2 answers
Jolee
Student
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Questions
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As a therapist, do you believe you should have your own therapist?
Anyone who is a therapist carries lots of weight on their shoulders. Do you believe it's beneficial for a therapist to have a therapist?
I know there are laws that state you cannot disclose what people tell you, but how do you handle these difficult topics?
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2 answers
Candice Robinson, BS, NCPT-4
Psych Assistant/Practice Administrator
39
Answers
Durham, North Carolina
Updated
Candice’s Answer
A lot of therapists have a therapist of their own that they talk to about personal issues. Because of HIPAA and laws related to confidentiality they cannot disclose any personally identifiable information about a patient or client of theirs. This does not mean that they can not bring up scenarios or talk about how client situations make them feel.
Most therapists are trained in creating clear personal boundaries early on. This gives them the skills to create healthy relationships with the people they serve. Boundaries are like the limits of a relationship. Creating those boundaries usually includes things such as not attending to work related issues outside of work hours and not doing anything they are not personally comfortable with. This keeps them from being taken advantage of by the people they treat, as well as separating their feelings from the feelings of others. Not holding these boundaries can definitely lead one to feeling burned out or overwhelmed with the responsibility of counseling others.
Therapists are regular people and they have issues in their lives as well that they may need to talk out with an impartial party. This gives the therapist the opportunity to self reflect and analyze how this affects their clients.
For example, if a therapist was in a therapy session with their own personal therapist they could say "I have a client that is really starting to stress me out. She has so many things going on it makes me feel guilty for harping on my minor issues."
What the therapist could not say is, "I have this client who is a nurse at the hospital. She is going through issues with her cousin Anna and getting married next week. Her job has sent her to therapy and I think she really needs it, so I am stressed out trying to do my best."
Most therapists are trained in creating clear personal boundaries early on. This gives them the skills to create healthy relationships with the people they serve. Boundaries are like the limits of a relationship. Creating those boundaries usually includes things such as not attending to work related issues outside of work hours and not doing anything they are not personally comfortable with. This keeps them from being taken advantage of by the people they treat, as well as separating their feelings from the feelings of others. Not holding these boundaries can definitely lead one to feeling burned out or overwhelmed with the responsibility of counseling others.
Therapists are regular people and they have issues in their lives as well that they may need to talk out with an impartial party. This gives the therapist the opportunity to self reflect and analyze how this affects their clients.
For example, if a therapist was in a therapy session with their own personal therapist they could say "I have a client that is really starting to stress me out. She has so many things going on it makes me feel guilty for harping on my minor issues."
What the therapist could not say is, "I have this client who is a nurse at the hospital. She is going through issues with her cousin Anna and getting married next week. Her job has sent her to therapy and I think she really needs it, so I am stressed out trying to do my best."
Delaina Fell
Human Capital Consulting
13
Answers
Golden, Colorado
Updated
Delaina’s Answer
I believe a Therapist should absolutely have their own therapist given the volume and levity of support they provide so many in need (mostly in crisis). It could be beneficial to have someone you can discuss your own personal and professional challenges with as the weight gets heavy with your patients. While you aren't allowed to disclose what people tell you, you could share generalizations of things that really weigh you down. Having your own therapist could help serve you in two ways. 1) Helps you to let go of perhaps some of the mental/emotional load you carry from your patients and 2) You could gain ideas for how to best help yourself AND your patients in the future. Hope you found this helpful.
Caveat: This is not my area of expertise nor do I know the laws surrounding what you can or cannot share however hopefully there is some helpful information here for you.
Caveat: This is not my area of expertise nor do I know the laws surrounding what you can or cannot share however hopefully there is some helpful information here for you.