Trauma and Self-Care: A Clinical Mental Health Perspective
In the field of mental health counseling, trauma is an ever-present reality that shapes the lives of both clients and clinicians. Trauma can take many forms—chronic childhood adversity, acute incidents of violence, or systemic oppression—and its impact is profound, influencing cognition, emotions, and relationships. As a counselor, I see firsthand how unprocessed trauma manifests in anxiety, depression, and maladaptive coping mechanisms. While addressing trauma in clinical work is essential, the emotional toll on professionals in this field cannot be overlooked. This is where self-care becomes not just beneficial but necessary.
Self-care in mental health work is often misunderstood as an indulgence rather than a survival strategy. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS) are common in counseling professions, as absorbing others’ pain can lead to emotional exhaustion. To counter this, counselors must engage in intentional self-care practices that go beyond surface-level relaxation. This includes regular clinical supervision, where processing difficult cases prevents emotional overload, and peer support networks that provide a safe space to share experiences and mitigate feelings of isolation.
Mindfulness and self-compassion also play a significant role in mitigating the impact of trauma exposure. Research supports that mindfulness-based practices, such as grounding exercises and guided meditation, can help counselors regulate their own nervous systems, making them more present and effective for their clients. Setting boundaries, both emotionally and physically, is another crucial element of self-care. This means establishing realistic caseloads, taking necessary breaks, and allowing oneself to disconnect from work at the end of the day.
Ultimately, addressing trauma—whether in clients or within ourselves—requires a balanced approach that integrates professional support, mindful self-awareness, and structured self-care routines. In a field where helping others is the primary focus, ensuring our own well-being is equally critical. Sustainable mental health work depends on our ability to care for ourselves so we can continue to care for others.
Below, I’ve attached some resources for self-care that I highly recommend!
-
American Psychological Association (APA) – Self-Care for Psychologists
https://www.apa.org/careers/early-career/self-care- Offers guidance on managing stress, burnout, and emotional fatigue.
-
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Mental Health Self-Care
https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Individuals-with-Mental-Illness/Managing-Stress- Provides stress management techniques and self-care strategies.
-
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – Trauma-Informed Self-Care
https://www.samhsa.gov/trauma-violence-types/self-care- Focuses on self-care practices for professionals dealing with trauma survivors.
-
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) – Self-Care for Providers
https://www.nctsn.org/resources/self-care-resources- Provides specific self-care tools for those working with trauma-exposed individuals.
-
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Coping with Stress and Self-Care
https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/selfcare.htm- Discusses self-care techniques backed by public health research.
7 comments
Your perspective highlights the importance of self-care in sustaining a career in these very important fields. In our office, our supervisor always emphasizes that she cannot expect us to help individuals deal with their issues if we don’t appropriately deal with our own. For this reason, mental health days are not only offered but encouraged. This shifts the conversation from viewing self-care as an optional personal activity to recognizing it from a professional ethics perspective. Additionally, free mental health services and counseling are offered to all employees which is an invaluable benefit and something I wish everyone had access to. How much better and productive would our workplaces be if services were so accessible and our co-workers were expected to keep their own mental health and well-being at the core of what they do?
This is a great blog post! The role of Counselors and therapists is to help others with their client’s mental struggles, and it’s easy to forget that they also are human beings who also experience mental struggles of their own and from their jobs. Self-care in this field is crucial, because it also affects how their client is benefiting from their help as well. It is interesting to read that hearing about tragedies and other people’s pain can lead to emotional exhaustion, so self-care practices that go beyond surface-level relaxation would work more effectively in battling burnout and mental stability. I think self-care looks different in everyone, but overall it seems like having hobbies for yourself apart from work is the key to effective self-care.
Hey,
Your blog effectively highlights the emotional toll of working in mental health and the necessity of self-care. The distinction between self-care as a luxury versus a survival strategy is crucial, especially given the high rates of burnout and secondary traumatic stress in counseling.
I appreciate your emphasis on clinical supervision, peer support, and mindfulness as essential tools for maintaining resilience. Setting boundaries is also vital, as it allows clinicians to sustain their ability to help others without compromising their own well-being.
Your inclusion of self-care resources is especially helpful, offering tangible strategies for mental health professionals. Prioritizing self-care not only benefits counselors but also enhances the quality of care they provide to clients.
This blog is very insightful for clinicians and clients, but I would like to recognize a few others who work in the field and would also benefit from this blog on trauma and self-care. These individuals are the mental health technicians (techs) and orderlies. They are the ones who run the day-to-day activities of the patients in mental health hospitals. They help clean up after patients and must have face-to-face interactions with them every fifteen minutes, day in and day out.
While counselors, therapists, doctors, and psychologists may see the patient for at least one hour a day, the mental health techs must check on the patients daily. Techs keep an eye on the patients to ensure they do not hurt themselves or others and function as intermediaries if any of the other mental health staff get into a physical altercation with the patients. The mental health tech must ensure they visibly see the patient every fifteen minutes. Although other professionals working in mental hospitals have their challenges, the mental health tech is usually overlooked. It is often the tech who finds the patient who has committed or attempted suicide. The mental health tech can be seen as the first responder in the mental hospital.
Techs experience secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout so severe on the job that it is difficult for hospitals to retain permanent staff. Mental health and cognitively challenged (MHMR) hospitals and state-run facilities must read your blog and apply its insights to orderlies and mental health technicians. Furthermore, inpatient programs in the Special Care Units (SCU) of mental health hospitals have patients who are often in a state of psychosis, and it is usually the mental health technicians who must deal with patients’ psychosis.
I want to give you kudos for the information in your blog. Furthermore, the information provided would be instrumental for all those who hold jobs and have professions in the mental health field.
Thank you! Great blog!
A small correction to my response to this sentence: “Techs experience secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout so severe in the job that it is difficult for hospitals to retain permanent staff.” I would like to include specifically PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder.
In the field of mental health counseling, trauma is an ever-present reality that shapes the lives of both clients and clinicians. Trauma can take many forms—chronic childhood adversity, acute incidents of violence, or systemic oppression—and its impact is profound, influencing cognition, emotions, and relationships. As a counselor, I see firsthand how unprocessed trauma manifests in anxiety, depression, and maladaptive coping mechanisms. While addressing trauma in clinical work is essential, the emotional toll on professionals in this field cannot be overlooked. This is where self-care becomes not just beneficial but necessary.
Self-care in mental health work is often misunderstood as an indulgence rather than a survival strategy. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS) are common in counseling professions, as absorbing others’ pain can lead to emotional exhaustion. To counter this, counselors must engage in intentional self-care practices that go beyond surface-level relaxation. This includes regular clinical supervision, where processing difficult cases prevents emotional overload, and peer support networks that provide a safe space to share experiences and mitigate feelings of isolation.
Mindfulness and self-compassion also play a significant role in mitigating the impact of trauma exposure. Research supports that mindfulness-based practices, such as grounding exercises and guided meditation, can help counselors regulate their own nervous systems, making them more present and effective for their clients. Setting boundaries, both emotionally and physically, is another crucial element of self-care. This means establishing realistic caseloads, taking necessary breaks, and allowing oneself to disconnect from work at the end of the day.
Ultimately, addressing trauma—whether in clients or within ourselves—requires a balanced approach that integrates professional support, mindful self-awareness, and structured self-care routines. In a field where helping others is the primary focus, ensuring our own well-being is equally critical. Sustainable mental health work depends on our ability to care for ourselves so we can continue to care for others.
This blog post offers a compelling analysis of Judith Herman’s work on trauma and its long-term effects, particularly in shaping criminal behavior through social learning theory. The discussion of how childhood abuse fosters antisocial tendencies and impacts cognitive development is particularly strong, reinforcing the importance of early intervention. The statistic that nearly 70% of justice-involved youth show signs of mental distress underscores the deep connection between trauma and the criminal justice system.
One of the most thought-provoking aspects is the acknowledgment of generational trauma—how some individuals break the cycle while others struggle with maladaptive behaviors. This raises important questions: How can the justice system better integrate trauma-informed approaches? What role do schools and social services play in early prevention? And what factors determine whether a survivor overcomes or perpetuates trauma-induced behaviors?
Overall, this post effectively highlights the need for a shift in how we address trauma within criminal justice and mental health frameworks. Investing in trauma-informed care and early intervention could be key to reducing recidivism and breaking cycles of abuse.
Comments are closed.