Mental Health is for Mental Health Providers too!

Mental health care is important for everyone, but particularly mental health providers. If mental health providers aren't well we can't serve our clients. Unfortunately, because we often have to put our clients first due to ethical mandates, we need to put our care first in the foundation of our practices. In order to due this, balance, healthcare, systems and support need to be built into our business practices.

How to bring balance to your business practice.

There are several ways to bring balance to your business practice, including:

1. Prioritize your tasks and focus on the most important ones.

2. Set boundaries and make time for self-care.

3. Practice delegation and avoid taking on too much work.

4. Create a schedule and stick to it.

5. Take breaks throughout the day to recharge.

6. Seek support from colleagues or a mentor.

7. Regularly assess and adjust your workload to maintain balance.

Health care is self care.

I have a hatred for the term self care because it is usually a way that an organization puts the blame on an individual for being burnt out versus systemic practices leading to and/or contributing to turn out. So I call self care health care. This involves:

1. Prioritizing rest and recovery

2. Incorporating safe body movement into your routine

3. Practicing mindfulness and meditation or a spiritual practice

4. Providing your body with the sources of energy it needs

5. Spending time with loved ones and engaging in activities that bring you joy

6. Making time for hobbies and interests outside of work or school

7. Getting enough sleep and establishing a consistent sleep schedule

8. Seeking professional support and therapy.

9. Attending routine doctor appointments (ie no cancelling your doctor appointments in order to work)

10. Providing your body with the medications and or supplements it needs

Systems make your practice easier to manage.

Using systems can simplify the management of your practice. For example, every Tuesday from 9am-9:30am, I review my finances from the previous week. I catalogue tax deductions, receipts, and make plans for outgoing expenses for the next week. I went camping this past weekend and took off Tuesday, so I knew that I needed to move that time block to a different time. No procrastination, no increasing the level of work, everything got done and I got to have a great time camping with my family. Systems simplify larger tasks and ongoing operations to make them more manageable and decrease overwhelm.

Ways you can get support as a mental health clinician

As a mental health clinician, there are several ways to get support, including:

• Seeking supervision from a licensed and experienced clinician

• Joining professional organizations and attending conferences or workshops

• Participating in peer consultation groups or online forums

• Engaging in self-care activities such as therapy, exercise, and mindfulness practices

• Keeping up to date with the latest research and best practices in the field

• <shameless plug> Join my membership to connect, grow, and get shit done with others in the field going through what you are going through.