therapy for therapists

As a therapist, do you feel like you shouldn't need your own help?

Therapists do not have to be superhuman people who never have struggles and aren’t impacted by difficulty in their personal lives. In fact, many of us became interested in this work because of the struggles we’ve had in our own lives.

Therapists need to do their own work, too.

It’s okay if you’re not perfect. It’s okay if you’re struggling. We tell our clients things like this every day, but we may struggle to show ourselves the same grace. If you need some reminders that it’s okay for you to be flawed or to have a hard time, you may want to consider making time for your own regular therapy sessions. At Beachside Counseling, our knowledgeable professional therapists are happy to provide therapy for therapists in our San Diego practice. Whatever your reason for reaching out, we’re happy to walk with you on your journey to living your most fulfilling life and offering the best therapy solutions for your clients.

Therapists consider seeking therapy for any of the reasons that other people consider seeking help form a clinician — grief, depression, anxiety, challenging relationship patterns, or a myriad of other life challenges. We are just people after all. Over the course of our day to day lives, we may find ourselves struggling with conflict within our familial or romantic relationships, overwhelming emotional responses, developing poor coping mechanisms, grieving a loss, or yes, having a hard time at work. In addition to managing our own interpersonal conflicts, complex emotional responses, and daily difficulties, we’re called upon to help others take care of theirs. Helping other people process their life’s struggles can and will take its toll, so therapists must plan to minimize the impact that doing the work of therapy has on their lives. For this reason, it may be even more important for therapists to regularly work with skilled therapists.

Beachside Counseling appreciates how important therapy can be for both personal and professional development for interns and associates. We can offer reduced rates to students and pre-licensed therapists who are experiencing financial constraints.

"only the wounded healer can truly heal."

- Irvin Yalom

How Therapy Benefits Therapists

We all tell our clients the benefits of therapy. When they feel hesitant about scheduling a session or they feel frustrated or generally they’re unsure about whether or not therapy is necessary, we take time to tell them all about how therapy can benefit them as individuals, in relationships, professionally, and through all aspects of their lives. For therapists, therapy offers all of these benefits as well as:

Ensuring you feel stable, focused, and ready to provide effective therapy
Offering a sounding board (who understands ethical boundaries) when you’re struggling to support your clients
Giving you a set time and place to decompress every week
Allowing yourself to prioritize self-care
Gaining the advantage of another therapist’s expertise to increase your own knowledge

in therapy...

you get to be the client. As a therapist, you're pretty familiar with what happens during therapy sessions from the therapist's perspective. But what's it like being on the other side — to be the one given the space to talk about your challenges, focus on what you want to change, and explore what's making your life harder than it needs to be?

Therapists don't always realize that they can be the client, too. When you take the time to prioritize your own emotional and mental health, you’ll find yourself feeling better able to support your own clients and face everything that your life throws at you. When you’re ready, Beachside Counseling is here for you. Use the link below to schedule a consultation to determine if therapy for therapists in our San Diego practice is the right next step for you.

Schedule a Session

How do I know if therapy would be helpful?

If you're experiencing any of these challenges, we can help:

You're dealing with your own anxiety or depression and aren't getting help for it
You've experienced a significant loss that you are struggling to cope with
You have challenging relationship patterns that you want to break

You feel burned out as a clinician and it's impacting your work with clients
You want to make a change in life but are afraid to take action
You know that your own "stuff" is limiting your efficacy with your clients

Therapy isn't supervision — it's not a space to consult about challenging clients. It is a space to explore your own challenging life patterns that hold you back from happiness.It's also a safe space to explore your own countertransference and the things that may stop you from doing deeper work with your own clients. If you're looking for a place to heal, where you feel understood by someone who gets it, reach out and schedule a consultation with Beachside Counseling. We're here to help.