To My Fellow Therapists with Love, from an Austin, TX Art Therapist
What’s the link between burnout, imposter syndrome, and clients who seem stuck? Well, this is a trick question, because the link is actually a missing link—creativity! Not as in drawing and painting, but as in a kind of mental activity that allows the process of psychotherapy to flourish.
If creativity is the missing link between the life you have and the life you’d love, you might be looking for creative mental activity in all the wrong places. Are you prone to collecting continuing ed certificates to try to revive your professional self, prove that you’re a real Austin, TX therapist, and jumpstart therapy efforts that seem to have stalled out? You’re not alone—therapists all over are collecting continuing ed certificates for these reasons and wondering if this is as good as it gets.
The answer is that it can get a lot better! But the process of getting from here to there is going to take a little game of connect the dots. And creative mental activity can help you make those connections.
Challenge the Messages You’ve Received About What It Means to Be a Therapist
You can do it! If therapist burnout, imposter syndrome, and client stuckness ring bells of familiarity in your head, it’s time for you to reconsider the culture of mental health practice. Your career isn’t the problem, but the stories and sagas you’ve absorbed as gospel truths ARE.
I took a shot at connecting the dots for you in a recent conversation with Reina Lombardi, host of the Creative Psychotherapist Podcast. Listen as I dismantle underlying assumptions that greatly impact how therapists in Austin, TX and elsewhere approach their work and shape their sense of self. The interview is available at the bottom of this article.
You can create a better outcome for yourself. You’ll be on the road to recovery merely by hearing new ideas that take the existing paradigm and turn it on its head a little. Just a little—there is no violence in this podcast interview! 😊
Connect with New Messages That Support You as a Therapist
If you’re an Austin, TX therapist (or a therapist anywhere) who still has a flicker of humor and hope left despite what the past few years have been like, and you are open to putting on your own oxygen mask, please give the interview a listen. I did it just for you, with love.
Do You Want to Be a Therapist Who Loves Living?
Creativity doesn’t have to be the missing link in your life. If you’re ready to explore what art therapy in Austin, TX (or anywhere in Texas, Arizona, or Indiana) can do for you, please contact me for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation. We’ll talk about how art therapy with me helps connect the dots between hurting and healing so you can determine if I’m a good fit for the restorative journey you have in mind.
To learn more about how I help others shine like the stars they are, see my About page. And remember: it’s never too late to create a better outcome for yourself!