Therapy For Therapists
Common Challenges For Therapists Seeking Therapy
Therapist does not accept their insurance
Therapist charges a high fee
Therapist does not have openings in the near future (e.g. waitlist, full for months at a time)
Therapist does not have adequate training, skill, and/or experience treating the client’s issues and symptoms
Feeling overwhelmed with the idea of searching for a good enough therapist
Therapy feels like consultation or supervision or turns into consultation or supervision (e.g. advice, problem solving, etc.)
Avoidance of addressing their issues (e.g. not wanting to go, but knowing it will help them and it will be effective)
Fear of judgement from their therapist
Difficulty being the client and not using their therapist brain/mind (role reversal). This could include:
Difficulty asking for help
Difficulty accepting help
Difficulty with vulnerability
Difficulty with being imperfect
Getting in their own way and utilizing defenses/protective strategies at an extreme
And more
Lack of professionalism from their therapist (being consistently late, canceling consistently, and so forth)
Over disclosing to the client without using clinical discernment
The therapist saying things like:
“Well you already know this, but…”
“I’m sure you are aware of this…”
And more
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Do I Need To Go To Therapy As A Therapist?
Of course not. Whether you choose to go to therapy or not depends on a variety of factors that only you get to decide if you want to attend or not.
Therapy is a skill/tool, not a cure all. It is something to consider adding onto your self and community care plan in addition to the usual items such as: adequate sleep, decreasing stress, healthy connections and relationships, eating nutritious and delicious foods, moving/exercising, going out to nature, etc.
Those who benefit from attending therapy even as a mental health professional include, but is not limited to:
Those who are wounded healers
Those who work with challenging patients and symptoms (e.g. inpatient settings, PHP settings, personality functioning issues, suicide, homicidal, abuse, neglect, torture, etc.)
Those who have experienced a recent loss, trauma, transition, change, illness, diagnosis, etc.
And more
Types of Therapy
Crisis management
A major life transition has occured
You are diagnosed with a health condition or illness like cancer
Perhaps you are experiencing imminent suicidal thoughts, your substance use has increased substantially, your eating disorder has relapsed and is not well managed, etc.
Supportive therapy
You want to manage symptoms or a diagnosis like depression or anxiety
You want to learn and practice skills and tools
Less focus on the past and delving into childhood
Continual learning of parts of self
You want to continue learning and unlearning aspects of yourself
Shadow work
Making the implicit, explicit or the unconscious, conscious
Existential and meaning making
You want a space to talk, process, and explore issues like identity, death, purpose, connection, isolation, loneliness, etc.
This sort of therapy focuses on: personal responsibility, self-determination, the capacity for growth, congruence, and authenticity.
Post traumatic growth
You’ve done the deep work of trauma therapy for years and years
You want to create and re-build a life based on purpose, meaning, growth, and love
And more
Benefits of Going To Therapy as a Therapist
General self care, health, and wellness
Having a perspective outside of a supervisor/consultation that is more personal in nature
Greater awareness of who you are and why you do what you do
Resolution of past issues, especially past wounds and hurt
Finding greater meaning, purpose, and satisfaction in your work
Finding greater meaning, purpose, and satisfaction in your life
Having more space and energy for clients at work
Having more space and energy for people you care about outside of work in your personal life
Having a first hand experience of how it is to sit on the client chair from the other side (e.g. more empathy, compassion, etc.). This can help with modeling to clients, increased self comfort, etc.
Can keep the therapeutic relationship more equal, collaborative, and normalized. It’s quite nice to explicitly know your therapist is also a human being who has a space just for them.
And more
Risks of Going to Therapy as a Therapist
Forcing yourself to go which creates immense pressure on yourself, the therapy, and your therapist
You may feel worse initially from the topics/issues you’ve been avoiding. Gradually, this should lift and stabilize.
You may not like learning about parts/aspects of yourself you’ve been avoiding or distracting from
You may not like what your therapist has to offer in terms of their perspective or their honest viewpoint. Obviously, everyone is biased and has a filtered way of looking at the world, but honesty can bring about discomfort for some people
You may change. Your relationships may change. Change can be pleasant and also unpleasant. These changes can bring about new perspectives and possibly decisions around your job/career, relationships, friendships, etc.
Not finding a good fit therapist on the first try. Finding a good enough therapist who takes your insurance, has availability, has specialized training, etc. can be challenging!
And more
Qualities of a Good Enough Therapist
Empathy and has the ability to join with the client cognitively and emotionally emphatically
Active listening and has the ability to hear what the client is saying, how they are saying it, and what they are not saying
Problem solver and has the ability to make connections, formulate a case, generate possible interventions, etc.
Flexible in boundaries such as policies, communication, etc.
Assertive communication skills vs. passive, passive aggressive, or aggressive communication skills
Healthy and flexible boundaries vs. porous/loose and/or rigid boundaries
And more