I used to be a burnt out therapist. I used to question if my student loan payments were worth it. I used to question if this was the right field for me. I used to question if I was even still a therapist if my primary role was paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork. I now consider myself a burnt out therapist in recovery. I put it that way because that’s what it looked like for me. In grad school, they tell you that you won’t make a lot of money as a therapist. They tell you to get a low paying job right out of school at a decent agency and do your best to keep up with the paperwork. Just last week, I sat down with two different mental health counseling students and completed an interview for the requisite counseling professional interview most of us had to complete in school. One of the themes they asked me about was burn out. I decided it was time to write a blog post about my experience with burn out and how I went into recovery as a burnt out therapist.
1. I took whatever job they gave me out of grad school
– Seriously, I went on three job interviews and took the first job that offered me more than $30,000 a year and I thought I hit the jackpot. I was going to get free supervision. I was going to get enough hours in client contact and I didn’t have to drive. I just had to work at a juvenile delinquent program, in a brand new environment I was totally not accustomed to.
2. I felt stuck in that job for many reasons
– I ended up staying with that company for seven years. I got my license while working there. I got a promotion and raise every couple of years. I learned really well how to handle defiant teenagers. What I was giving up in the process was my identity as a therapist. I started feeling more and more alienated from the reasons I went to school. I became inundated with paperwork. I started to get frustrated with my clients, supervisors and co-workers. I became burnt out.
3. I decided to start a path of self-discovery
– I got myself into therapy. I’m very open about this because I believe it is important for therapists to go to therapy. We can only take our clients as far as we have gone and if I haven’t gone back to touch on the sadness, anger, fear or shame of my childhood, it would be increasingly difficult to empathize with my clients on their pain. I took personal development courses. I did life coaching. I’ve taken webinars and read books and joined supervision groups. I did my work as a therapist and as a person who wanted healing.
4. I left my agency job and now run a kick ass private practice
– It’s been four years since I started therapy and three and a half since my first personal development course (www.thelivingcourse.org). Within two years, I started my private practice (Caring Therapists of Broward) and took back my claim as a therapist. I started working with clients and realized I was able to take them to a deeper place because I had gone there myself. I also learned how to role model good self-care. I figured out ways to take care of myself on a regular basis. Mine include going to yoga, hanging out with my nephew, walking my dog, writing in a journal, reading books and watching reruns of Friends on Netflix. I make sure to do at least one of these things every day. Everyone has different interests and it’s important to find out what works for you. It’s been two years since I started my private practice and I am happy to report that I love what I do and never felt more connected to being a therapist.
Are you feeling burnt out as a therapist? Have you done your work? Have you seen a therapist and worked through your unfinished business? Have you hired a business coach? Have you taken a personal development course? If you are going to talk the talk with your clients, you must walk your walk. And walking your walk means taking care of yourself in mind, body and spirit so you can be the most present for your clients. So today is the day. Find your next therapist on PsychologyToday . Sign-up for a personal development course. Take out your journal and reflect on your childhood. Do something today to take care of yourself and it will be amazing how you too can become a recovered burnt out therapist.
Amanda Patterson, LMHC, CAP , Mental Health Counselor of the Year by the Florida Mental Health Counseling Association, decided to become a therapist while attending Nova Southeastern University. She saw the need to help people achieve the life they wanted to live, while creating a life of her own. She completed her master’s in Mental Health Counseling and started a career in the juvenile justice arena. Amanda has been a therapist for ten years and has a private practice in Wellington, Florida, specializing in depression, anxiety, relationship issues, and substance abuse in teenagers and young adults. Amanda is a believer in holistic treatment and she practices veganism, meditation and yoga in her life. Find out more about her practice here.
To schedule an appointment, call or text Amanda at 954-378-5381 or email her at amanda@amandapattersonlmhc.
