Self-Care and Support Resources for Helpers

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The Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI) offer self-care tips and support resources for helpers on their website at https://ca.ctrinstitute.com/blog/8-self-care-tips-for-helpers/  

Emily Bushell, MA, RCT, CCC, in a blog on the CTRI website, offers eight practical suggestions for those who offer support to others going through extreme difficulties in their lives. “As a group, we are the people our clients and patients turn to during the worst times of their lives. But, we’re people too – we have good days, bad days, and difficult times.”  

  • Increase your awareness: Learn to recognize when you’re drained and need to step back. “We all have our own signs and signals that tell us when we are beyond our capacity to work effectively. Building self-awareness so that we can notice these signs and signals before we get to the point of burnout is crucial.” In my own experience, I have found that having a trusted “buddy”, either a colleague or a friend or family member, who can recognize my personal signs and signals, can assist with this process. 

  • Reconnect to your body: “We often justify pushing ourselves, stretching our limits, and crossing our own boundaries in service of our clients. In reality, it is important to acknowledge that we’re not always the best fit for a certain clinical situation. Acknowledging and acting on what feels right for us and what doesn’t is often the best way to honour the people we serve.” 

  • Know the difference between what you are afraid to do and what you shouldn’t do: “Are you afraid to get consultation on that new intervention you’ve learned? Or run a decision by a trusted mentor?” It is important to be able to “differentiate between what is helpful fear that should be heeded as our own advice, and what is a limiting belief that is getting in the way of building more competence and confidence.” 

  • Seek consultation: “If you need help with something that’s come up in your life or practice, talk about it with a trusted supervisor, consultant, or mentor…. Remember, we don’t need to have all the answers – it’s okay to reach out for support professionally as well as personally…..Some things are outside of our scope of practice for professional reasons and others are outside of our scope for personal ones. Having a trusted mentor to help you navigate how this can impact your scope of practice can be a validating and freeing experience.” 

  • Use self-disclosure sparingly and appropriately: “It’s important for us to assess each therapeutic relationship individually for rapport and use our best judgement about what is helpful to the client. Be careful about self-disclosing to ease your own struggles or feel more connected to your client.” 

  • Slow down: “The more we can temper the pace of our work and connect deeply to ourselves, the better our connection will be with the client. You can do this by slowing your speech, your breathing, and your gestures. Allow for moments of silence. Engage the client in landing in their chair and being present for the session…When you invite your client to practice deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or grounding techniques in session, take the opportunity to practice along with them.” 

  • Take time to manage your stressors: “Whether this means taking a few days off or scheduling a few more breaks through your day, it’s important to deal with what is causing you distress.” 

  • Seek therapeutic support or counselling: Taking advantage of available support mechanisms and “reaching out for therapeutic support can help us ease the stressors and reconnect to our own inner wisdom, clinical judgement, and skills.” 

This site also offers a range of free resources that can be accessed at: https://ca.ctrinstitute.com/resources/  

These include: 

  • Counselling Insights podcast 

  • COVID-19 resources 

  • Trauma-Informed Care on-demand workshop 

  • Narrative Therapy on-demand webinar 

  • Trauma-Informed Workplace Assessment tool 

  • Video Teaching from a Traditional Elder 

  • 1-minute Video Insight: 2 Ways to Practice Being Present 

  • Printable resources from CTRI books: 

    • Counselling Activities Workbook 

    • Counselling in Relationships 

    • Counselling Insights 

    • Once a Wizard 

    • The Helping Rock 

  • Building Meaningful Relationships audio chapter 

  • Audio Exercises for Stress and Anxiety 

  • Printable handouts 

    • 9 Strategies for supporting someone with borderline personality disorder 

    • Behaviour change worksheet 

    • Crisis response checklist 

    • Cyberstalking/cyberbullying safety tips 

    • Healthy Habit Log 

    • How to be an ally 

    • Mindful breathing tips 

    • Myths about suicide 

    • Principles for being trauma-informed 

    • Recognizing anxiety worksheet 

    • Self-esteem inventory 

    • Suicide warning signs 

    • Warning signs of disordered eating. 

  • Trauma-informed Care e-manual 

  • A collection of practical insights from their blog articles 

  • Glossary of common terms 

  • 65 short YouTube videos to learn insights and strategies 

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