How to spot counsellor burnout and what to do about it
Photograph by Nikko Macaspac on Unsplash
As therapists, most of you will know the general signs and symptoms of burnout whether it is in relation to your own process or that of clients. Physical symptoms can include
Feeling tired or exhausted
Frequent insomnia or sleep disturbances
Frequent headaches
Emotional symptoms can include:
Feeling helpless, trapped or defeated
Self-doubt
Feeling demotivated
Behavioural symptoms can include:
Procrastinating and taking ages to do things
Difficulty concentrating
Irritability
It also strikes me that there are signs and symptoms specific to counsellors and therapists. I think it's worth exploring because ours is a role where our burnout can impact those who we are supporting. So, I've made a list of the ways that counsellors, specifically, can be impacted by burnout. Post in the comments if there is anything you think should be added.
Finding it more difficult to be present in sessions
Not feeling as resilient as usual in terms of content or quantity of sessions
Not feeling as creative or as intuitive in sessions as usual
Finding it more difficult to socialise or pursue hobbies after sessions
A decline in empathy
Relief when a client cancels
Feeling cynical about the work
Feeling detached from the work
It’s important to mention that burnout is different to Vicarious Trauma or Compassion Fatigue. Burnout is largely down to the volume of work or the length of time without a break and can be remedied with sufficient time out. Vicarious Trauma or Compassion Fatigue, on the other hand, involves more of a lasting impact on our world view or emotional / mental health. I’m going to talk about VT and CF in a future blog.
I know that everyone has different ways of dealing with things, but I thought it might be helpful to provide some suggestions for preventing or relieving the impact of burnout with some suggestions specifically relating to counsellors. I’ve tried to offer some realistic suggestions because I know that whilst many of us would love to go on a holiday to the Bahamas for three weeks, this isn't possible for many of us.
Have a definitive boundary between work and home. This could be both psychologically and physically.
Ensure time for self-care. It's a cliche but unless we take the time for ourselves, we aren't going to be much good for others!
Take enough time off. It can be difficult to take enough time off, especially if you are in private practice. Sometimes even taking a day or even an afternoon or going somewhere for a weekend away can be really helpful.
Reach out for support. I know that we all have supervisors (we need to use them!) but you also might need to delegate tasks depending on the situation or talk to likeminded people who are experiencing the same thing.
See a therapist yourself. I know that some of you take advantage of our membership hub offering affordable counselling for counsellors. If you feel counselling might help you this possibility is open to you if you are a qualified counsellor with insurance. https://www.counsellorstherapypot.co.uk/membership-information
Carefully consider the casework you take on. If you are feeling close to burnout it might be worth considering how much work you take on and the type of work you take on. It is your prerogative to signpost clients on if they aren't right for you at the moment.
Be realistic about what can and can't be achieved. Most of us have come into this line of work to help people so it can be difficult when we see the state of the mental health system and many people struggling (as well as the turmoil of world affairs). I think it's so important to remember that we can't fix everything or be all things to all people.
Cultivate helpful rituals. It can be worth thinking about making sure you have little rituals during the day that can help (I know this has really helped me recently). For instance: doing some breathwork when you have a few minutes, making sure that you move between sessions or playing some music you enjoy between sessions can help to ease tension.
Become involved in counselling communities. It's so important that we have places to go where people know what we are talking about! If you haven’t joined our Facebook group yet why not do so:https://www.facebook.com/groups/counsellorstherapypot
Exercise the self-kindness you recommend to your clients. Sometimes counsellors can be great at giving great suggestions to other but not taking them on ourselves. If you are starting to feel burnt out it can be worth paying attention to how you are talking to yourself as it may be making things worse.
Photograph by Fabian Moller on Unsplash
When you are in an empathic and caring role it can be difficult to navigate life when there are so many other demands of your time and care. The trouble is that it is possible to get into a state where you think that there are no solutions and that you just have to carry on as if you are a machine. This is not sustainable in the long term and, quite possibly, it won’t help the people you are trying to support (and it certainly won’t help you). If you do find yourself in the situation where you are burnt out, I hope that there are some ideas here for how you can move forward. If you have any thoughts about how Counsellors Therapy Pot could help counsellors and therapists achieve the sense of wellbeing they deserve please contact us.