The practice of psychotherapy can be as rewarding as challenging. Psychotherapists are likely to find themselves inspired by their work at times, while at others, demoralized. The clients they serve can be a source of encouragement, even admiration in their abilities to overcome their difficulties; they can also be a source of great stress and discouragement. Considering the sizable range of emotions psychotherapists will experience in their daily practice, the ability of providers to proactively engage in self-care while striving towards congruence is paramount. In this chapter, the authors elaborate on the constructs of personal and professional self-care as meaningful ways to cope with, if not right out prevent, distress, burnout, and impairment. Moreover, the chapter advances an institutional, organizational, and communitarian view of self-care that acknowledges psychotherapists as members of a socially needed workforce, with their own rights to associate and unionize, while affirming their well-being.
Evaluating a multidimensional strategy to improve the professional self-care of occupational therapists working with people with life limiting illness.
