I’m wondering how many colleagues in the mental health support arena encounter times of ‘lowness’.
Those times when maybe there’s a need for more oomph to get into the therapy chair.
Those times when cancellations seem to come in in droves.
Those times when enquiries promise booking in, but then you’re ghosted.
Those times when you read of another therapy place questioning the role or use of independent therapists.
Those times when you miss a team being around you.
Those times when payment is late or not forthcoming and has to be chased.
Those times when a simple mistake, a typo not spotted, or an erroneous autocorrect not removed, seems to lead to someone rejecting the professionalism of your entire practice even when you do correct matters and hold your hands up to not having noticed that smallest of mistakes at the time.
Or even those times when it feels like everyone you’re seeing is struggling and needing more of your time and energy, but you don’t know where to find that.
Those times when maybe the monthly meeting with your supervisor doesn’t seem to be enough – maybe because it’s one other person’s voice where a chorus of many voices singing in unison feels more needed, just to counter the many instances of efforts being ‘dissed’.
Those times when maybe you’re feeling wrung out.
(interesting how the above, whilst not necessarily being direct experiences here, came to mind so easily….)
For colleagues who may be experiencing a time of lowness, of extra effort being brought to bear just to make the day work – this is your invitation to cut yourself some slack.
We are all human.
We all make small mistakes.
We are all of us, without exception, still living within the fallout of COVID-19, the losses, the changes in our entire society. Autumn has arrived and leaves are dying and falling. The news everyday brings to our senses the knowledge and reports of huge troubles around the world, and there is again War in Europe! The very thing Europe vowed to work together to avoid and divert has arrived and continues in full force.
How do we manage our own need to withstand such terrible world events AND still offer support to others who are also in the same world, seeing the same events, and yet seeming to look to us to be somehow above it all?
We do this, as best we can as human beings and therapists, by being gentle with ourselves in those times when others don’t have that capacity to offer us gentle human understandings of our mutual humanity.
And then, when we have a little energy to spare to giving thought to practicalities, we review our caseload, we check for any local or accessible group and peer support networks, we check if we also need to seek our own professional and/or medical input for our own health needs – you know, all those suggestions to look after health needs that we give to so many clients that actually also apply to us….. <knowing wink>, and if we are members of professional membership groups that offer emergency supervision, we can consider calling on that to gain a different supervisory voice.
Because we are ethical professionals.
And we are human beings.
Be kind to you.
Rosalyn Young is a qualified psychiatric nurse with over 30 years
experience in govt and private agencies helping those in crisis
and in recovery. She has studied counselling to degree level,
and specialises in working with survivors of trauma, childhood abuse
and neglect, PTSD, DID and related emotional regulation problems.
She is also clinical supervisor to many colleagues.
She lives in Lincolnshire with her husband and a variety of
companion animals and motorbikes, is a keeper of chickens and a student of
the art of home-brew and growing things in the garden.
Contact her on 07906260310, or email contact@timeforcounselling.co.uk
