When I was in school to become a counselor, my professors and mentors stressed the importance of therapists being in therapy. After I graduated and began my career as a therapist, the importance of being in therapy became even more apparent. Now, as a counselor myself, I see a few therapists for individual therapy.

Throughout my schooling, career, and my work with clients who are therapists, I have always recognized the importance of being in therapy if you are a therapist. If you are a social worker or counselor, here are my top three reasons why therapy is beneficial for therapists:

Prevent Burnout

As therapists, we often give a lot of ourselves to our clients, which can cause us to feel depleted. Burnout can occur when therapists feel too depleted, and it can cause us to become apathetic and unhappy. Burnout can lead to poor quality of service for our clients, and the tendency to frequently call out of work. Therapy is an important part of self-care that can prevent and alleviate burnout for many social workers and counselors.

Process Clients’ Thoughts and Feelings

As therapists, we often hear about our clients’ deepest issues. Hearing about things like trauma, abuse, addiction, and mental health issues every day can weigh on a therapist. Therapy can be a way of processing your reactions to some of the things you are hearing from your clients in order to preserve your own mental health.

Deal with Your Own Issues

Therapists are real people with real problems! Just like other people, therapists can struggle with issues like anxiety, depression, grief, loss, stress, and many other problems that can be helped with therapy. It’s important for counselors and social workers to be processing their own issues so that they do not negatively affect their clients.

If you are a counselor or social worker who might benefit from therapy as a therapist, consider making an appointment for an intake evaluation with a therapist through Pyramid Healthcare. Your therapist will be able to help you prevent and address burnout, process your reactions to your clients’ issues, and deal with your own problems. To begin the intake process, contact our intake department at (888) 694-9996.

Written by Shaylyn Forte, M.Ed., CAADC