We Can't Help Ourselves

Curt and Katie talk about how difficult it is for therapists to take care of ourselves. We look at why we struggle with the self-care that we teach our clients, including shaming in our field, lack of connection to our shadow-self, and where we seek support. It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age. In this episode we talk about: Why the Giving Tree is a bad role model Road blocks therapists put in their own way Katie’s notion of Sacrificial Helping The wounded healer concept The reasons we do not take care of ourselves How we define our value, especially related to the idea that our value is to help others The harm of valuing productivity over all else The search for meaning – what we do is meaningful to us Volunteering on top of the work we do The idea that you can be impacted by the therapy you do The role that the shadow self plays The strict, externalized parent and oppositionality The shame for not “self-caring” enough or believing in the “right” form or health from our field Burnout’s effect on decision-making The lack of training on how to use the coping strategies on yourself How to make decisions better about self-care as a therapist Opening space for mistakes in our field How relational therapies can be a solution for therapists who are grappling with their own stuff Where to seek support (and where not to seek support) Intention versus reactivity Resources mentioned: We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein Lori Gottlieb, MFT Irvin Yalom, MD Therapy Reimagined 2020 Call for Speakers   Relevant Episodes: Self-Care, Self-Compassion, and Self-Awareness for Therapists Vulnerability, Mistakes, and The Imposter Syndrome The Danger of Poor Self-Care for Therapists Compassion Fatigue Therapists in Therapy Toxic Work Environments Managing Vicarious Trauma The Burnout System Addressing the Burnout System The Mental Load of Therapists All Kinds of Burned Out Impaired Therapists Therapist Suicide When is it Discrimination?   Connect with us! Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapists Group Get Notified About Therapy Reimagined 2020 (and TR2019 Virtual Conference)   Our consultation services: The Fifty-Minute Hour  Credits: Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/ Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/