Post COVID-19 Self-Care of the Therapist: A Community Project

Author

Alexandra GrafFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MAE - Master of Arts in Expressive Therapies

Department

Expressive Therapies

Advisor

Denis Malis

Abstract

The continuous COVID-19 pandemic has brought new expectations and higher demand in the field of mental health counseling. Many individuals began seeking therapy during this time which is a good thing however, the therapists are facing a higher risk of burnout syndrome and compassion fatigue. Therapists have not shifted their focus as much on themselves through acts of self-care during this time despite the world around them shifting. In graduate counseling programs there is discussion and perhaps a dedicated week of course material to self-care however, it is not taught the importance to implement and discover what acts of care work best for each individual. This community engagement project advocates for therapist engagement of self-care through an in-service experience with the clinical population at a therapeutic day school. Participants engaged in a discussion regarding self-care, a dance/movement therapy practice discussion and experiential and concluded with assembling their own “self-care kit”. I observed and received an overall positive response and gratitude for both reminding and providing some tools to allow this clinical team to take time to care for themselves. When the therapist takes time to do self-care, they will be more engaged and present with the individuals they help.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Graf, Alexandra, "Post COVID-19 Self-Care of the Therapist: A Community Project" (2023). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 744.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/744