Therapy for Therapists: Maintaining the Instrument

In the craft of psychotherapy, the therapist is the primary instrument, but it is an instrument that requires rigorous maintenance. The work of sitting with profound suffering and trauma is not a neutral act; it leaves a footprint on the clinician’s nervous system and psychological landscape.

For over a decade, I have mentored, consulted for, and provided therapy to clinicians. Approximately one-third of my practice is dedicated to supporting those who do this work. I understand the specific mechanics of therapist burnout and the unique pressure of maintaining a professional exterior while navigating your own internal challenges.

The Clinical and Professional Shadow

Therapists face a specific set of occupational and psychological hazards that are often difficult to address within their own professional circles:

• Overfunctioning and Perfectionism: A chronic tendency to carry the weight of the client’s progress, which is often mirrored by exhaustion and a lack of boundaries in one’s private life.

• Secondary Traumatization and Burnout: The physiological and emotional contamination that occurs when a clinician repeatedly witnesses the trauma of others without adequate space to offload the charge.

• Impostor Syndrome and Catastrophization: The persistent internal narrative that one is "failing" or "not enough," leading to a hyper-fixation on clinical mistakes or a fear of professional exposure.

• The Business of Practice: The often-ignored stresses of financial management, clinical organization, and the procrastination that arises when administrative demands clash with emotional depletion.

• Unresolved History: The complex intersection where a client’s material activates the therapist’s own history of trauma, creating resonances that can complicate both the clinical work and the therapist’s personal stability.

The Work of Making the Unconscious Conscious

My approach with other clinicians is not about vague "growth." It is about a rigorous investigation into the parts of yourself that you usually have to suppress to remain professional. We use a variety of approaches—whether somatic, parts-based, or behavioural—to look at the underlying strategies you’ve developed to survive the demands of this field.

The objective is to stop the unconscious from running the show. We look at the places where your personal history and your professional identity have fused. By bringing these patterns into the light, you regain the ability to choose your responses rather than being driven by old survival instincts. This is how we move from a state of constant performance to a state of genuine clinical and personal agency.

Professional Distance and Safety

One of the primary hurdles for clinicians seeking their own therapy is the "small world" of professional networks. I live in British Columbia but maintain a virtual practice primarily for people in Ontario, where I am licensed. This provides a unique strategic advantage: complete professional separation. You can engage in deep, honest work without the concern of dual relationships or the possibility of running into your therapist at community events, supervision groups, or networking events. This distance ensures a level of privacy that is often impossible to find within your own local clinical community.