Bhavya Dixit
If this question has ever crossed your mind, a few findings mentioned below will propel your thoughts further. Psychologists, by virtue of their position, are more likely to experience psychological distress. They may have above average sensitivity to people and the environment along with a sense of isolation. During their training, trainees often have a supervisor and a therapist (Bearse, 2014). Is starting off under supervision but then having to contain everything ideal? As practitioners, having a positive support system and ongoing self-care are important but knowing when to seek professional help is crucial. After all, to what extent can one be a wounded healer? Especially, if the healing is not pursued. This blog will touch upon the factors that tell us whether or not psychologists should get psychological help along with a few factors that might limit them from doing so.
During the course of their job, professionals are, more often than not, directly in contact with trauma victims. This can often lead to secondary traumatic stress (STS), which is the lessening of compassion overtime. Hearing emotionally heavy stories can be extremely stressful as well as difficult to internalize. STS, also known as compassion fatigue, can also potentially lead to incompetency and reduction in productivity (Babbel, 2012). Mental health professionals tend to place others before their needs and owing to ethics, they need to control their emotions and feelings while they are dealing with sensitive cases (Bearse, 2014). Detaching oneself from horrific narratives can be challenging, more so if one is dealing with STS. It can turn into a conflicting situation wherein one is not able to deliver their best on any front.
Findings pertaining to abuse, both verbal and violent, against clinical practitioners is prevalent and a concerning situation. There could be biological, psychological as well as socio-cultural factors that play a role in giving rise to violent tendencies. However, it takes a toll on the assaulted practitioner’s mental health. (Anderson. 2011) The risk of depression consequently, is high. A study by Pope and Tabachnick (1994) reported that 61 percent of 476 psychologists, showed they had experienced at least one episode of clinical depression. The same study concluded that 29 percent of those surveyed reported having felt suicidal as professionals (Bearse, 2014). An outcome of the above-mentioned factors could be counter-transference, which could affect the caregiver’s conduct towards the client and in turn affect the session’s success. Identifying counter-transference and enlisting the causes is important, whether it is the client or if there are other underlying factors. To view it from a professional’s viewpoint; Leslie Prusnofsky, a private practitioner believes that, “Whether it is therapists or lay patients, pain is human, and human suffering is not unique to one group” (Hackman, 2017).
The aforementioned factors give a background of the risks that psychologists are inevitably predisposed to. Although seeking help has proven beneficial for several professionals, a few others struggle with the stigmas attached with personal psychotherapy. Admitting distress as a professional is a difficult step to overcome, that along with several other factors such as time and money act as constraints. Ethical dilemmas are especially relevant to such situations; contemplating who to talk to, withholding identifiable information and moreover, vulnerability. However, dealing with one’s own issues can possibly help future interactions and be more yielding in terms of professional results (Bearse, 2014). Professionals looking out for other professionals and spotting red flags can be a prospective helpful factor.
That being so, to answer in the affirmative, psychologists should seek help when they need to. To boil it down to first principles, they are people who have the expertise to provide mental health care but it should not appear to be mysterious if the professionals go looking for help. It is probably a mandate to leave a heavy session in the clinic but it should not come as a surprise if one finds certain thoughts lingering around. Acknowledging when to ask for help and a preparedness for the same can help cope as well as provide one with valuable insight to tackle circumstances well. Maybe it is time to cut therapists some slack and view it with a similar rather than a different lens.
References:
If this question has ever crossed your mind, a few findings mentioned below will propel your thoughts further. Psychologists, by virtue of their position, are more likely to experience psychological distress. They may have above average sensitivity to people and the environment along with a sense of isolation. During their training, trainees often have a supervisor and a therapist (Bearse, 2014). Is starting off under supervision but then having to contain everything ideal? As practitioners, having a positive support system and ongoing self-care are important but knowing when to seek professional help is crucial. After all, to what extent can one be a wounded healer? Especially, if the healing is not pursued. This blog will touch upon the factors that tell us whether or not psychologists should get psychological help along with a few factors that might limit them from doing so.
During the course of their job, professionals are, more often than not, directly in contact with trauma victims. This can often lead to secondary traumatic stress (STS), which is the lessening of compassion overtime. Hearing emotionally heavy stories can be extremely stressful as well as difficult to internalize. STS, also known as compassion fatigue, can also potentially lead to incompetency and reduction in productivity (Babbel, 2012). Mental health professionals tend to place others before their needs and owing to ethics, they need to control their emotions and feelings while they are dealing with sensitive cases (Bearse, 2014). Detaching oneself from horrific narratives can be challenging, more so if one is dealing with STS. It can turn into a conflicting situation wherein one is not able to deliver their best on any front.
Findings pertaining to abuse, both verbal and violent, against clinical practitioners is prevalent and a concerning situation. There could be biological, psychological as well as socio-cultural factors that play a role in giving rise to violent tendencies. However, it takes a toll on the assaulted practitioner’s mental health. (Anderson. 2011) The risk of depression consequently, is high. A study by Pope and Tabachnick (1994) reported that 61 percent of 476 psychologists, showed they had experienced at least one episode of clinical depression. The same study concluded that 29 percent of those surveyed reported having felt suicidal as professionals (Bearse, 2014). An outcome of the above-mentioned factors could be counter-transference, which could affect the caregiver’s conduct towards the client and in turn affect the session’s success. Identifying counter-transference and enlisting the causes is important, whether it is the client or if there are other underlying factors. To view it from a professional’s viewpoint; Leslie Prusnofsky, a private practitioner believes that, “Whether it is therapists or lay patients, pain is human, and human suffering is not unique to one group” (Hackman, 2017).
The aforementioned factors give a background of the risks that psychologists are inevitably predisposed to. Although seeking help has proven beneficial for several professionals, a few others struggle with the stigmas attached with personal psychotherapy. Admitting distress as a professional is a difficult step to overcome, that along with several other factors such as time and money act as constraints. Ethical dilemmas are especially relevant to such situations; contemplating who to talk to, withholding identifiable information and moreover, vulnerability. However, dealing with one’s own issues can possibly help future interactions and be more yielding in terms of professional results (Bearse, 2014). Professionals looking out for other professionals and spotting red flags can be a prospective helpful factor.
That being so, to answer in the affirmative, psychologists should seek help when they need to. To boil it down to first principles, they are people who have the expertise to provide mental health care but it should not appear to be mysterious if the professionals go looking for help. It is probably a mandate to leave a heavy session in the clinic but it should not come as a surprise if one finds certain thoughts lingering around. Acknowledging when to ask for help and a preparedness for the same can help cope as well as provide one with valuable insight to tackle circumstances well. Maybe it is time to cut therapists some slack and view it with a similar rather than a different lens.
References:
- Bearse, J. L., McMinn, M. R., Seegobin, W., & Free, K. (2014, April). Healing thyself. Monitor on Psychology, 45(4). http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/04/ce-corner
- Babbel, S. (2012). Compassion Fatigue. Retrieved 4 July 2012, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/somatic-psychology/201207/compassion-fatigue
- Hackman, R. (2017). When therapists also need therapists: 'Suffering is not unique to one group'. Retrieved 19 April 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/apr/19/therapists-go-to-therapy-prince-harry-mental-health
- Anderson, A., & West, S. G. (2011). Violence against mental health professionals: when the treater becomes the victim. Innovations in clinical neuroscience, 8(3), 34–39.
Comments
Post a Comment