All in self-care

Why You’re Actually Not Available Between Sessions as a Sensitive Therapist

Why You’re Actually Not Available Between Sessions as a Sensitive Therapist

April Snow, LMFT
self-care

Being a therapist takes a significant amount of energy and focus, but friends and family don't usually understand what your work entails.  It’s important to protect the space around the work so you’ll have the internal resources you need to show up fully for your clients, get your admin work done, process and decompress afterward, and then have something left over for yourself. Are you often pulled between work and personal life? 

Are Your Needs as a Sensitive Therapist Being Ignored?

Are Your Needs as a Sensitive Therapist Being Ignored?

April Snow, LMFT
self-care, systems

When you create a practice or therapeutic style that honors your needs, the work can feel more sustainable.  When you feel supported, you can more easily support your clients.  Making changes may make your services unavailable to some folks and that’s okay!  You can’t help everyone, especially if your needs are ignored, but you can help some people in deeply profound ways.  

How Do I Prevent Burnout as a Pre-Licensed Therapist (or anytime)?

How Do I Prevent Burnout as a Pre-Licensed Therapist (or anytime)?

April Snow, LMFT
highly sensitive person, self-care

After graduation, you’re searching for a counseling field placement that doesn’t leave you feeling burned out before you even get licensed and fully start your therapist career. All the usual places (agencies, hospitals, schools) come with demanding caseloads and productivity standards. Thinking outside the box on the path to complete your hours will be the key to sustainable work as a therapist now and in the future.

Do I Still Want to Be a Therapist?

Do I Still Want to Be a Therapist?

April Snow, LMFT
self-care

Sensitive Therapists need time to process the impact of doing this work and to nurture yourself on client days. Just focusing on the administrative side of being a therapist and only getting self-care time on the weekends is not sustainable for someone who feels deeply and has a high level of empathy. Carve out moments to release, digest, and recharge as often as you can.

How to Manage Difficult Times While Feeling Compassion Fatigue

How to Manage Difficult Times While Feeling Compassion Fatigue

April Snow, LMFT
self-care

Now more than ever it’s important to focus on the essentials and prioritize preserving your energy. Being more empathetic and more aware of little details is a great asset as a Sensitive Therapist but can become overwhelming when life becomes stressful, scary, or we are supporting many clients through trauma. Our temperament makes us more prone to the effects of compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma, but thankfully we are also more susceptible to the beneficial effects of positive supports.


Time Off is Essential: Are You Getting Enough?

Time Off is Essential: Are You Getting Enough?

April Snow, LMFT
practice building, self-care

Taking time off is not optional, but essential to thrive in the work we do of supporting the emotional well-being of others. We have a greater need for downtime which means taking more time away to ensure our work is sustainable and doesn’t lead to burnout. This means planning ahead of time to ensure we have time away. Taking so much time off may bring up financial worries or feelings of guilt, but can be managed with budgeting and setting clear expectations with our clients.

Why Sensitive Therapists Are Struggling Right Now

Why Sensitive Therapists Are Struggling Right Now

April Snow, LMFT
self-care

7 ways to honor our needs and calm down the overwhelm and exhaustion many Sensitive Therapists are feeling now.  All therapists have been bearing the emotional toll of supporting clients as we ourselves experience a worldwide crisis, but Sensitive Therapists will have a unique reaction due to our heightened empathy, perceptive abilities, and need to process our experiences deeply.  Going forward, we will need to reflect on what has already happened and give ourselves time to ease into the changes ahead in order to tame the overwhelm and exhaustion we’re feeling right now.  Now more than ever we must go at our own pace, set strong boundaries in every area of our lives, and take time to rest.  

Teetering on the Edge of Compassion Fatigue

Teetering on the Edge of Compassion Fatigue

April Snow, LMFT
self-care

Supporting clients who are experiencing some of the same emotions and uncertainties as we are could lead to overwhelm, compassion fatigue, and burnout. It’s vital that we set strong boundaries, take time to ground ourselves, create space between sessions, get support from our therapist communities, and take time off if we need to.

4 Types of Vacations Every Sensitive Therapist Needs

4 Types of Vacations Every Sensitive Therapist Needs

April Snow, LMFT
practice building, self-care

Taking time off is not optional, but essential to thrive in the work we do of supporting the emotional well-being of others. We have a greater need for downtime which means taking more time away to ensure our work is sustainable and doesn’t lead to burnout. This means planning ahead of time to ensure we have time away not only for vacations and travel, but also for staycations to decompress, workations to catch up on administrative tasks and trainings to satisfy continuing education requirements. Taking so much time off may bring up financial worries or feelings of guilt, but can be managed with budgeting and setting clear expectations with our clients.

Load More