When you’re passionate about what you do, you can put a lot of yourself into your work. Even more, if you’ve embarked on this work because of a life changing experience, the work can feel more important than anything else in your life. I know how vital this work is and how helpful you are…
So, at a recent presentation I gave, someone asked me, “What would you have done differently to avoid burnout in public mental health?” That question stopped me in my tracks. I have had ideas and philosophical ponderings about what others can do to avoid the burnout they experience. But what led me to Sacrificial Helping…
Becoming a successful helping professional would be so much easier if you were told exactly what to do to make it all work out. So often we get thrown off course by the growing pains or obstacles that are actually fairly predictable. Here are some of the common growing pains I see at each…
In my everyday interactions with helping professionals, I’ve come across a pattern of behavior and a specific mindset that holds so many of us back. This configuration of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings is so common in my experience, that I’ve decided to give it a name: “Sacrificial Helping Syndrome.” I can hear you now. Wow…
As therapists, we’re big-hearted professionals who chose this career to help people, to give of ourselves and give back to the community. But we often don’t think about how we can sustain that giving, especially when we’re faced with all of the challenges unique to our field. It can be difficult to maintain this…
Why Networking is a Critical Best Practice for Helping Professionals So many people HATE networking. Especially helping professionals, in my experience. Many helping professionals think that networking is selling or passing a million cards out and hoping they get a referral. That’s just wrong. This mindset can be very short-sighted and, potentially, dangerous. It’s time…
I’m tired of hearing about how all the world’s ills are due to lack of mental health services. The resources are there. Or can be. That’s not the whole problem. It’s super complex and must be addressed holistically. We can’t just blame access and call that a solution. What’s the problem, you may ask? Well,…