Counseling for Therapists

an invitation

Take off the Role

I love to work with therapists doing their own therapy! Finding counseling for therapists, can feel like climbing a mountain. Listen, I get it. It is really hard to admit to each other that we do not in fact have it all together (duh) or everything figured out (*slightly desperate laughter*). You might be thinking "shouldn't I be beyond this by now?" or "wasn't grad school meant to fix me?" The answer of course, is no. So long as we remain human we will need support and there will be seasons in our life where therapy is the right kind of support. I got you, I'm a therapist in long term therapy myself.

But you're a therapist, you have worksheets and coping tools, and all the latest research. If you needed just 4-7-8 breathing or reality testing you wouldn't be here. At some point the tools reach the end of what they can offer. At some point you stand at the edge of the cliff and look out into the unknown that goes deeper than behavior, that strikes at the heart of your self-hood and you need more.

I practice depth oriented therapy. While we might talk about tools at first to make sure you can get through your day to day our real work is about climbing down that cliff into the uncharted jungles of your self and your unconscious to get to know the you behind the therapist who expertly cares for your clients, the family member who keeps your relationships connected, the friend who always shows up for others. 

At Holdfast, counseling for therapists gives you permission to set down your expertise, the things you should know, the ways you should be and get curious about the mysterious being underneath the persona you have worn in the world. Along the way we will discover the myths that have driven your shoulds, the parts of yourself you had to exile to be safe, and the power you have to choose a new path, to tell new stories, to reclaim all of yourself.

15 Minute Free Consult!
Counseling for therapists: the view under a shady tree across a mountain lake

Mental Health concerns

  • Here is something that might shock the general public but that you and I know are true: therapists are not immune from mental health challenges (of course), and yet it can be incredibly hard to admit we need help.
  • Therapists are at risk for compassion fatigue and burnout, in fact our jobs put at higher risk for negative stress outcomes [source, source]
  • We carry the added stress that our mental health isn't just a personal decision: it is an ethical imperative. Taking care of ourselves, working through our trauma, unhealthy relationship patterns, and other concerns is vital for us to work ethically and well with our clients.
  • Therapy is lonely work. We don't get to share our work stress with our families, friends, or often even colleagues. Instead we all too often carry it alone, bringing us back to compassion fatigue, burnout, stress, and depression. [source]

My invitation

  • You care for others all week, when do you get to take off the role and be fully, authentically yourself? Even if you aren't in crisis right now (especially if you aren't), you need that space to be fully seen, heard, and cared for by someone who understands what you hold.
  • EMDR provides us with a powerful tool to process trauma, and help your nervous system find regulation and coherence.
  • Analytical psychology (Jungian therapy) invites you to become comfortable with uncertainty, to befriend your own mystery and learn to lean back in to wonder in a world that might too often be nothing but check lists and assessments.
  • A warm, judgement free, and supportive space awaits you with a fellow clinician who respects your expertise but won't let you "therapize" your way out of true vulnerability and knows enough to call you on your bullshit (lovingly).
  • Breathwork brings you back to your body, and maybe a little out of it again with hyperventilation breathwork (especially helpful for those who do not wish to use substances for altered states of experience or trauma processing.)
Counseling for therapists: pebbles along the beach at sunset
15 Minute Free Consult!

Counseling for Therapists

Be Seen

As a therapist you know the value of being seen and heard just as you are. Counseling for therapists provides that benefit to those who offer it to others. 

Listen to intuition
Learn to listen to yourself in a relationship that prioritizes you, your story, and the complicated symbols and stories that make up your life. Hone your own intuition through a supportive relationship.
Care

You tell your clients how important it is too accept care from others, but how hard is it for you to do the same? Counseling for therapists provides a perfect practice ground.