Self-Care & Development
This section emphasizes the importance of self-care and continuous professional development for psychotherapists. Discover resources and strategies to maintain personal well-being and foster growth throughout your career in psychotherapy.
132 articles found
The Genealogy of My Guilt Towards Self-Care and Saying “No”
At times, I can be really bad at asking for help. This trait, for better or worse, is most likely a byproduct of a variety of factors in my life, most notably playing sports, my history of asthma, and my identity as a young Black professional. As athletes, we are conditioned from an early age to persevere and ignore thoughts of quitting or “taking a break” in order […]
Jonathan Jenkins, Psy.D.
December 30, 2017
What Are We Missing?
I presented my first research poster at the 2016 American Psychological Association (APA) Conference in Denver, Colorado. My name had been on other posters in previous years, but never as first author. I was especially excited about this opportunity. The research I presented was about graduate student stress and how it may be important for […]
Jennifer A. Schager, M.A. + 2 more
December 30, 2017
White Therapist Self-Disclosure in Multicultural Contexts
Within the conceptual literature, multicultural therapeutic approaches have long recognized therapist self-disclosure as a skill or even competency (Bitar, Kimball, Bermúdez, & Drew, 2014; Henretty & Levitt, 2010). Self-disclosure has been discussed as an intervention that may build trust and credibility in cross-cultural contexts (Constantine & Kwan, 2003; Henretty & Levitt, 2010). Disclosure may suggest […]
Graham Danzer, Psy.D.
October 24, 2017
Psychotherapists as Professional Communicators
Communication With the General Public If you were to meet me at a party, you might be forgiven for thinking that I am being purposefully rather vague about what I do for a living. When people ask me, I tend to answer with something like: “. . . I am a psychotherapist.” After the usual […]
Katie Aafjes-van Doorn, DClinPsy
October 22, 2017
Incorporating Self-Care into Early Career Practice
I remember sitting in an ethics course during my fourth year of my doctoral program and listening to the professor reminding us that the self-care practices we establish in graduate school are the ones we maintain for our careers. I wondered how on earth I was supposed to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle while […]
Julie K. Garson, Psy.D.
October 22, 2017
Key Factors of Internship Burnout and Possible Solutions
Psychology predoctoral interns face many challenges, as difficult roles and competing expectations may lead to burnout. Edelwich (1980) defined burnout as “a progressive loss of idealism, energy, and purpose by people in the helping professions as a result of the conditions of their work” (p. 14). Common factors contributing to burnout include difficult cases, feeling […]
Christina Burg, M.A. + 10 more
October 22, 2017
The Perils of Denial
After reading the recent Hoffman report (Hoffman et al., 2015), I found myself wondering how respected individuals in my field could participate (even indirectly) in such horrific acts. As an intern who is soon to be an early career psychologist, I considered that, while there are many complex factors at the heart of any man-made […]
Mariya Dvoskina, Psy.D.
September 3, 2017
One Side of the Coin
After writing The Positives and Potential Pitfalls of Saying Yes (2017) I decided to share a positive experience that highlights the benefits of saying yes. This moment was when I said yes during my doctoral internship year. As an intern, I was hired by my internship site (Wichita State University Counseling and Testing Center) during […]
Christopher Leonard, Psy.D.
August 27, 2017
The Transition to Motherhood for Therapists
As Mother’s Day approached this year, I found myself reflecting on my experiences the previous May. It was a watershed year for me, both professionally and personally, as I navigated the challenges of a postdoctoral residency in child community mental health while learning to parent. Last year, I was midway through my residency and deeply […]
Maggie Benedict-Montgomery, Ph.D.
August 13, 2017
“Two Versions of Me”
Since the mid-1900s, the United States has been the destination of choice for international students, and each year almost half a million international students enroll in American universities (Haynie, 2014). These students typically arrive with clear academic and professional goals, but they may not have considered what it will be like to be functioning in […]
Yu-ting Ching + 2 more
August 6, 2017
The Importance of Psychotherapists’ Feminist Identification
I am a therapist-in-training and I am a feminist psychotherapist. Just as it is important to identify my trainee status when I meet a client for the first time, I find it is equally important to identify myself as a feminist psychotherapist. Feminism has been defined and redefined a number of times over the years […]
Jake Wolf, M.Ed.
August 6, 2017
The Pugilist and the Psychologist
As a psychologist, I encourage my clients to step outside of their perceived limits or comfort zones for the betterment of their mental and emotional health. In graduate school, my professors stressed the importance of collaborating with clients in cultivating their ability to imagine themselves living holistic and healthier lives—useful for encouraging both optimism in […]
Jonathan Jenkins, Psy.D.
August 6, 2017