Therapist, Heal Thyself: The Role of Self-Work in Therapy

"Many people assume mental health clinicians are immune to mental health concerns. In reality, therapists experience stressors and emotional struggles just like anyone else. Some of the most effective healers are those who take the time to do inner work on their own trauma history. "But you're a therapist, so you probably won't understand," she said with a sideways glance in my direction. "You probably have everything together." I still laugh when I remember that moment."

"I was sitting at a round table during a conference lunch, picking at a plate of pasta while sharing stories with a group of other professionals. As happens in groups, the conversation drifted toward relationship stress, burnout, and "life stuff." When my tablemate made her comment, she meant it sincerely, almost apologetically, as if my profession placed me in a different category of human experience."

"Mental health struggles and trauma are not unusual in our line of work. The truth is that so many mental health clinicians enter this field because they've struggled. Anxiety and depression, trauma histories, and family-of-origin wounds, dealing with systemic and societal stressors... more therapists today are open about these experiences. While the old stereotype cast therapists as wise leaders who had everything perfectly together, it's becoming increasingly common and even expected for clinicians to acknowledge their own lived experiences."

Many people assume mental health clinicians are immune to mental health concerns, but therapists experience stressors and emotional struggles like anyone else. Numerous clinicians enter the profession because of their own anxiety, depression, trauma histories, or family-of-origin wounds. When clinicians undertake personal healing and process their trauma history, their capacity to empathize, use therapeutic tools, and support clients often improves. The stereotype of the omniscient, perfectly composed therapist is outdated. Openness about clinicians' lived experiences is increasing, and acknowledging personal struggles can reduce stigma and strengthen therapeutic effectiveness.

Read at Psychology Today