It’s no secret that as healthcare providers, as compassionate humans, and as natural-born caregivers, it is our innate reaction to deplete our own resources to keep giving to others around us who are in need. Though this is a good-natured action and comes from a very selfless place, the old saying comes up for me as I write this: “You don’t need to set yourself on fire to make others around you warm.” We are so naturally inclined as mental health workers to burn ourselves out if we are not extra cautious.
I teach Austin Family Counseling’s Private Practice 101 class on burnout prevention to the newly hired therapists. Not only is it an honor to be able to be selected as an expert on this subject, but I have been producing a lot of content lately online regarding burnout. So many of us as caregivers walk an extremely fine line of being completely burnt out and depleted to remaining completely boundaried and having a clearcut work/life balance. Especially with the current holidays approaching, a great deal of people are making sure to get in as much counseling as possible before they travel during the winter. But this puts us at a greater risk of running ourselves into the ground when there is so much money on the table.
As someone who has struggled with his own burnout in the past, I wanted to write a blog dedicated entirely to burnout prevention among therapists. I will highlight on such topics that accompany therapist burnout such as checking in with yourselves, unsubscribing from “hustle culture”, morning and evening routines, and the ever-important work/life boundaries.
Know when you are approaching burnout!
As I mentioned both in my November newsletter as well as my most recent post on Tik Tok, I took a poll to see what individualized burnout looked like for my different therapist friends. Such answers I received were fatigue, irritability, hyperfocus on the day ending, becoming tired from self-care activities, lacking in empathy, apathy, dissociation, and the list went on and on.
I want to dedicate this entire section to checking in with yourself. Checking in with yourself and your body should ideally be a near-daily ritual. Are you identifying with the above responses that some of my friends said in the above paragraph regarding their own individual burnouts? If so, get comfortable asking yourself questions like:
1) What does my burnout look like? (Everyone’s burnout is different as we all have unique experiences.)
2) How do I know when my body is “running on fumes” or when I am on my last leg?
3) How is my body responding to my current caseload? If it grows, will my body be able to handle it?
4) What is my body telling me right now in this moment?
5) Am I working through body aches, pains, or migraines?
To self-disclose, I know when I am approaching burnout when my motivation in the morning to see clients is very low, when taking trips and going to concerts (two of my beloved ways of self-love and self-care) feel draining and unlively, and when I secretly am hoping that my clients cancel. Recently, I flirted with burnout while I contracted strep throat and threw out my back within a week. Luckily I’m fine, but to prevent burnout, I am taking a stay-cation during the week of Thanksgiving.
When is the next time you will intentionally take time off to prevent your burnout?
Do not subscribe to the “hustle culture”
To clarify, hustle culture is a kind of lifestyle that requires its participants to push themselves to the absolute limit in order to fulfill their capitalistic financial goals. This is incredibly dangerous for therapists who are either a) entrepreneurs or b) work for another person’s practice and have to see a great deal of clients to make ends meet given their low commission cuts. Either way, hustle culture among mental health professionals is very dangerous. It is so hard for us to turn away money, referrals, marketing events, etc. But we absolutely need to unsubscribe and do away with this very problematic mindset.
Below are ways that therapists can unsubscribe from “hustle culture”:
1) Don’t work through fatigue: If your body is fatigued or aching, take this as a sign you are ill (And hold off on booking sessions until you are better)
2) Set weekly limits: LIMIT how many sessions you see a week and treat this as a hard boundary (your clients don’t deserve the version of you that sees 30 clients a week)
3) Financial contentment: Be able to look at your bank account and say “I have enough. And I remember when I only dreamed of having this much!”
4) Relationship check-in: Ask yourself if your partnership, friendships, or family relationships are suffering because of your “hustle”.
5) Set boundaries with clients: Do NOT be afraid to send clients emails saying that you will no longer be available before noon or in the evenings
6) Work shorter weeks: And have longer weekends! It is not a crime to work only three or four days a week!
7) Prioritize vacations: A wise client told me earlier this year that when I came back from my vacation, I should already be booking the next plane ticket for my next trip. WE NEED TIME OFF.
AM/PM routines
Another hugely important set of questions I ask the Private Practice 101 group is the following:
“What does your morning routine look like before you see clients?” (pause for answers)
“What could be different?” (pause for solutions)
“What does your evening routine look like after you see your last client?” (pause for answers)
What could be different?” (pause for solutions)
Our morning and nightly routines are such an integral part of our own human process as we continue to help with others’ trauma, relationships, and self-actualization. Morning rituals are key in that they are a way for us to set the intention of our days. It is a chance to write out any written goals we hope to manifest, spend time with our partners and/or animals, and make ourselves a healthy meal as well as prepare our lunches. To be authentic, I have struggled with mornings since I was a child, but I still try and manage to squeeze in at least 5-10 minutes of morning meditation per day. Getting coffee from my favorite local coffee shop helps before I make the commute to my office.
Nightly routines are just as important, if not moreso, than morning routines and rituals. This is the very raw time where we are freshly out of the therapist chair, when our clients’ emotions and trauma are likely to stick with us, and when our need for space is absolutely key. More times than not, this is when our brains are “fried” or overstimulated. This is why having a nightly routine, whatever this looks like for you, is crucial to your well-being.
Do you have podcasts to listen to on your drive home? Do you go to the gym immediately after work? Do you have a friend or partner to call to release any residual frustrations about your day? When you get home, do you feel able to advocate for yourself if you do not feel like having company? Do you have a nightly shut-down ritual before you go to sleep? Mine lately has been coming home and writing, burning candles and incense, and watching some of my favorite movies.
Work/Life Boundaries
Similarly to the AM/PM routines, having clearly set boundaries between work and home life is incredibly important in preventing burnout. To have clearly set boundaries when it comes to being a therapist, this means that we do not still feel immersed in work after we get done seeing our last client of the day or week. Below are some sure-fire ways to set work/life boundaries to prevent therapist burnout:
1) Do not respond to friends who are seeking therapeutic advice
2) Have a cognitive switch as soon as you end your day (mine is turning off my desk lamp)
3) Resist checking emails and voicemails on your off days or during your off hours (this one is always hard to resist but very possible)
4) Prioritize your social life–community is SO important in this business
5) Distance yourself from people who drain you or make you feel like you are at work
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