It provides a safe space for us to offload some of the trauma, grief, and anxiety of our work before we bottle up too much of it and it devours us from the inside. Therapy can provide a way to unpack those things and develop and maintain healthy boundaries with the trauma to which we are exposed in our work. To me, that’s a clear indicator that we’re not managing our stress, our own trauma, or our clients’ trauma very well. In our profession, where working long hours, managing massive stress, and shouldering the weight of our clients’ horrific events which led to their case (and our involvement in their lives) are commonplace, we must keep an eye out for the manifestation of symptoms and seek help when we recognize them.Īccording to a 2016 study by the Betty Ford Center, “When focusing solely on the volume and frequency of alcohol consumed, more than one in three practicing attorneys are problem drinkers.” The study compared attorneys with other professionals, including doctors, and determined that lawyers experience alcohol use disorders at a far higher rate than other professional populations, as well as mental health distress that is more significant. I feel myself saying, “This limited energy I have is mine don’t take any from me.” When I feel this happening I know it’s time to get some extra rest, clear some space on my calendar, and say “no” to requests. But when I’m mentally and emotionally fried, I go into energy-preservation mode and don’t want to talk or even wave or make eye contact with anyone. Usually I love engaging with people like Uber drivers, cashiers at the grocery store, and other people at the gym – I really enjoy spontaneous conversation and connecting randomly with strangers. One of my personal warning signs is when I don’t want to talk with strangers. If I know that I am getting close to an 8, I may not take on new clients with a trauma history, I may take a day off a week, or I may return to see my own therapist. “when I’m getting up to an 8, I notice it because I don’t return phone calls, think about calling in sick a lot and can’t watch any violence on TV” or “I know that I’m moving towards a 7 when I turn down my best friend’s invitation to go out for dinner because I’m too drained to talk to someone else, and when I stop exercising.”īeing able to recognize that your level of CF/STS is creeping up to the red zone is the most effective way to implement strategies immediately before things get worse.īut look back to what also emerges in this process: you are starting to identify the solutions to your depletion. Then, you learn to identify what an 8 or a 9 looks like for you i.e. Say that you were to learn to identify your CF/STS symptoms on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst you have ever felt about your work/compassion/energy, and 1 being the best that you have ever felt). I really appreciate this Tend article’s discussion of “developing a warning system” for Compassion Fatigue/Secondary Trauma Syndrome: Secondary trauma (also known as compassion fatigue) is real it can manifest like PTSD and shares many of the same symptoms as burnout. I realized that like a lot of litigators and personal injury lawyers, I was vicariously feeling the trauma to which I was exposed in my clients’ cases. Therapy helped me make sense of some of my traits, tendencies, and triggers. It was my first foray into therapy and it saved me therapy has been a blessing and a gift to me ever since, and I still see that same therapist (Donna Parker) to this day. I was getting my hair done one especially bad day when my hairdresser recommended her therapist to me. I sensed I needed help but didn’t know where to turn. I went into a deep funk, feeling rudderless and confused. When my marriage failed after 12 years in 2015, my world fell apart. Having a Therapist and a Coach Changed My Life (and It Could Change Yours, Too)
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