Thursday, October 31, 2019

Therapists need therapy too !!

Psychologists, Counsellors, therapists , Doctors are also people with their own sets of problems. They also need to talk like everyone else. They also need to learn coping skills like everyone else. They may also need professional help. I often hear people saying "Oh...you are crying...but you are Psychologist !! " 
"Oh..why are you shouting...how can you get angry ..aren't you a Psychologist?" "What kind of Psychologist you are when you can't control yourself?". 
It seems to be logical to think that mental health professionals should be able to practice more emotional regulation as they have studied emotions and how to cope with them as a part of their education and training. But this expectation is little more far fetched than this logic. It fails to take into account the fact that these professionals or practitioners are also human and they have their emotional brain as well. They will also experience all the emotions just like any other human being. For e.g an orthopedic surgeon can suffer from a fracture although he knows all about bones , similarly a Psychologist can suffer a break-up although he knows better about human relationships. 
The only difference is that after suffering from a fracture an orthopedician will take utmost care and may recover faster than us, though the healing process will still take minimum time required for healing. Similarly, a Psychologist may have a quicker come back after an emotional upheaval. But we cannot guarantee that just because I know about bones , I will not get a fracture! 
Also, the profession itself is quite demanding as it is emotionally taxing and it is very difficult though ideal to remain detached from the sufferings of the fellow human beings while providing counselling services. 
The people who choose this profession are generally themselves empathetic people who are naturally sensitive to other's needs. They tend to get attached with their clients especially in the early years of their practice and their client's distress affects them. 
On the other hand when they look around them in their own distress they encounter apathy from others, even their own family and friends. 
Hence, it is imperative for all mental health professionals to invest in their own emotional and mental health regularly. They need to undergo systematic therapy sessions to deal with their own neurosis ideally before they start taking up sessions to help others and on a continuous basis even after that. 
They need to invest in their own sleep, physical exercise and mental relaxation by way of meditation, reading and pursuing a hobby for themselves. 
Friends, remember you can't pour from an empty cup after all! 

Take very good care of yourselves too. 
.

26 comments:

  1. Completely Agree to this,have myself been in such situation and people asked me " how come you are not able to cope up,if others can't understand atleast you should as psychologist"

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  2. Completely agree to what is shared by you mam. And indeed people do ask and are taken by surprise if a psychologist displays her intense emotions sometimes...

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  3. Very true.. All said and done, being a Doctor or a Psychologist is just their profession , but they are Human beings who have the a set of thoughts , emotions and based on these is their behaviour.. A few are capable of handling them well and many fail... Else it is the same RED blood , veins , nerves and skin we all have !!! :( that many FAIL to understand and keep advising ...

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  4. Very important message and beautifully written ๐Ÿ‘

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  5. Beautiful Guntas! I agree๐Ÿ‘Œ

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  6. Truly said. A professional may also need a professional help. We need to shield ourselves too as well as get remedy.

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  7. Highly realistic thought... We often here.. Do's and don't s for being psychologists.. Process taxing on us emotionally... U have raised voice, ma'am

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  8. Highly realistic thought... This comment by me.. Rajalakshmi Kowshik

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  9. It's a very pertinent article on mental health issues of mental health professionals. And the analogy given is also superb. And I guess it is even more stigmatic for a mental health professional to come out with their own issues. More such discussions and forums need to be formed where people can openly discuss and thereby help in spreading awareness about mental health issues.

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  10. Very relevant mam.. indeed at times emotionally it disturbs the mental health professionals more ..that how can we emotionally be so weak when actually we supposed to empower others .. and we also not feel comfortable to share with others that we are actually are suffering from the same crisis for which we r there to cure... thanks for highlighting this topic ��

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  11. Absolutely true maam... we often hear this... how can u cry, get angry or behave this way...no one understands....thank u for making us aware n enlightening our minds...

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  12. Thankyou for the insight...I too was lately having mild anxiety and was wondering why !!I realized that since last 3 days my friends who shared their concerns with me were having high anxiety...Kirti Bajpai

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  13. Very true. Recently seen many ups and downs in self life.
    Doctor should look after herself /himself properly
    Dr Smita

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  14. Very apt for the mental health professionals

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  15. Very true. We can't pour from an empty cup. We need to take care of our emotional, physical and spiritual well well being.

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  16. Very true ma'am.. Completely agree with you.. Thank you so much for this insight

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  17. Thanks Mam for sharing this..every professional need to learn this as we are not self fulfilled being human beings..learn and grow is part of Life.Rekha VV

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  18. Very true
    Drsmitapawar23@gmail.com Pawar

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  19. This content has brought a change within my own insight

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