In May 2022 I closed my psychology practice.
This was a hard decision but one I made in the context of accepting that I needed some time out and that I no longer wanted to work every day with complex trauma.
There is significant burnout that comes in a work role with witnessing social injustice. It takes a lot of objectivity to remain untouched by the systemic neglect and abuse. I worked for a few years at the very hard side of the mental health space. People who were suicidal and with the clients who were not able to access support. I kept my fees low. Suicide prevention and postvention work, disability advocacy, sexual assault, complex trauma.
Article on vicarious trauma:
I witnessed children being placed at risk and I challenged the adults in the systems who did not report the matters. I listened to traumatic stories that made me weep and sat in my head for ages. I felt I needed to do something. I wrote letters to principals at schools, to psychiatrists, to paediatricians and politicians. I helped parents prepare to fight for reasonable adjustments for children with their school meetings, I helped them understand who to take their complaints to.
Advocating for clients is not acceptable in some professions and being outspoken meant I was not popular. I gave feedback to the Disability Royal Commission and other regulatory bodies.
I did therapy with many kids who were “outliers” and who had challenging behaviours. For suicidal children who were reporting the abuse I answered after hours calls from parents, worked on the weekend, and I made exceptions by seeing them in crisis. Because there was no where for them to go. I was over invested.
So I over extended myself and I tried hard. Vicarious trauma is when we take in all the stories and they impact on us, and they start to seep into our own lives. I never mastered the ability to witness abuse and stay detached. Some therapists can do this really well. Objectivity and professionalism is required. My lack of rigid boundaries meant I was not focusing enough on my own energy levels.
As therapists we are responsible for our own self care and we need to step out of the work when we are tired. In July 2022, I was tired. Burnout comes on slowly but once it sets in, it is hard to recover.
A link to an article on health worker burnout
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