All tagged 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.  

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.

5 Reasons to NOT Schedule Back-to-Back Sessions as a Sensitive Therapist

5 Reasons to NOT Schedule Back-to-Back Sessions as a Sensitive Therapist

April Snow, LMFT
practice building

Back-to-back sessions are a Highly Sensitive Therapist's worst nightmare. Your mind doesn’t have time to process all your session details and your nervous system never gets a chance to decompress from the stimulation. If you’re on the emotionally spongy or empathic side, you’ve also picked up some of your clients emotional “residue”. With too many sessions crammed into one day, you leave work drained, frazzled, irritated, or on the verge of burnout. This article dives into the specifics of why too many sessions and not enough downtime will leave you feeling depleted.

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.

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.