5 Ways I Ground Myself as a Therapist

• Reflect on the work my clients are doing Rather than getting caught up in how I could do things more perfectly, I try to take a step back and think about my clients’ hard work and progress! From there, I think of how I might continue to come alongside them in their journey in a way that feels good to them.This can help me keep therapy about them and not me.

• Take Care of My Own Needs - This one might sound silly at first - but it can be so easy to get caught up in the rush of back to back sessions and forget to care for yourself. As someone who is chronically punctual most of the time, I don’t like bringing my clients back to session late. This used to mean that I would skip a bathroom break or forgo an extra 2 minutes to eat a protein bar. Now, I try to slow myself down- get a cup of tea or beef jerky stick, and take care of myself.

• Rest or Refresh between sessions instead of hustling. I used to see 30 minute or 1 hour breaks as an opportunity to speed through as much work as I could. Now, I recognize that it is a better use of my time to take a brain break or use my brain in a different way, rather than continue to strategize for the next session (that I am already prepared for).

• Deep Breathing - an oldie but a goodie When my breathing speeds up, so does my mind. When I slow myself down and attune to what is happening in my body, I am able to track with my clients much better and do better work. This takes a little undoing, because part of my brain really enjoys the ping ponging exchange when banter goes back and forth .