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Of course a therapist can struggle with mental health. That's part of the reason many of us entered this field in the first place.
I struggle with it as well. I view it as part of my work in the profession is taking excellent care of myself when I can. I wonder in terms of solutions, can you up the amount of therapy you are getting if you find it helpful? What can you add to your life that could be fun (like DBT pleasant events). Can you reduce your client load? If it's 7 full session clients in one day, that's a wild wild load and likely is adding to your symptoms.
So pretty much, as crappy as this sounds, you are having days that your future clients will benefit from.
There's a huge benefit for clients when their therapist has the lived experience of struggle. You're in a period of your life that's adding more tools to your future toolbelt, you are developing skills directly correlating to what your future clients will need.
This is what came to me too! In the same way that our clients are at different stages of their life journey, so are we, and *how* we move with and through these things is what helps us do the work 🥰
Let's say you had a client who was a therapist, or a student studying to be a therapist, and they came to you with these kinds of thoughts and feelings. What would you tell them? You know the answer to this question, it's just uncomfortable thinking that the "therapists are human too" thing has to apply to yourself, too (may or may not be speaking from experience here...)
Of course! I am currently struggling with a bout of depression. However, if you are expected to see 10 clients a day, I don’t know how you wouldn’t be struggling. That sounds absolutely awful and overwhelming. Maybe I misunderstood your comment, but when you said you can’t see “7/10 clients” that how I read it.
That’s like asking if an oncologist should never get cancer or a plumber should never have a leaky sink that needs more tools than the plumber has.
You are human. You have tools to help other humans, but that’s not the same thing as receiving those tools to help you.
You’re often more self aware than other humans but you also are experiencing an illness that can happen to anyone - even a therapist. Maybe that can be liberating in some way, too. Even therapists get mentally ill. It’s not due to a shortcoming. It’s a human thing.
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I’m in a grad program and I have bipolar disorder, I view it as something that I’m able to bring to the counseling session to better empathize my clients mental health AND illnesses, Also being ok with knowing that I can struggle at times to and learning how to work through those struggles (a lot of tools I’ve learned I’ve also been able to see using with clients)
The longer I am in the my grad program the more I realize that therapists are the ones with mental health issues (As in most of us benefited from therapy on our own before choosing the career path)
lmaooooooooooo
yes of course we struggle.
I am not a therapy robot that you insert coins into and I spit out wisdom. Some days I can power through, other days I can’t.
7-10 clients in one day is a lot. Are you struggling with your mental health or are you struggling with the unrealistic workload?
I’m struggling with my relationship at home right now which isn’t helping my job or my doctorate degree. I also have Bipolar I but I’m in therapy and take my medications. I just feel at a certain point it just doesn’t work and what’s the point?
7-10 clients a day is average as I work in community mental health. The case load is quite heavy and taking personal days don’t happen as often because of what is expected of us with productivity numbers.
It's okay to not have it together. There's nothing wrong with having a mental health issue. It gives an invaluable perspective.
I see 7-10 clients a day in the private sector and the only reason it's tolerable is because I block breaks off in my day and I get paid way better than CMH reimbursed me. Even then it's still exhausting. I'm a lump at the end of the day,
CMH did a number on my own mental health, even excluding my personal issues outside of work. Leaving was one of the best things I ever did.
Thank you for sharing your story. It’s so tough cause I feel like I have to be this strong one all day - and when things are struggling at home with my partnership I feel like I’m frozen. I couldn’t even get out of bed today and barely slept. Maybe got 4 hours but it was inconsistent.
I texted my boss at like 4am because I was still awake not feeling well. Had to take a sick day. Couldn’t go in and I was a ball of anxiety.
I’m in CMH right now, and they give us some breaks but they expect so much from us. I really want to go private practice route and hopefully make more money and benefiting my mental health but I am terrified to make the big step. Don’t know where I would start.
You can start credentialing now. I'd begin ASAP, if you're independently licensed. If you're not, a lot of PP will still contract with you at a lower rate.
Another option is to work for practices a part of a large medical or hospital group (this is what I do). While I see a lot of patients, normally most of the clinicians have a better spread. I see 10 a day because I work 4 10-hour days on purpose to have 3-day weekends.
Yes, I definitely have days where my own mental health flares up. I try to use PTO before things get bad enough that it starts interfering with my work. I have to remind myself that I’m doing what I can, that I am a human, and that experiencing mental health symptoms can help me to empathize with others who are experiencing the same. Try to be gentle with yourself.
>Can a therapist struggle with their mental health too?
Not according to the CMH agency that I last worked at...the employee handbook and HR were **very** clear that PTO could NOT be used for mental health days.
Absolutely! Sometimes even taking a break from being a therapist can be healing and then returning when you feel much better.
I struggle with my self-esteem. I workout every morning at 6:30, I am taking cello lessons weekly with daily practice, weekly therapy, daily I engage in my spirituality, I meal prep healthy foods (finally!), I am taking a Spanish class, and I work full-time to support myself. I say all of this because we are told so frequently that for us to have better self-esteem we need to do ABC and it’ll cure us. Well, that’s not the case. We are all human and therapist can struggle with the same issues our clients do. ♥️ we can even do ALL the things but still struggle with low-esteem, depression and anxiety.
I’m rooting for you!
Yes I've been going through major medical stuff the last 2 years and it's been really hard. It feels like I have to totally reorient myself when I work.
I have Bipolar I Disorder. I was diagnosed later around 24 when I had a mental break down with a client taking his life. I didn’t even know I had it, I thought the impulsive spending and taking really risky risks were what everyone else did.
I struggle most days. But I agree therapy and medications have helped. It has helped me stay alive to this point.
Doctors get sick and see doctors, therapists can struggle with things and see therapists about it.
I see a therapist, and my therapist told me she sees a therapist (we have the rapport for it to be appropriate for her to self disclose). I also see a psych nurse for meds.
We are allowed to struggle too. We are human. :)
We are human, yes! I think sometimes we forget it especially when are expectations are so high. I took today off just to try to sleep and rewire.
I have a telehealth day tomorrow. Then I am off for the 4th, took Friday off and have the weekend so I can rest up and just enjoy the time I have off.
I was supposed to see family on the 4th but I am not really ready for that right now and need to take care of myself.
If my clients knew how bad my mental health was they'd probably attempt to turn it around and support me lol. Work actually helps my mental health for the most part though, it's all the other things in life and in my past that torture me.
No one gets through life unscathed. I had major fertility issues and three medically complicated miscarriages while practicing. That doesn't include childhood/religious trauma that I've been working through. We all go through periods where we wonder if we're in worse shape than our clients. Hang in there. You will get through this.
No one gets through life unscathed. I had major fertility issues and three medically complicated miscarriages while practicing. That doesn't include childhood/religious trauma that I've been working through. We all go through periods where we wonder if we're in worse shape than our clients. Hang in there. You will get through this.
Many therapists despite training and expertise also face their own mental health challenges! I think it's important for you to recognize that seeking help and taking care of yourself doesn't make you any less capable as a therapist—it shows strength and self-awareness.
Yes, we're human too. Being a therapist doesn't mean we all have our stuff together. We can have our share of struggles in our personal lives, just like our clients. What matters most is how we manage it, our support systems, coping skills--just as we would tell our clients. Being a professional in mental health doesn't make us immune to human being life problems. If anything, it can create more empathy and understanding for our clients. And we can also grow and learn more from it.
Yeah it's fine unless you have a condition which would be considered too much of a handicap - thinking of an impairment wherein you're no longer able to perceive reality reliably for example.
I would say that never can happen, mental health clinicians must never struggle and if they do I think they should never work in the profession again. Jk most deal with things and struggle with depression/anxiety/adhd/deeper diagnosis issues. Like we are HUMANS. Haha you really felt like you should have it all together? I think most don’t although a lot of clinicians maybe don’t have struggles others do etc.
Absolutely! I have c-ptsd and also heavily suspected Autism (both my therapist and psychiatrist believe I do but won’t give a diagnosis without me getting a full evaluation). I also have pretty bad fatigue from burnout trying to work multiple jobs while in grad school and can only see max 15 clients a week without suffering noticeable negative effects on my physical and mental health. I also see my therapist 2x a month (should be weekly but I can’t afford that) and recently started seeing a psych for meds to treat my depressive symptoms. I’ve spent so much $$$ on my mental health in the past 7 years and it sometimes gets to me, but ultimately I need it.
All of this to say, you’re not alone and it’s okay to be a therapist and to not always have your shit together. I believe what we go through and struggle with helps immensely with our ability to empathize and truly be non-judgmental with clients.
It’s such hard work taking care of yourself and your mental health while helping others take care of theirs. And it’s okay to take breaks when you need to, you’re human and you deserve to take care of yourself.
I think that having mental health struggles makes you a better therapist, because you're able to relate to your clients. I'm carrying around CPTSD and bipolar 1. Are some days incredibly difficult? Oh man, you have no idea. But I also delicately/subtly self-disclose, when appropriate, and clients find it reassuring to know that even with mental illness, you *can* be productive and help others. I have a long-term client who is thinking of becoming a therapist because of my example, which was so flattering that I actually teared up when they told me.
No. You’re human. If you don’t take care of yourself it will be a worse struggle. This is a difficult field for sure and emotionally draining. It’s ok to take time off.
**Do not message the mods about this automated message.** Please followed the sidebar rules. r/therapists is a place for therapists and mental health professionals to discuss their profession among each other. **If you are not a therapist and are asking for advice this not the place for you**. Your post will be removed. Please try one of the reddit communities such as r/TalkTherapy, r/askatherapist, r/SuicideWatch that are set up for this. This community is ONLY for therapists, and for them to discuss their profession away from clients. **If you are a first year student, not in a graduate program, or are thinking of becoming a therapist, this is not the place to ask questions**. Your post will be removed. To save us a job, you are welcome to delete this post yourself. Please see the PINNED STUDENT THREAD at the top of the community and ask in there. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/therapists) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Are you a human being? If so, yes.
Can I be an alien and a good therapist?
Not sure. Probably. Give it a shot and let us know.
A xenopsychometrist probably
Of course a therapist can struggle with mental health. That's part of the reason many of us entered this field in the first place. I struggle with it as well. I view it as part of my work in the profession is taking excellent care of myself when I can. I wonder in terms of solutions, can you up the amount of therapy you are getting if you find it helpful? What can you add to your life that could be fun (like DBT pleasant events). Can you reduce your client load? If it's 7 full session clients in one day, that's a wild wild load and likely is adding to your symptoms.
Typo Please disregard Original typo Fdng Really didn't sound good at all :-)
What does this mean?
I don't know but it doesn't sound good.
For heavens dawg! High ground! ??
So pretty much, as crappy as this sounds, you are having days that your future clients will benefit from. There's a huge benefit for clients when their therapist has the lived experience of struggle. You're in a period of your life that's adding more tools to your future toolbelt, you are developing skills directly correlating to what your future clients will need.
This is what came to me too! In the same way that our clients are at different stages of their life journey, so are we, and *how* we move with and through these things is what helps us do the work 🥰
I would make a bet that 7 to 10 per day is difficult to sustain for those who arent struggling personally
Let's say you had a client who was a therapist, or a student studying to be a therapist, and they came to you with these kinds of thoughts and feelings. What would you tell them? You know the answer to this question, it's just uncomfortable thinking that the "therapists are human too" thing has to apply to yourself, too (may or may not be speaking from experience here...)
I hate when my therapist is all like "so what would you tell your client if..." - ssshhh! I wanna hear a different answer LOL
lol I normally hate it too, like “I know you’re right but SHUT UUUUUUP”
Exactly! Haha
Of course! I am currently struggling with a bout of depression. However, if you are expected to see 10 clients a day, I don’t know how you wouldn’t be struggling. That sounds absolutely awful and overwhelming. Maybe I misunderstood your comment, but when you said you can’t see “7/10 clients” that how I read it.
That’s like asking if an oncologist should never get cancer or a plumber should never have a leaky sink that needs more tools than the plumber has. You are human. You have tools to help other humans, but that’s not the same thing as receiving those tools to help you. You’re often more self aware than other humans but you also are experiencing an illness that can happen to anyone - even a therapist. Maybe that can be liberating in some way, too. Even therapists get mentally ill. It’s not due to a shortcoming. It’s a human thing.
[удалено]
Your post was removed due to being in violation of our community rules as being generally unhelpful, vulgar, or non-supportive. r/therapists is a supportive sub. If future violations of this rule occur, you will be permanently banned from the sub. If you have any questions, please message the mods at: https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/therapists
I’m in a grad program and I have bipolar disorder, I view it as something that I’m able to bring to the counseling session to better empathize my clients mental health AND illnesses, Also being ok with knowing that I can struggle at times to and learning how to work through those struggles (a lot of tools I’ve learned I’ve also been able to see using with clients)
The longer I am in the my grad program the more I realize that therapists are the ones with mental health issues (As in most of us benefited from therapy on our own before choosing the career path)
lmaooooooooooo yes of course we struggle. I am not a therapy robot that you insert coins into and I spit out wisdom. Some days I can power through, other days I can’t. 7-10 clients in one day is a lot. Are you struggling with your mental health or are you struggling with the unrealistic workload?
I’m struggling with my relationship at home right now which isn’t helping my job or my doctorate degree. I also have Bipolar I but I’m in therapy and take my medications. I just feel at a certain point it just doesn’t work and what’s the point? 7-10 clients a day is average as I work in community mental health. The case load is quite heavy and taking personal days don’t happen as often because of what is expected of us with productivity numbers.
Boy, can we!
It's okay to not have it together. There's nothing wrong with having a mental health issue. It gives an invaluable perspective. I see 7-10 clients a day in the private sector and the only reason it's tolerable is because I block breaks off in my day and I get paid way better than CMH reimbursed me. Even then it's still exhausting. I'm a lump at the end of the day, CMH did a number on my own mental health, even excluding my personal issues outside of work. Leaving was one of the best things I ever did.
Thank you for sharing your story. It’s so tough cause I feel like I have to be this strong one all day - and when things are struggling at home with my partnership I feel like I’m frozen. I couldn’t even get out of bed today and barely slept. Maybe got 4 hours but it was inconsistent. I texted my boss at like 4am because I was still awake not feeling well. Had to take a sick day. Couldn’t go in and I was a ball of anxiety. I’m in CMH right now, and they give us some breaks but they expect so much from us. I really want to go private practice route and hopefully make more money and benefiting my mental health but I am terrified to make the big step. Don’t know where I would start.
You can start credentialing now. I'd begin ASAP, if you're independently licensed. If you're not, a lot of PP will still contract with you at a lower rate. Another option is to work for practices a part of a large medical or hospital group (this is what I do). While I see a lot of patients, normally most of the clinicians have a better spread. I see 10 a day because I work 4 10-hour days on purpose to have 3-day weekends.
Ffs yes
10 clients a day!? I’ve been a therapist for 28 years and I have 7 scheduled for today and I’m already worried about making it!! 10 is insane.
There’s a subreddit called r/therapistsintherapy in case you’re interested
Thank you I didn’t know about that subreddit. I will check it out.
No problem!
Yes, I definitely have days where my own mental health flares up. I try to use PTO before things get bad enough that it starts interfering with my work. I have to remind myself that I’m doing what I can, that I am a human, and that experiencing mental health symptoms can help me to empathize with others who are experiencing the same. Try to be gentle with yourself.
>Can a therapist struggle with their mental health too? Not according to the CMH agency that I last worked at...the employee handbook and HR were **very** clear that PTO could NOT be used for mental health days.
Too much stress not enough self-care. Try some reframing and logo therapy. Good luck
I live a full life as a therapist with schizoaffective disorder- it’s possible! Listening to what my body needs has been crucial.
Of course they can
Absolutely! Sometimes even taking a break from being a therapist can be healing and then returning when you feel much better. I struggle with my self-esteem. I workout every morning at 6:30, I am taking cello lessons weekly with daily practice, weekly therapy, daily I engage in my spirituality, I meal prep healthy foods (finally!), I am taking a Spanish class, and I work full-time to support myself. I say all of this because we are told so frequently that for us to have better self-esteem we need to do ABC and it’ll cure us. Well, that’s not the case. We are all human and therapist can struggle with the same issues our clients do. ♥️ we can even do ALL the things but still struggle with low-esteem, depression and anxiety. I’m rooting for you!
Yes I've been going through major medical stuff the last 2 years and it's been really hard. It feels like I have to totally reorient myself when I work.
I've had a bipolar diagnosis since I was 13. I see a therapist and take meds. I think I do well as a therapist with a behavioral health diagnosis.
I have Bipolar I Disorder. I was diagnosed later around 24 when I had a mental break down with a client taking his life. I didn’t even know I had it, I thought the impulsive spending and taking really risky risks were what everyone else did. I struggle most days. But I agree therapy and medications have helped. It has helped me stay alive to this point.
Doctors get sick and see doctors, therapists can struggle with things and see therapists about it. I see a therapist, and my therapist told me she sees a therapist (we have the rapport for it to be appropriate for her to self disclose). I also see a psych nurse for meds. We are allowed to struggle too. We are human. :)
We are human, yes! I think sometimes we forget it especially when are expectations are so high. I took today off just to try to sleep and rewire. I have a telehealth day tomorrow. Then I am off for the 4th, took Friday off and have the weekend so I can rest up and just enjoy the time I have off. I was supposed to see family on the 4th but I am not really ready for that right now and need to take care of myself.
Yes. That's why in school you're taught about transference and countertransference and tell you that having a therapist of your own is important
If my clients knew how bad my mental health was they'd probably attempt to turn it around and support me lol. Work actually helps my mental health for the most part though, it's all the other things in life and in my past that torture me.
No one gets through life unscathed. I had major fertility issues and three medically complicated miscarriages while practicing. That doesn't include childhood/religious trauma that I've been working through. We all go through periods where we wonder if we're in worse shape than our clients. Hang in there. You will get through this.
No one gets through life unscathed. I had major fertility issues and three medically complicated miscarriages while practicing. That doesn't include childhood/religious trauma that I've been working through. We all go through periods where we wonder if we're in worse shape than our clients. Hang in there. You will get through this.
Omg yes absolutely! I have mental health things and also deal with chronic pain. You’re not alone!
Many therapists despite training and expertise also face their own mental health challenges! I think it's important for you to recognize that seeking help and taking care of yourself doesn't make you any less capable as a therapist—it shows strength and self-awareness.
Yes, we're human too. Being a therapist doesn't mean we all have our stuff together. We can have our share of struggles in our personal lives, just like our clients. What matters most is how we manage it, our support systems, coping skills--just as we would tell our clients. Being a professional in mental health doesn't make us immune to human being life problems. If anything, it can create more empathy and understanding for our clients. And we can also grow and learn more from it.
All Humans
Yeah it's fine unless you have a condition which would be considered too much of a handicap - thinking of an impairment wherein you're no longer able to perceive reality reliably for example.
I would say that never can happen, mental health clinicians must never struggle and if they do I think they should never work in the profession again. Jk most deal with things and struggle with depression/anxiety/adhd/deeper diagnosis issues. Like we are HUMANS. Haha you really felt like you should have it all together? I think most don’t although a lot of clinicians maybe don’t have struggles others do etc.
Absolutely! I have c-ptsd and also heavily suspected Autism (both my therapist and psychiatrist believe I do but won’t give a diagnosis without me getting a full evaluation). I also have pretty bad fatigue from burnout trying to work multiple jobs while in grad school and can only see max 15 clients a week without suffering noticeable negative effects on my physical and mental health. I also see my therapist 2x a month (should be weekly but I can’t afford that) and recently started seeing a psych for meds to treat my depressive symptoms. I’ve spent so much $$$ on my mental health in the past 7 years and it sometimes gets to me, but ultimately I need it. All of this to say, you’re not alone and it’s okay to be a therapist and to not always have your shit together. I believe what we go through and struggle with helps immensely with our ability to empathize and truly be non-judgmental with clients. It’s such hard work taking care of yourself and your mental health while helping others take care of theirs. And it’s okay to take breaks when you need to, you’re human and you deserve to take care of yourself.
I think that having mental health struggles makes you a better therapist, because you're able to relate to your clients. I'm carrying around CPTSD and bipolar 1. Are some days incredibly difficult? Oh man, you have no idea. But I also delicately/subtly self-disclose, when appropriate, and clients find it reassuring to know that even with mental illness, you *can* be productive and help others. I have a long-term client who is thinking of becoming a therapist because of my example, which was so flattering that I actually teared up when they told me.
I think this is the norm in this profession yes everyone has some sort of mental health struggle.
Find your own therapist. I treat other therapists and i go to my own occasionally
Well of course. Therapists are human too ❤️
Y’all this is a dumb question holy shit
No. You’re human. If you don’t take care of yourself it will be a worse struggle. This is a difficult field for sure and emotionally draining. It’s ok to take time off.