Karen Sussan is now an EMDR Certified Therapist™
Karen
Sussan
LMHC
Psychotherapy for Healing, Growth, & Transformation.
Therapy for Therapists:
As therapists, we dedicate our professional lives to helping others. It’s easy to overlook our own needs in the process. I serve therapists in therapy and invite you to consider some points about self-care and its importance. Maintaining or improving our mental health is crucial for our well-being and professional goals.
The Importance of Therapy for Therapists
Therapists face personal challenges and stresses like everyone else. We can benefit from psychotherapy. Personal psychotherapy for therapists can play an important role in managing the unique pressures of our profession, such as maintaining healthy professional boundaries and dealing with difficult client situations.
Therapists are regularly exposed to trauma and are subject to secondary and tertiary trauma, whether their practice is or is not trauma-focused.
29 N Airmont Road
Suite 3
Suffern, NY 10901
845-202-9774
info@karenpsychotherapy.com
Complimentary consultation available by phone.
Enhancing Professional Growth
Participating in therapy can also enhance our professional growth. It provides space to explore and manage countertransference and also increases our capacity to authentically connect with our clients. In
our own therapy, we can come to accept and understand our own vulnerabilities more and then be more fully able to relate to our clients' situations and offer more empathetic and effective support. Finally, therapy fosters personal growth, which is vital for all areas of professional development.
Incorporating Mindfulness and EMDR
Many of us are familiar with and may use mindfulness practices in our work with clients. Not as many practice what they preach. However, mindfulness practices are excellent tools for stress management and the promotion of emotional well-being. In mindfulness practices, the focus is on the present moment and on accepting our experiences without judgment. This alone can decrease overwhelming feelings and enhance our capacity to cope with daily challenges. Mindfulness can be integrated into our daily routines through breathwork, body scans, and guided meditations. This simple practice can help us de-stress, ground, and center ourselves and, ultimately, improve our emotional balance.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) may not be an option many therapists have considered for themselves But, it can remedy the impact of trauma exposure in our profession. Additionally, EMDR can equip us with a firsthand experience of this powerful therapeutic tool, for which we might then train to use within our own clinical practices.
The Role of Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy
Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy (SIP) is an approach at the heart of my practice. I am well-trained and practiced in Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy (SIP). I offer this holistic approach to mental health.
There is an increased recognition in our field that the inclusion of spiritual experience is important. After all, we all seek to pursue meaningful lives. Here, religious or spiritual beliefs and practices can serve as resources for healing, growth, and transformation. Yet, many therapists are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with how to include our clients’ spiritual resources, their spiritual pursuits, or how to attend to their spiritual injuries. So, starting with our own sense of purpose, meaning, and life experience and developing our own appreciation of our spiritual or religious resources, recognizing their contribution to our own resiliency and capacity to live a full life can be an excellent starting point. The more we nurture ourselves, the better we can support our clients’ humanity and help them to grow and transform.
I welcome the chance to help colleagues gain comfort and ease in including this important aspect of life. I offer therapy to heal from spiritual or moral injuries, particularly as they arise from negative religious communal experiences you may have had.
Working together, you can reclaim your own innate proclivities and birthright as a meaning-making human being and strengthen your spiritual awareness muscles. Through the SIP approach, I have helped clients, holding, not hurting religious communities. As you further enhance your pursuit of a full, meaningful life and strengthen your self-actualization muscles, like many of us therapists, you may reaffirm how helping others is a key component for you to lead a meaningful life.
Making Self-Care a Priority
It bears repeating that balancing work and personal life is essential for preventing burnout and sustaining a fulfilling career. Establishing consistent self-care routines that include physical activities, mindfulness practices, and regular therapy sessions can make a significant difference. Setting healthy boundaries and seeking peer support can be important strategies for maintaining emotional health and professional effectiveness.
Embracing Therapy
As therapists, we are often seen as ones who provide support and guidance. However, it is crucial to remember that seeking help for ourselves is not a sign of weakness, but a testament to our commitment to personal and professional growth.
As a seasoned, trauma-informed, holistically oriented psychotherapist with experience helping my colleagues, I offer opportunities for personal growth, healing, and support to my clinical colleagues.
If you're ready to take the next step for healing and self-care, I may well be suited to help you. I encourage you to reach out to me. Contact me at 845-202-9774 or fill out the contact form. Together, we can explore this dual way: self-care and client care to find a better balance as you continue to grow and help others. Discover again, or perhaps for the first time, the profound impact therapy can have on your life and career.