| Self-care is an intrinsic, continuous and highly important | | | | set of events, it is reasonable to assume that |
| activity performed by any professional, particularly | | | | maintaining good health will reduce the incidence of |
| those involved in health care. Also called the 'inner | | | | 'undesired' stress (distress). In fact, it is more than |
| therapy', this practice aims to ensure that both mental | | | | reasonable. Because stress causes such 'explosive' |
| and physical health of the professional is in good | | | | reactions in the body, a healthier body is vastly more |
| shape. So why is self-care for Counsellors important? | | | | capable of dealing with excessive amounts of stress |
| Essentially, Counsellors have a clear responsibility: their | | | | than an unhealthy body.How do you improve your |
| clients. If a Counsellor is not mentally and physically | | | | health? Exercising will play the leading role in improving |
| healthy, his/her ability to provide support to clients is | | | | and maintaining a 'healthy status', allowing your body to |
| limited.So what are the strategies for self-care in the | | | | be ready for the energy boost caused by stress. A |
| counselling profession? There are many strategies | | | | balanced diet will ensure that the body has all nutrients |
| which vary according to each person's state of mind. | | | | necessary to perform daily activities, including regular |
| Irrespective of the strategy being used, a Counsellor's | | | | stress-related responses. A balanced diet includes |
| self-care activities are in place for a single purpose: | | | | avoiding excessive intake of particular stress-related |
| that is, ensuring daily work stress does not result in | | | | substances, such as caffeine and |
| burnout.The Problem: BurnoutBurnout is the | | | | sugar.MentalRelaxation techniques such as imagery, |
| consequence of excessive work, stress and other | | | | meditation and breathing can at first conjure up |
| related factors. Although the concept of burnout can | | | | feelings of inaction and statis. Music and introspection |
| also be applied to other contexts, for the purpose of | | | | are also a good combination for improving the state of |
| this article we'll stick to the work environment. Many | | | | mind of a person. These are commonly used |
| people suffer from burnout for various reasons, and | | | | techniques, however any mental exercises that draw |
| usually the problem is related to several prominent | | | | attention away from stressful events, and provide a |
| areas of an individual's life: happiness, health, success, | | | | 'relaxed' state to the individual, are useful. Such |
| and others."Burnout is not simply excessive stress. | | | | exercises will depend on the personal preferences of |
| Rather, it is a complex human reaction to ongoing | | | | each Counsellor, and the resources that are available |
| stress, and it relates to feeling that your inner | | | | at the time.Furthermore, the role of perception is |
| resources are inadequate for managing the tasks and | | | | extremely important in determining the health issues |
| situations presented to you. The signs and symptoms | | | | associated with the incidence of stress. Sometimes |
| of burnout are similar to those of stress, but burnout | | | | Counsellors perform a kind of mental 'self mutilation' in |
| includes an emotional exhaustion and an increasingly | | | | which they take responsibility for anything that goes |
| negative attitude toward your work and, perhaps, your | | | | wrong in a counselling session, or with a client. In this |
| life." (Help Guide Mental Health)*This concept is | | | | context, feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness |
| well-known in mental health disciplines, particularly | | | | will remain obstacles and can perpetuate to the |
| counselling. For this reason, many counselling courses | | | | Counsellor's personal life. In these instances, the |
| include the topic in their training schedule: a | | | | Counsellor needs to re-assess their perception |
| measurement to ensure that each prospective | | | | towards certain events: you may call it a self-directed |
| professional is aware of their own limitations.Burnout in | | | | cognitive behaviour therapy.StrategicProbably the most |
| Counsellor Training: The PrinciplesAccording to Corey, | | | | prominent cause of burnout in a workplace is the |
| "burnout manifests itself in many ways. Those who | | | | inability of an individual to meet certain deadlines and |
| experience this syndrome typically find they are tired, | | | | achieve particular goals which are simply impossible to |
| drained, and without enthusiasm. They feel | | | | achieve in the first place. Applying strategy as a form |
| unappreciated, unrecognised, and unimportant, and they | | | | of burnout prevention means ensuring that goals are |
| go about their jobs in a mechanical and routine way." | | | | achievable.This way, Counsellors will not put |
| (Theory and Practice of Counseling and | | | | themselves under unnecessary pressure. Furthermore, |
| Psychotherapy)**Counsellor education generally | | | | strategic thinking also allows individuals to recognise |
| introduces the concept of burnout to students, aiming | | | | their personal and professional limitations, and work |
| to provide sound theoretical material that will help | | | | effectively with those limitations in order to achieve a |
| future counsellors to prevent, understand and act upon | | | | balanced (and successful) counselling career.The First |
| such a problem. The material commonly refers to the | | | | Steps: Shaping a Career In the beginning of their |
| causes, remedies and prevention methods of | | | | counselling careers, most individuals are much more |
| burnout.CausesAs cited previously, burnout is the result | | | | sensitive to burnout than experienced Counsellors. |
| of a complex human reaction to stress. Such reaction | | | | Why is that? Because their levels of anxiety are |
| can be so diversified among people that it would | | | | peaking as they are about to find out whether this |
| require highly advanced mathematical algorithms to | | | | profession is really for them, and if they can handle |
| actually derive all the possible cause combinations of | | | | their clients and support them by effectively applying |
| burnout, and the influence of each of these causes. | | | | the theoretical concepts they have learned.Dealing with |
| However, despite the unpredictability of individual | | | | the normal anxieties of the first few sessions is part of |
| responses to stress, there is a set of causes which | | | | the process of inner development that the counselling |
| are common to most people:- Performance of | | | | profession requires from all its peers. The fact that it |
| repeated activities over time which seem to be | | | | deals with human beings, which can be vastly |
| insignificant; - Lack of appreciation for a certain task or | | | | unpredictable, will affect the Counsellor's confidence to |
| overall effort at work; - Strong pressure to perform at | | | | some extent. The nature of a counselling session, |
| work; - Excessive conflict in work relationships; - Lack | | | | which can have a major impact in a client's life, also |
| of opportunities for expression and improvement; and - | | | | evokes doubts in the Counsellor's mind. It is important |
| Presence of unresolved personal conflicts outside of | | | | for the Counsellor to simply recognise such doubts as |
| the work environment.Recognising such causes is the | | | | a normal part of their own behaviour, and to |
| first step to understanding a series of events that may | | | | understand the feelings which are associated with |
| lead to burnout. The next step would involve the | | | | them. Beginning Counsellors can be so overwhelmed |
| person's particular responses to mental stress and | | | | by their anxieties that they will fail to really 'see through' |
| their capability to recognise certain physical traits that | | | | the situation. This inability to deal with a client could |
| could indicate over-stressed responses from the | | | | result in stress and possibly burnout.Professional Insight: |
| body.RemediesBurnout remedies for professional | | | | Strategies from CounsellorsThere are hundreds, |
| counsellors will vastly diverge between individuals. | | | | perhaps thousands, of strategies that can help a |
| Resembling the causes, remedies are effective | | | | Counsellor with self care. Each individual differentiates |
| according to individual traits, particularly when referring | | | | in the strategies used, and the need for them. |
| to the level of stress each person can deal with.Some | | | | Therefore, we've decided to get a first hand insight on |
| people prefer to deal with their stress-related problems | | | | burnout by asking two experienced professional |
| by increasing or decreasing certain individual activities, | | | | Counsellors what were their opinions and strategies |
| such as increasing the amount of time exercising and | | | | towards the problem."If there are challenges at work, |
| or decreasing the amount of time working in the office. | | | | talking with somebody (anybody) immediately after is |
| Interactive individuals may prefer to work through their | | | | called de-briefing, and may result in problematic issues |
| issues with others, such as participating in workshops, | | | | not manifesting within the body and causing frustration, |
| consulting with their supervisors or simply allocating | | | | anger, hurt, and even illness. For difficult clients, |
| time to talk to a friend or colleague. Many Counsellors | | | | supervision is imperative to access a mind to break |
| would mix individual and group activities to reduce | | | | the difficulties into manageable parts.Outside of work, |
| incidence of stress and attempt to eradicate | | | | personally, what works for me is to have a regime of |
| burnout.Counsellors may also diverge in their | | | | care for my body by attending a wellness centre |
| perspectives towards stress and burnout. Some | | | | where I involve myself in a class of Aqua Fit and |
| people are naturally passive and tend to surrender to | | | | Yoga every week. Massage when I can - preferably |
| their own circumstances, generally putting themselves | | | | once a month or even a facial is good.Because of |
| in the position of victims. This assumption leads to | | | | Yoga, I have learned the art of switching off in a |
| feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness, which | | | | meditative mode very quickly, so the minute I walk |
| increases the difficulty of dealing with stressing factors, | | | | outside of work I am in another area of life (i.e. the |
| resulting in either a delay in eliminating burnout, or | | | | going home mode). I look forward to time spent with |
| increased intensity. However, there are also | | | | family and good friends or attending a movie and |
| Counsellors who are proactive towards stress. Such | | | | eating pop corn - to me, that is bliss. Then by the time I |
| people have a different perspective towards stressful | | | | go back to work I feel as if I've been away for a |
| events - they recognise the individual traits which are | | | | week. This works really well for me - the art of deceit |
| affecting them, and actively attempt to resolve them | | | | of your own mind." (Kathleen Casagrande, AIPC |
| through a mix of introspection and scenario analysis. | | | | Education Adviser)"To function effectively as a |
| This approach - or active stance - is desired in order | | | | Counsellor we need to be in good shape personally - |
| to improve stress management skills and avoid | | | | physically, mentally and emotionally.Given that, just like |
| burnout.In an industry where human relationships are so | | | | everyone else, we will have times of difficulty in our |
| intrinsically related to work, it is sometimes inevitable to | | | | own lives, it is particularly important for us to recognise |
| experience distress and burnout. On these occasions, it | | | | the danger signals and take action to deal with any |
| is important that Counsellors effectively remediate | | | | undue stress quickly.Like many of my colleagues I |
| burnout in order to invoke balance in both professional | | | | have a number of tried and tested remedies for |
| and personal lives.Prevention It is better to prevent | | | | keeping my life in balance.A quick fix which I can use |
| rather than remediate - this saying illustrates the need | | | | anytime and in any stressful situation is to concentrate |
| for preventing burnout before it happens. Most people | | | | on my breathing rhythm and deliberately make it |
| ignore the first signs of excessive stress, and by doing | | | | slower and deeper.Listening to music is a sure-fire way |
| so, become vulnerable to further pressure from work. | | | | for me to de-stress, as are walking on a beach, |
| At some point, Counsellors may find it very difficult to | | | | playing tennis, being out on the water or getting |
| attend counselling sessions, to get to work, and to | | | | involved with a good book.On the subject of reading, I |
| perform in several other areas of life. Preventing | | | | work on maintaining and upgrading my skills and |
| burnout is simply a necessary task to anyone aiming | | | | knowledge - having confidence in one's ability is an |
| for a balanced and fulfilling career (and life).There are | | | | important element in avoiding workplace stress.And |
| several burnout prevention principles which can be | | | | my very favourite way to look after myself? A glass |
| divided into three categories: physical, mental and | | | | of wine on a sunny afternoon with my partner |
| strategic.PhysicalStress is a pattern of physiological | | | | somewhere by the water." (Wendy Mead, AIPC |
| responses which are caused by specific events in | | | | Senior Education Adviser)Sources |
| people's lives. Such responses include an increase in | | | | *Help Guide Mental Health ( |
| blood pressure, heart rate, sugar levels and re-direction | | | | ** Corey G (1996) Theory and Practice of Counseling |
| of blood flow to major organs. With such a complex | | | | and Psychotherapy (p. 44). |