Nervous system support for therapists
Helping therapists avoid burnout, improve their boundaries, and deepen their presence so they can make the greatest positive impact with their work.
I've been actively working alongside many different psychotherapists since the start of my Somatic Experiencing training in 2015. They are a close part of my community, since we share a passion for helping people navigate obstacles and grow towards being more fully themselves.
Therapists tend to be deeply caring people, often they are quite analytical, and are expert at holding space for others. They have strong ethical codes and believe deeply in doing no harm.
These strengths sometimes can come at a cost, especially in an industry that can encourage therapists to work long hours with minimal breaks: Someone who wants deeply to care for others may not always have the easiest time saying "No" when asked for help. This can show up as:
-Having a hard time ending sessions on time.
-Reluctance to turn away a potential client, even if they might not be the best fit.
-Difficulty interrupting a client, even if doing so would be in the best interests of both client and therapist.
-Hesitating to clearly express a true niche or specialization for fear of driving away clients that might need help.
-and plenty more
Therapists tend to be deeply caring people, often they are quite analytical, and are expert at holding space for others. They have strong ethical codes and believe deeply in doing no harm.
These strengths sometimes can come at a cost, especially in an industry that can encourage therapists to work long hours with minimal breaks: Someone who wants deeply to care for others may not always have the easiest time saying "No" when asked for help. This can show up as:
-Having a hard time ending sessions on time.
-Reluctance to turn away a potential client, even if they might not be the best fit.
-Difficulty interrupting a client, even if doing so would be in the best interests of both client and therapist.
-Hesitating to clearly express a true niche or specialization for fear of driving away clients that might need help.
-and plenty more
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Many of these challenges are discussed extensively in school and in supervision, yet can be hard to act on. Why? Well, from my point of view as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, it's largely because of the nervous system.
In order to say no or to interrupt others, your nervous system needs to be able to first give you the information about what you want and need, and second give you the courage and determination to act on that information.
Our nervous systems need practice to be able to say "no", to be able to interrupt, to be able to say "I want this".
You can train those capabilities, and train the attunement to know when it's time to act.
And once you get there, you'll be able to hold a much kinder, safer, and more sustainable container for your clients and for yourself.
In order to say no or to interrupt others, your nervous system needs to be able to first give you the information about what you want and need, and second give you the courage and determination to act on that information.
Our nervous systems need practice to be able to say "no", to be able to interrupt, to be able to say "I want this".
You can train those capabilities, and train the attunement to know when it's time to act.
And once you get there, you'll be able to hold a much kinder, safer, and more sustainable container for your clients and for yourself.
