Psychotherapists and Counsellors Answer your Questions

Of course not, I am super human. More seriously, I have bad hair days and days when I haven't slept well or have a cold or a pain in my back. I forget things and make mistakes. I also have hard...

Of course not, I am super human. More seriously, I have bad hair days and days when I haven't slept well or have a cold or a pain in my back. I forget things and make mistakes. I also have hard times and periods of stress. These are all part of life. If I let someone down at these times, I do my best to apologise, understand what has happened, and do what I can to make things better.

Yes, certainly. I am just as human as the next person. My work affords me some advantage in emotional literacy but i cannot escape the difficult feelings we all have. I too must feel my feelings good,...

Yes, certainly. I am just as human as the next person. My work affords me some advantage in emotional literacy but i cannot escape the difficult feelings we all have. I too must feel my feelings good, bad or otherwise.

Nobody is perfect, and we all make mistakes!

Nobody is perfect, and we all make mistakes!

Absolutely!! There are days when I am out of sync with my own self and this does impact upon my work in the therapy room and with associated administrative functions. I do notice times when I breathe...

Absolutely!! There are days when I am out of sync with my own self and this does impact upon my work in the therapy room and with associated administrative functions. I do notice times when I breathe a sigh of relief when a client phones in to cancel or rearrange an appointment. These are days when I do attempt to counteract the sense of being off centre' by increasing self care strategies including such things as taking time to go outside of my consulting room during breaks and briefly walking about in the fresh air and connecting with nature.

:-)

:-)

Em yes, who doesn't? Everyone is human, but I definitely use strategies and skills to cope when needed. For example, I used to overthink and catastrophise, now I distract myself, work on self care and...

Em yes, who doesn't? Everyone is human, but I definitely use strategies and skills to cope when needed. For example, I used to overthink and catastrophise, now I distract myself, work on self care and let the thoughts dissipate. Having 8-9 hours sleep a night ensures I have less bad days!

LOL - do I ever not?! Being a not so enthusiastic morning person - most of my work days (that require early rising) become bad hair days. I prefer to just embrace these less important deficits in...

LOL - do I ever not?! Being a not so enthusiastic morning person - most of my work days (that require early rising) become bad hair days. I prefer to just embrace these less important deficits in myself :)

Of course.

Of course.

Of course.

Of course.

Yes but they are hard to predict - sometimes everything should be right but its not and vice versa. Becoming too sure of oneself and too confident is actually probably more of a problem than feeling...

Yes but they are hard to predict - sometimes everything should be right but its not and vice versa. Becoming too sure of oneself and too confident is actually probably more of a problem than feeling unsure. I often think of therapy as unique in that vulnerability and woundedness often puts one in a much better position to be present with the client. Having said all of the above it would be rare that I would proceed to therapy without having meditated first and generally meditation provides the essential preparation for therapy as it primes one for being fully present, which is the ultimate and necessary requirement for therapy.

Like everyone else. I'm still human and life is not kinder to me than it is to everyone else. Fortunately I now have the tools to understand these moments and the capacity to not feel trapped in them.

Like everyone else. I'm still human and life is not kinder to me than it is to everyone else. Fortunately I now have the tools to understand these moments and the capacity to not feel trapped in them.

Yes and at the same time I also trust in myself. I trust that I am able to identify and own my 'bad hair' day and that I am also able and confident in raising any concerns appropriately, with the...

Yes and at the same time I also trust in myself. I trust that I am able to identify and own my 'bad hair' day and that I am also able and confident in raising any concerns appropriately, with the client and then with my supervisor. 'Bad hair' days unpacked, within the boundaries of roles, can be an opportunity for learning.

Yes we all have 'bad hair' days, but accepting my bad hair day and looking forward to the great days makes me appreciate the bad ones. If we do not have bad days how will we know when we have a good...

Yes we all have 'bad hair' days, but accepting my bad hair day and looking forward to the great days makes me appreciate the bad ones. If we do not have bad days how will we know when we have a good day.

Not often. I do, however, like the concept of mental health days.

Not often. I do, however, like the concept of mental health days.

Of course! I am human after all. Some days I will second guess myself but I know after taking a minute to regroup that I've got this and we are all human.

Of course! I am human after all. Some days I will second guess myself but I know after taking a minute to regroup that I've got this and we are all human.