As an Introvert and Highly Sensitive Person, I understand the struggles of balancing self-care while supporting others. I want to help you reduce overwhelm and honor your Strengths as a Sensitive Therapist so you can feel fulfilled in your work again.
All tagged practice building
There’s a correlation between caseload capacity and career length for HSTs. The longer they’ve been a therapist, the fewer clients you can see each day. If you’re highly sensitive and/or an empath, the weight of doing therapy could take an emotional and nervous system toll from vicarious trauma and the mere stress of supporting others.
Instead of looking outward at what every other therapist else is doing, build your practice on your own terms and at your own pace. Only you can define what a “full” practice is and what selection of services you want to offer.
Can you be a good therapist and make choices about who you help based on what feels most aligned to your needs, personality, or interests? For HSTs, there is so much benefit in narrowing your clinical focus to help your clients more effectively while you feel more satisfied as the clinician. This work is often so draining for us, it’s paramount to bolster against burnout in every way you can.
Finding referrals can be exhausting and tug on your heartstrings. Whether your caseload is full or an inquiring client isn’t a good fit (presenting concerns, location, fee, insurance, etc.), you may feel the pressure to find the exact right referral for everyone. What can you do instead? This post shares 6 ways to release the burden of finding referrals for everyone who reaches out while also being responsive and helpful.
During the screening process, are you trusting your intuition to refer clients out? Initial contact with clients can seem so insignificant compared to the therapy itself, but this process is a critical part of maintaining a sustainable practice. You and the client must match on availability, fee, presenting issue, and other factors. Maintaining your boundaries is the compassionate choice and in the best interest of the client.
Common roadblocks for Sensitive Therapists are how to work less while maintaining your current income, earn more income when you’re maxed out on your capacity for 1:1 clients, or find other ways to be fulfilled in your work. These roadblocks often bring up thoughts about “passive income” projects to find a more energetically/emotionally sustainable or financially stable way to be a therapist, but is that the right solution for you?
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.
When you create an intentional and predictable schedule based on your own unique needs, you’ll feel more prepared for sessions, have energy to write notes, enjoy more self-care time, and have peace of mind knowing everything is done.
The struggle of accessibility vs. sustainability burdens Sensitive Therapists who are highly empathetic and care deeply for their clients. You alone cannot solve the problem of mental health accessibility, but you can make sure you maintain a sustainable practice so you can offer care for years to come while honoring your own needs.
Think outside the box to focus on referral sources that are aligned with your temperament and values. Typical marketing strategies like networking that work for others, may not work for you, and that’s okay. Track your referral sources to determine where to put your focus, time, and energy.
In this guest post, Maegan Megginson, walks you through how to get clear on what your goals are and how to create your own flexible goal-setting system to honor your needs and capacity as a Sensitive Therapist.
Feel more calm and in control of your finances so you can take the time off you need to thrive as a Sensitive Therapist. Manage money with the overwhelm by using your Sensitive Strengths and these practical tips.
Think outside the box when marketing your practice to avoid overwhelm and bring in clients in a way that’s aligned with your Highly Sensitive temperament.
When you look over your schedule for the next week or even the next few weeks, does everything feel sustainable or do you get an immediate sense of overwhelm and dread? Although it may seem impossible, there are ways to make your days run a bit smoother and to make sure what’s important to you makes it to the top of your priority list.
Being empathetic is a powerful clinical skill, but becomes a burden when we need to switch from clinician to business owner. Our guilt can make it difficult to enforce our business policies and collect fees. We prioritize the needs of our clients over our own leaving us at risk for financial distress and emotional burnout.
Becoming an HSP Knowledgeable Therapist can help support the 50% of psychotherapy clients who are Highly Sensitive. Discover resources to increase your awareness of the trait and approaches to marketing your practice.
Networking can feel inauthentic and exhausting for Highly Sensitive Therapists, but when we build referral relationships on our own terms, it can be an enjoyable way to build our business.
