Therapy for Therapists
 

A few years into my journey of practicing as a therapist, I came across a saying that boldly stated: "Becoming a therapist was my trauma response." And oof- did that hit me like a ton of  bricks. Certainly by that point in my career, I was aware that my initial entry into the field of therapy originated from a place of dysfunction, codependent tendencies, and from a pattern of acting as an informal therapist and professional "don't-rock-the-boat-er" for most of my life. But something about that saying helped me to see that my choice to become a professional therapist was also a creative and adaptive way to cope with my own pain and to find a sense of safety in the world.

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 ...And it turns out I'm not the only human to have come up with such a creative and adaptive approach! Many mental health therapists and people within fields traditionally known as "helping professions" (i.e., education, vocational ministry, medicine, etc.) have both adaptively (and maladaptively) sought to channel their painful experiences to help them serve others. Additionally, many of us function as unpaid caregivers, which too can threaten to take over all of our resources and our entire identity if left unchecked. Although the outcome of our intention to help others- whether professionally or unpaid- can be beautiful, it can also be further destructive and retraumatizing if done from a place of avoidance of our own selves.

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Whether or not you identify with any of the aforementioned: it is critical for you to engage in your own therapeutic work in order to practice sustainably, to prevent compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma, and to understand yourself as a human first (and a therapist/helping professional/caregiver second).

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