Therapy work is super weird for many reasons. One of the strangest parts of our job is the way we have to be extra thoughtful about the question from loved ones: “how was your day?”
We are the possibly the last guardians of privacy…which is probably why certain companies are willing to beg, borrow, steal, and manipulate us into letting them record and transcribe our sacred conversations.
So while normal people can chat about their work in detail over dinner, therapist have to say things like:
“The day was hard, but beautiful,” which means “I heard someone’s deepest darkest secret and I’m overwhelmed with how much they trusted me.”
Or
“My day was rough. How about you?” Translation: “I helped someone stay out of the hospital and had to call CPS on a parent, please give me something else to think about.”
Having difficult conversations in private can isolate you, but it can also cause some separation between you and the “normal” (ish) life around you.
So how can you find creative ways to share the awesome work that you do with the people who want to hear it?
Well, over the years, my favorite approach has been to celebrate at home whenever a client graduates from therapy.
NOTE: This is where I have to pause and thank the wraparound clinicians, facilitators, mental health rehabilitation specialists, peer supports, and parent partners who modeled a culture of family and client celebration. I constantly refer back to the lessons you all taught me, thank you!
Even if we're good at "leaving work at work," the people who love us can tell when we've had an awful day.
So instead of pretending otherwise, I encourage you to find a responsible way to share the joy of the job whenever you can. Since you can’t share any details, share the celebrations!
If you have an in-person role, bring flowers into the office to brighten up the place. Do a surprise donut run or bring in a cake.
If you have a remote role, take your therapy bestie out for virtual coffee!
Or, you can do what I did last week: my client wanted to celebrate their virtual therapy graduation with pastries, so I bought a few extras to share with my family later on!
Literally all I had to say was, “One of my clients graduated this week! There’s chocolate chip muffins in the kitchen to celebrate!”
No details were necessary.
Those little surprises and breaks in routine to recognize the moment reminds those around you that:
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This is a hard job, but there are plenty of moments of great joy.
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You’re doing good work.
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People do heal!
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You appreciate the support of the people who may never see what you do, but they still help you anyway.
If we don’t talk about what we do, therapyTok, coaches, tech companies, and even potential therapy clients will make assumptions and tell our stories for us.
It takes creativity to open up when we care so much about protecting our clients. Know your legal and ethical boundaries. But don’t let this job isolate you from your network, professional or personal.
This week, I’m challenging you to find responsible ways to share your wins. It’s worth it.
Supporter Connect and Learn - LIVE
THANK YOU!
I’m so grateful for everyone who either attended or requested the replay for the workshop this week! You already have a copy of the slides, and a recording is on it's way!
What’s that? You wanted to join but you missed it?
I get it. Since I’m in a celebratory mood (I did have a client graduation after all…) reply to this email with the word “celebrate” BY EOD TOMORROW, 7/13 and I’ll give you special access to the video recording too!
I’m excited to continue to do more within this community, so if you have any questions or suggestions feel free to send them my way too!
Guest Voices!
5 Productivity Ideas
O Leonard at Rainwater Growth is offering a free resource to our community. It explains 5 of the most common time management techniques in plain, non-jargony language.
If you or your clients need a bit of coaching through executive functioning issues, prioritization, attention difficulties, this is a great starting point. Combined with your skills of empathy and individualized planning, you can refocus on what matters, and delete what doesn’t. Again you can get your free copy of this Time Management Overview HERE.
And if YOU (yes you!) have a resource that you’d like to share with the Working Phase community, replying to the newsletter is the best way to reach out. Tell me what you're up to and I may feature you here!
Joy Intervention
16th Minute (of Fame) Podcast
This is human interest meets current events, wholesome fun, with a host who is kind and insightful.
If you're a sucker for the "where are they now?"-type shows, this show is for you.
If you wonder what happens to a person after they go viral? ...this show is for you.
If you remember the weird corners of the early internet, this is for you.
And if you need an hour a day that makes you feel better about humanity, this show is for you.
I'm linking to the Chocolate Rain episodes, which are the host's best work, with incredible insight into the intersection of neurodiversity, race, and fame.
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