if therapists are in fact wounded healers, where are we able to address our wounds and our needs? I ask these questions because the more I grow as a therapist, the more I become aware that it is crucial that we have our own therapeutic support. I find it essential that as a therapist, I have a therapist. I feel it is important that we do our own inner work as therapists. I believe it is important that we practice what we recommend to others and that we hold ourselves accountable to the wellness standards that we ask of our client’s.” When you think about it, it makes a great deal of sense. Would you enjoy going to a doctor who was constantly sick and not seeking medicine? Or a teacher who was against furthering their own education and stubbornly insisting “they knew everything?” No. So why, as a therapist, would you not want to care properly for your own mind and heart? Counseling can fill that void.
Beyond a therapist’s personal life and ailments, there’s another crucial element to consider. Have you ever sat and listened to a friend’s problems? As they were telling you of their hurt, did it not resonate with you and cause you to experience your own form of empathetic pain? Therapists hear a lot of upsetting things and they don’t just sit there and let the words and emotions breeze past them.
According to Thomas Skovholt of University of Minnesota, “The client’s pain and suffering can become the therapist’s pain and suffering, and even the most dedicated counselors can find the daily grind to be emotionally exhausting.” These professionals strive endlessly to help us understand ourselves and our needs so it makes perfect sense that they would need support themselves.
Seeking Therapy Personally Aids in Understanding From the Clients’ View
Despite all our training for our particular fields, there is no shame in needing help from others. As much as we constantly try to establish our independence as individuals, humans are a highly codependent species. We crave social interaction, depend on one another as an economy and become the best versions of ourselves when we accept support from one another. To all the therapy professionals: seek help and guidance from another therapist and don’t feel as if you’re weak or unqualified for doing so – your clients (and you) will thank you for doing so. Counseling from the other side can help you remember what their experience is like and always take their views into consideration in your practice.
Ready to get started on regular therapy to maintain your personal stress levels and deal with life’s (many!) ups and downs? Try out a complimentary initial session with me to see if we’re a good fit. No obligations of course, just a safe place to be you and get some “stuff” off your mind to help clear the path for a great day, week, month and year, or even some relief to get through a really tough time. Contact me to set your own date and time to meet by clicking right here. I look forward to seeing you. Feel free to contact me here or call me at 303-489-9579 with any questions you may have. My door and ear are always open to you, my fellow dear counselor.