The Toll of Being Humans who are Therapists

Elizabeth Beckmann DMFT LMFT and Andrea D Hanson Med LCMHC shine a light on the minds of clinical therapists. While it’s true that being a therapist is an incredibly fulfilling career, there are parts of the work that are detrimental to the well-being of the therapist. Navigating conversations, relationships, clinic cultures, insurance companies, therapist-to-therapist dynamics, and work-life balance can become major obstacles to having a happy fulfilling life and a career as a therapist at the same time. Self-Editing Outside of WorkWith clients, therapists are constantly adapting language, tone, vocabulary, etc. When it comes to everyday life, it’s hard to shed this tendency and allow ourselves to just be people. When we do let ourselves have a human moment, we often get negative feedback from our family, friends, and even strangers online where our competency as a therapist is questioned.Alternately, it can be difficult to offer support or advice to non-clients because we are given negative feedback for being a therapist instead of a friend. A lot is projected onto therapists. Each client has different ideas as to what a qualified professional therapist looks like. Often these qualifications pick apart the human side of the therapist. Finding the line and navigating these difficult dynamics can be isolating, tiring, and defeating. Assessment is constant for therapists. There are so many parts of our brains working on several different tasks throughout each session. Every moment with a client is an assessment and an intervention and our minds and bodies are the conduit for both. How we present ourselves and the manner in which we ask questions inform both the quality of the assessment and the results of therapy. The level of thought required along with the art of applying and demonstrating through our tone, body language, expressions, and emotion is often taken for granted and takes a toll on the therapist. The Pressure for Therapists to be Above Human NeedsFrom a clinic’s economic standpoint, therapists are the supply. Squeezing the supply to generate income for the clinic owners takes creates toxicity. Therapists work incredibly long hours, sometimes seeing 12 clients back to back with no breaks for very little pay. Many therapists don’t have the option of taking time off work for sick leave or vacation and are on call nearly 24/7. In many clinics, bosses respond to requests for better working conditions through manipulation, guilting the therapist for not being a good person or “in it for the right reason”. Many therapists internalize this, leading to therapist-to-therapist shaming, in turn heightening stigma. Insurance companies contribute to this and create a social culture where therapists who want to make a living wage are looked down upon. The result is therapists who feel that in order to be a good therapist, they have to be above human needs like time, balance, money, sleep, meals, bathroom breaks, and even natural emotional reactions outside of the therapy room. With these pressures, it can become challenging to find a way to be a quality therapist and have a quality life without feeling bad about yourself. Clinic Environments and their Impact on CliniciansClinic environments run by therapists and staffed by therapists should be the healthiest environments on earth. The reality is very different. Being a therapist also means having all of the tools necessary to be very manipulative. When a skilled therapist is in a position of power and authority, the atmosphere of a mental health clinic can become toxic very quickly. Toxic environments weigh on therapists and have a negative influence on their sense of self, their ability to provide quality services, and their desire to stay in the mental health field.