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Why is self-care so important for therapists?
Marybeth Haas, UKCP psychotherapist Prioritise time for self-care even when you feel like you don’t ‘have enough time’ because it will reduce stress and serve all those you support as much as it serves your own wellbeing. Be as kind and patient with yourself as you are with your clients. Each method of self-care fits into one of the seven pillars: mental, emotional, physical, environmental, spiritual, recreational, and social. A well-balanced self-care routine involves each of these, so avoid restricting yourself to just one or two pillars. Self-care includes all the things you do to take care of your well-being in four key dimensions – your emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual health. Common examples of self-care include: maintaining a regular sleeping routine, eating healthy, spending time in nature, doing a hobby you enjoy, and expressing gratitude. Self-care can look different for everyone, but to count as self-care, the behavior should promote health and happiness for you.
What is self-care for psychologists?
Self-care has been defined as providing adequate attention to one’s own physical and psychological wellness (Beauchamp & Childress, 2001). Beyond being an aspirational goal, engaging in self-care has been described as an ethical imperative (Norcross & Barnett, 2008) and is part of the APA’s Ethics Code (2002). Common examples of self-care include: maintaining a regular sleeping routine, eating healthy, spending time in nature, doing a hobby you enjoy, and expressing gratitude. Self-care can look different for everyone, but to count as self-care, the behavior should promote health and happiness for you. Each method of self-care fits into one of the seven pillars: mental, emotional, physical, environmental, spiritual, recreational, and social. A well-balanced self-care routine involves each of these, so avoid restricting yourself to just one or two pillars. Professional self-care means using habits, processes, systems, and communities to make your work life sustainable. It’s not glamorous—it’s usually a lot of debriefing yourself after crises and creating battle plans for later—but it’s a vital, ever-evolving part of creating work-life balance and boundaries. Here are three pillars of self-care: Physical, Professional, and Emotional/Psychological. Within each pillar, there are essential habits that should be practiced to benefit the mental and physical health of an individual. Namely, there are 8 main areas of self-care: physical, psychological, emotional, social, professional, environmental, spiritual, and financial.