Main description:

Nearly half of all mental health providers have histories of abuse and family dysfunction, and almost one in five has experienced suicidal ideation. Many therapists and counselors suffer under the weight of their clients' mental health struggles. All practitioners must learn to practice self-care.

Mental health providers are mindful listeners, problem-solvers, curious inquisitors, supporters, perspective-shifters, consultants, diagnosticians, body regulators, cheerleaders, coaches, guides, and healers. To do all this requires considerable personal reserves. Caring for themselves, as people and professionals, is imperative.

This book addresses the dearth in today's self-care training by presenting a sustainable approach that is integrative, holistic, and developmentally flexible. When therapists feel deserving of self-care, when their values orient and shape their self-care behaviors and mindset, when mindful awareness of their needs comes frequently and with relative ease, and when their routines, practices, and activities are integrated rather than sporadic and fragmented, they can begin to practice sustainable self-care.

Included in this book are diverse and vital resources that help practitioners:

Go beyond one-off activities to create a self-caring lifestyle.
Strengthen the guiding values by which they live and work, in order to prevent burnout and embody wellness.
Cultivate mindful awareness of their needs both personal and professional, with special attention to the alignment of the person-practitioner-work environment.
Build powerful inner resources such as gratitude, self-compassion, forgiveness, and humor to soothe in response to threats and bounce back from daily challenges.
Implement and sustain healthy lifestyle habits that transform "simply getting by" into more easeful and meaningful living, including neurophysiological supports, meditation and subtle energy practices, mindful media consumption, and community-building.

Contents:

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Nourishing the Roots of Self-Care
Chapter 1: Exploring Professional Self-Care: Myths, Mistaken Identities, and Meanings
Chapter 2: Our Unique Stressors, Pressures, Challenges
Chapter 3: The "Big Four" Occupational Hazards
Chapter 4: Our Ethical Imperative Toward Sustainable Self-Care
Chapter 5: Why We Become Psychotherapists and What Sustains Us
Chapter 6: Mapping Our Self-Care Values
Chapter 7: Identifying and Addressing the Blocks to Being Our Own Best Allies
Part II: Flexibly Grounded: Mindful Awareness of Habits, Patterns, and Needs Inside and Out of the Therapy Room
Chapter 8: Developmental and Career Stage Realities
Chapter 9: Listening to Our Bodies
Chapter 10: Knowing Our Habits of Mind and Emotion
Chapter 11: Relational Patterns and Fulfillment of Needs
Chapter 12: How's Your Frontal Lobe Doing? and Other Executive Functioning Questions
Chapter 13: Money: Our Unspoken Needs, Beliefs, and Habits
Chapter 14: Spiritual and Religious Beliefs and Needs
Chapter 15: Cultural Influences on Self-Care and Well-Being
Chapter 16: Person-Therapist-Work Alignment
Part III: Intrinsic Self-Care: Soft Strength, Hidden Resilience
Chapter 17: Cultivating Mindful Awareness and Intentionality
Chapter 18: Fostering Acceptance, Equanimity, and Acknowledgment of Impermanence
Chapter 19: Nurturing Compassion
Chapter 20: Encouraging Forgiveness
Chapter 21: Gifting Gratitude
Chapter 22: Inspiring Laughter, Humor, Joy, and Playfulness
Chapter 23: Learning Optimism
Part IV: Extrinsic Self-Care: Powerful Practices, Transformational Habits
Chapter 24: Biological Foundations of Self-Care I: Sleep and Breath
Chapter 25: Biological Foundations of Self-Care II: Movement and Nutrition
Chapter 26: Meditation
Chapter 27: Subtle Energy Practices
Chapter 28: Rest, Time Off, and Recharging Our Batteries
Chapter 29: Supportive Connections and Healthy Boundaries
Chapter 30: Supporting Our Frontal Lobe for Sustainable Self-Care and Well-Being
Chapter 31: Mindful Use of Technology and Media
Chapter 32: Personal Grounding & Growth: Making Space for Creative Endeavors, Self-Growth, and Pursuing Our Own Therapy
Chapter 33: Professional Grounding & Growth: Pursuing Professional Development and Diversity of Experience and Seeking Consultation and Supervision
Chapter 34: Navigating Our Work Environment
Chapter 35: Enhancing Our Workspace for Better Health
Part V: Thriving: Creating Sustainability of Self-Care and Well-being
Chapter 36: Willingness, Readiness, and Motivation to Integrate Self-Care
Chapter 37: Integration and Embodiment of Self-Caring into Everyday Life
Chapter 38: The Gifts of Stewardship and Paying It Forward: A Communitarian Approach to Helping Our Fellow Helpers
Appendix A: Mindful Self-Care Scale - Clinical version
Appendix B: Selected resources for psychotherapists' Professional development and well-being
Appendix C: Addressing Our Blocks, Barriers, and Objections to Being Our Own Best Allies
Appendix D: Selected resources for psychotherapists with a highly sensitive temperament
Appendix E: Mindful Check-In
Appendix F: Selected Mindfulness and Meditation Resources
Appendix G: Selected subtle energy resources and practices
Appendix H: Rapid relief process energy sweep
Appendix I: Selected Self-Care Practices to integrate throughout the (work)day
Appendix J: Mindful Self-Caring Plan & Calendar
Appendix K: Selected resources for healthy habit formation and building a meaningful life
References
About the Author
Index