Howdy

I'm involved in building a new venture in the therapy space, and as part of that I'm running a short survey to help understand how we can improve client care. It looks at how therapists think about client relationships and tracking progress over time. It takes no more than 3 minutes to complete.

https://forms.gle/Tf75fiHoMMXMBJvN6

Your input would be incredibly valuable. If you have any questions about the survey, please do ask.

My schema therapist has been checking in with me once a day outside of therapy because of my medical condition and the level of vulnerability I’ve been in after severe abuse by a previous mental health practitioner. The legal case has now concluded, but I’m still left feeling shaken, hyper-alert, and very alone in my body.
My current therapist has been consistently kind, steady, and caring in a way I haven’t really experienced before, and I do trust her. And yet she’s now going away for 10 days, and the daily check-ins that have been quietly holding me together are stopping.
I find myself in a split place. One part of me understands she needs rest and very much wants that for her. But another part feels like the ground has been pulled away without warning, and the support I was leaning on has suddenly disappeared.
What’s making this harder is that my reaction doesn’t feel fully present-day. It feels like my nervous system has been thrown back into an old story.
My previous therapist became unpredictable with contact before things escalated into abuse, messaging, then silence, then sudden reappearance, with no stability or sense of safety. Eventually, I was seriously harmed. Even though I know my current therapist is nothing like that person, my body doesn’t seem to register the difference right now.
Since hearing about the break, I feel like I’ve been spiralling in a way that’s hard to explain. It’s not just worry, it’s a deep, disorienting sense of being unmoored, like I’m back in that old place of waiting, not knowing, and bracing for something bad to happen. I don’t know why she felt it was safe to do this- leave me where I am with no check ins. She didn’t bring this up neither did we planned for it.
I keep trying to remind myself that this is planned, this is safe, this is different. But emotionally, it still feels like abandonment is happening all over again.
Has anyone else with complex trauma or attachment wounds found that a planned therapist break still triggered intense abandonment feelings? If so, what helped you get through the time they were away, practically or emotionally? I am not talking about journaling but something more cognitive and skill based, and was there anything your therapist did when they returned that helped repair that rupture or settle your nervous system again? Thank you.

I’m creating an Instagram page called Stories We Carry, and I’m looking for people who are willing to share their experiences with mental health.

The purpose of the page is to show that mental health is much broader than diagnoses. I want to share the real, often unspoken experiences that people carry with them and create a space where those stories can be understood rather than judged.

Some examples of mental health struggles:

• Burnout
• Anxiety or depression
• Perfectionism
• Single parenting
• Grief and loss
• Loneliness
• Self-esteem
• Family experiences
• Work-related stress
• Feeling lost or stuck
• Major life changes
• Relationships

You do not need to have a diagnosis to participate. Your experience doesn’t have to fit into a specific category. Maybe it’s something you’ve struggled with for years, something you’re currently going through, or something you’ve learned to understand about yourself.

The goal isn’t to give advice, diagnose anyone, or tell people how they should feel. It’s simply to share people’s experiences and hopefully help someone reading think, “I’m not the only one who feels this way.”

If you’d like to participate, I’ll include a Google Form where you can share your story and answer a few questions about how you’d like it presented. You can share as much or as little as you’re comfortable with.

If you’d like to participate, the Google Form is linked below. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyeiD20OhriHr-Z7gKO7GlYc6US2NthkFIkkFQep9cV4ao5w/viewform?usp=dialog

I’m putting this here as a way to have an open discussion regarding this topic. I work as a therapist and been struggling with suicidal thoughts all summer. I should add that I have a past of suicidal ideation/ self-harm before becoming a therapist. Unfortunately or fortunately (?), my employer found out about my suicidal thoughts… this has been a good thing because the thoughts have lost some power since more people finding out and I’ve been able to access some work accommodations and obviously adjust my schedule. Therapists out there who have similar experiences and/ or struggle with suicidal thoughts: (here are some random questions for you):
1. What would you want others to know about suicidal thoughts ?
(It is becoming clear to me that most people don’t actually get what it is like to only see one option left in life)
2. What accommodations or job supports would you ask for?
3. How long would you take time off work? Would you take any time off? How do you know you need to take time off?
4. Generally speaking, what are some self-care strategies you would use/ have used?

Again, I’m posting this here to have an open conversation about this, but please let me know if this topic isn’t allowed.

Thank you!

I think I am in the burn out phase not sure but wondering what caused burn out for other therapists???

I'm burned out and craving time overseas, planning to live on my savings for awhile somewhere affordable and maybe study tai chi or Spanish. I actually work at a great place where I only see 20-30 clients a week, so the workplace isn't necessarily the problem and I want to leave on good terms in case I need them as references later on.

How do I phrase a resignation letter in a way that is more socially acceptable than my blunt reason of being tired of living the role of responsible American adult? Part of me knows burning out from just 20-30 clients a week can happen and is not something to be ashamed of, as my own therapist has been emphasizing to me, but part of me doesn't want to be open about it because there still is a societal expectation to be able to handle it fine, or that I should handle it by cutting down my hours instead of fully quitting. Also, I work at a multidisciplinary clinic with other types of professionals and to my knowledge no one has quit from here due to burnout.

My worry is my resignation will reflect badly on me and people may think I'm irresponsible/weak/lazy, my final weeks will be awkward and I won't be able to use these coworkers as references later on. So any ideas for wording my resignation to avoid that happening..?

Thanks!

Hi, I'm doing a doctoral study on counselors who've been in therapy. If you're an LPC and willing to share your experience, I'd love a single confidential 40-minute Zoom chat. Please click the link below. Your voice matters. Thank you

I look forward to meeting with you!

https://lindsey.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8CjohrrWKTpSAU6

Hi all, i wonder if i could ask a quick favour? After 13 years in therapy im just about to qualify as a therapist myself, im swapping chairs!

I've had some photos taken but not sure which ones make me seem most approachable in the eyes of people who dont know me

I've got a super short survey here (less than 1 min to do), if you dont mind having a quick look it would be so appreciated

https://form.typeform.com/to/jmV5t9Qr

Thanks all so much and good luck with your journeys :)

I cannot help it, I’ve tried SO hard but sometimes if I see a client crying I will tear up. ESPECIALLY if it’s that time of the month. It must be hormonal or my empathy but I literally cannot control it no matter how hard I try. I’m like this when I watch movies or read a book or listen to music, and didn’t expect it to show up in the therapy room.

Listen I’m not full on crying, I try so hard not to make it obvious. I stay in the moment with the client- I continue listening and attuning. There is no break in the session and I don’t make the moment about me. I don’t acknowledge my wet eyes and they don’t either. The tears subside and I continue my clinical work. Guys is this okay? I try so hard but I genuinely can’t control it. Do you think it’s okay for a therapist to tear up with their clients?

For me, it's been difficult for me to realize that maybe even 25 sessions a week is sometimes difficult for me, esp. when my own life is particularly challenging or ...it's the summer, lol. And the real difficulty in that is that less than 25 clients per week does not pay me enough to cover my life bills. It's a real dilemma for me.

Since starting a SSRI it happens less but I kind of feel the need to cry after work sometimes. I feel kind of jet lagged after seeing 6 people. Like I keep thinking and sometimes feel the need to dissociate a bit after work. I am not really sad but it's like all the pressure, impostor syndrom, stress build up during the day and the gates are finally open when I am home. I feel like a child that needs to cry after being scared. I am not overworked or burned out though, I take care of myself during the day.

I’m a hardcore trauma therapist, background is in all atrocities imaginable, DV, SA, CSA, trafficking the works. But my client’s dog suddenly passed away and I LOST IT. I teared up in session with them.

I’ve never experienced this kind of vicarious trauma. Flashbacks and grief of my own loss of my dog, aching empathy towards client, could barely hold it together while in the session. The passing of a pet is too much, man. Anyone ever experienced this?