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.
Twenty years ago, a therapist could hang up a shingle, make some networking calls, and begin to create a steady stream of referrals. Since then, private practice has changed dramatically. Now therapists everywhere are struggling just to keep their practices going. The need has never been greater for sound business tools for building and marketing a therapy practice. How to Build a Thriving Fee-for-Service Practice is essential reading for newly licensed therapists, seasoned professionals, and others wanting to prepare practitioners for success. How to Build a Thriving Fee-for-Service Practice guides you from your ideal practice vision through the "how-to" steps to succeed. You will learn that a private practice is, in effect, a small business. Chapters contain solid training to help you not only to survive, but also to thrive in a highly competitive market place. Examples, worksheets, business forms, flow charts, paper and pen exercises, and even assignments in the "real world," expose you to essential materials and ideas. Coverage includes surveying the needs of one's community, capitalizing on unusual market niches, marketing ideas to build one's practice, creating brochures, widening one's scope and expertise through public speaking, seminars, workshops, and writing, analyzing financial data and projections, tracking client information, and more. Learn solid training to not only survive, but thrive, in private practice today Go from your ideal practice vision through the "how-to" steps to succeed. Mobilize yourself into action! Market your clinical specialty to attract more cash clients Learn how to set realistic practice goals, and track your progress Regain your autonomy, income and career satisfaction Lean how to communicate the value of your services to the public Learn how to give powerful workshops and speaking engagements and write effective community articles Turn your specialty into a market niche Use the media as a vehicle to give psychology away and gain visibility Learn the skills that have never been taught in graduate school--until now Lay the foundation for your practice that builds momentum Attract new clients through seminars, speaking engagements and published articles Build a dynamic referral base Re-ignite the passion for your career and love what you do for a living Make your practice adaptive, challenging and enjoyable for the rest of your career
“Bite-sized” self-care strategies that any therapist can easily practice. For mental health professionals who must regularly guard against compassion fatigue and secondary traumatization, intentional self-care isn’t just essential; it’s a survival tool. If therapists don’t take proper care of themselves, they can’t do their work effectively. Taking up an exercise program, going on a vacation, turning to supportive social networks, while helpful remedies to the stresses of the job, are not always feasible and the results are often only short term. Synthesizing the latest thinking in mindfulness, neuroscience, energy medicine, and spiritual disciplines, Simple Self-Care for Therapists offers immediate relief in doable, bite-sized nuggets—easy exercises that can be seamlessly integrated into your current workday routine with little fuss. Over 60 restorative practices are presented—tools for (1) grounding, (2) energizing, and (3) relaxing—organized as antidotes to the most common pathologies that therapists suffer: vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Bush, a therapist with over 25 years of experience, walks readers through the descriptions and simple implementation of each practice, with illuminating stories from her own professional experiences. Whether you’re in a staff meeting, conducting a therapy session, writing a progress report, or attending a workshop, these convenient exercises can be dipped into as needed. A go-to resource of self-care tools, every therapist, no matter their background or approach, now has the ability to prevent stress, avoid internalization, revive their spirit, and restore a sense of well-being.
“Drs. Julius and Jude Austin have written a most informative and engaging guide for students navigating the demands of their academic program and internships. They provide practical wisdom in each chapter and serve as mentors to their readers through their self-disclosure and the lessons they have learned. This book needs to be in the hands of every counseling student, as it offers extremely useful pointers and encouragement to survive and thrive in their program.” —Marianne Schneider Corey, MA, LMFT, NCC —Gerald Corey, EdD, ABPP, NCC Professor Emeritus of Human Services and Counseling California State University, Fullerton “This is a valuable resource for students in graduate-level training in counseling or counselor education and supervision. In addition, it will be a useful update for counselor educators regarding the experiences of contemporary graduate counseling students.” —Richard E. Watts, PhD, LPC-S Sam Houston State University Written for graduate students who want to get the most out of their experience, this book presents down-to-earth discussions and suggestions on counselor training and life after graduation. The authors, both millennials and recent doctoral program graduates, draw upon their own personal and professional training and career experiences, as well as shared insight from a diverse group of current graduate students, recent graduates, and new professionals. The realistic, personal, and often humorous narratives throughout the book give an insider’s perspective on graduate school and illuminate the emotional journey of students and new professionals. Topics include choosing and getting into a program, handling the opportunities and challenges that each year of the program presents, gaining emotional maturity, dealing with setbacks, managing conflicts, increasing cultural awareness, getting a doctoral degree, searching for a job, finding a supervisor, and obtaining licensure. Readers will also be able to peek behind the curtains of faculty meetings to glean what faculty members expect, develop skills for their first session, and create and maintain a self-care plan for improving work-life balance. *Requests for digital versions from ACA can be found on www.wiley.com. *To purchase print copies, please visit the ACA website *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to [email protected] Julius A. Austin, PhD, isa clinical therapist and coordinator for the Office of Substance Abuse and Recovery at Tulane University. Jude T. Austin II, PhD, is an assistant professor and clinical coordinator in the Professional Counseling Program at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships is designed to be useful both to stepfamily members themselves and to a wide variety of practitioners, as well as to educators, judges, mediators, lawyers and medical personnel.
Adolescents face unique pressures and worries. Will they pass high school? Should they go to college? Will they find love? And what ways do they want to act in the world? The uncertainty surrounding the future can be overwhelming. Sadly, and all too often, if things don’t go smoothly, adolescents will begin labeling themselves as losers, unpopular, unattractive, weird, or dumb. And, let’s not forget the ubiquitous ‘not good enough’ story that often begins during these formative years. These labels are often carried forward throughout life. So what can you do, now, to help lighten this lifelong burden? The Thriving Adolescent offers teachers, counselors, and mental health professionals powerful techniques for working with adolescents. Based in proven- effective acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), the skills and tips outlined in this book will help adolescents and teens manage difficult emotions, connect with their values, achieve mindfulness and vitality, and develop positive relationships with friends and family. The evidence-based practices in this book focus on developing a strong sense of self, and will give adolescents the confidence they need to make that difficult transition into adulthood. Whether it’s school, family, or friend related, adolescents experience a profound level of stress, and often they lack the psychological tools to deal with stress in productive ways. The skills we impart to them now will help set the stage for a happy, healthy adulthood. If you work with adolescents or teens, this is a must-have addition to your professional library.
Thriving After Trauma addresses readers who have experience trauma or loss due to a variety of experience – whether accident, abuse, or injury. Shari Botwin shows readers, through personal stories, how many who have experienced the worst kinds of trauma have managed to move on and thrive beyond their experiences. Often, those who live through trauma come away with feelings of shame, guilt, anger, and despair. These are common, even normal, responses in the immediate aftermath. Left unaddressed, though, those feelings may develop into substance abuse problems, eating disorders, depression, or anxiety. Learning how to move on, to pick up and live life again, takes effort and guidance. Botwin guides readers through the stories of others who have gone on to live fulfilling, happy lives, and provides tips and tools for healing and moving on. Letting go of the shame, guilt, anger and fear associated with tragic events is crucial to reclaiming a full life. Strategies such as, journaling, mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral restructuring, and healthy relationships to aid in recovery are explored and explained, so readers can adopt those strategies that work best for them. It is not the trauma itself that results in so many people developing self-destructive tendencies and life threatening illnesses. It is the lack of having a way to digest and make sense of the trauma-related feelings that can lead one to mental illness, disconnection, and in some cases, even death. Readers will learn how to live with the trauma versus how to get over the trauma, so they can move forward healthfully and mindfully.
Written in a conversational and engaging style, this updated and expanded Third Edition of Thriving! helps future counselors and therapists to succeed in their training and professional development throughout their graduate careers. Authors Lennis G. Echterling, Jack Presbury, Eric Cowan, A. Renee Staton, Debbie C. Sturm, Michele Kielty, J. Edson McKee, Anne L. Stewart, and William F. Evans collaborated to create an informative and inspirational book that includes an overview of the literature, personal accounts from students, practical tips/activities, and the latest coverage of such topics as advances in neuroscience research, crisis intervention, and more!
Praise for From Therapist to Coach "This book is very practical and helpful to the therapist who wants to make a change and feels a bit overwhelmed with the possibilities. The section on choosing a niche was illuminating and very exciting to me. I found it helpful to have the training options outlined so clearly, and the marketing section was extremely useful as well." —Shelley R. Cohen, LCSW, Beverly Hills, CA "This book has sparked a renewed passion for my work as I have struggled the past couple of years with how to incorporate coaching into my psychotherapy practice. I knew there must be a way to do it but lacked the 'how to.' Based on his years of experience and real insight, David Steele supplies the necessary tools to do so effectively as well as invaluable strategies to help avoid the pitfalls. Without hesitation, I highly recommend this as a book that you will return to time and time again as a handbook for your private practice as a therapist/coach." —Sharon O'Farrell, MIHA, Navan, Ireland A hands-on guide to helping therapists make the transition to a successful coaching practice Written for therapists by a therapist, From Therapist to Coach provides a convenient road map for professionals considering expanding or transitioning their practice to coaching. Drawing from his experience in providing relationship coach training to over 5,000 therapists, David Steele takes a practical approach to building a successful coaching business through traditional and creative strategies such as marketing, getting clients, choosing a niche, and much more. Here, therapists will find: A look at the differences between therapy and coaching Examples and insights that therapists can easily (and sometimes humorously) relate to Details on setting fees; enrolling clients; maximizing private practice income; finding training; and much more A focus on creative group services and business models suited to the various specialties and niches of personal coaching Guidance on how much to bill for services With insight on the mistakes and pitfalls to avoid along the way, From Therapist to Coach is rich with examples, providing tips and practical steps to help clinicians in private practice move forward in their journey towards professional satisfaction.
