Challenges in Counseling and Ways to Provide Self Care

Self Care

Introduction

Self care is an important part of health care and counseling (Nelson, Hall, Anderson, Birtles & Hemming, 2018). Self care facilitates reflection and resilience, and helps one to maintain the proper perspective when providing counseling for clients. Some types of clients may be more difficult or trying for counselors than others. This paper will discuss characteristics of clients that I expect might be trying for me and what self care strategies I would use to avoid becoming fatigued, burned out and ineffective in working with such clients.

Characteristics

Client characteristics that I expect would be difficult for me would be clients of a different demographic or culture than my own. For example, if I had a client who was two generations removed from my own, or even possibly one generation removed from my own, I would have to remember that the perspective of this individual is very likely to be different from my own, just because of the cultural inputs that are unique to every generation. For example, Gen X is different from Gen Y and Gen Z in terms of work ethic; Baby Boomers are likely to be more loyal than any of the other generations; and there are a hundred other little differences that one must be mindful of (Stead, Flahive, Fitzgerald & Frost, 2017).

Then there are cultural differences that are likely to be even more demanding. For example, every client is going to have a unique cultural background just because in the US there are so many subcultures that exist and persist and that tend to be even more informative and meaningful in the lives of people than mainstream cultures. Mainstream cultural inputs traditionally provided by religion, region, class or ethnicity tend to be muted more and more in the modern era, and in their place new subcultures have arisen that are based on fads or trends sometimes associated with different movements in media or politics or society (Dupont, 2020). Subculture can inform individuals on beliefs about sexuality, gender, politics, religion, identity, emotions, one’s role in the world, one’s attitude, and so on. Some subcultures might influence people to be more open to receiving counseling than others, as well. So understanding the individual’s perspective and willingness to undergo counseling is also a major challenge.

People with different sexual orientations than my own or with disabilities are not likely to present a problem for me, because these are not necessarily going to be perspectives that I have trouble understanding. The difficult cases are likely to be those in which I am not sure what the perspective of the client actually is. People who are open and honest and upfront about their perspectives are relatively easy to understand and work with, so I do not see these types of clients presenting any problems.

Personality types that might present some difficulty for me would probably be individuals who are melancholic, as I know that I might lose my patience with this type of personality. I tend to be more choleric, so when I see a solution to a problem it is a challenge for me to sit patiently and wait for others to arrive at the same conclusion, yet this is somewhat what one must do. Melancholic personality types also tend to be absorbed in their own emotions and that can be a difficult issue to address, especially if they are unwilling to give up their own interest in their own emotions.

Clinical syndromes that I would probably have difficulty with would be those such as bi-polar disorder or anti-social disorder. I suspect it would be difficult providing counseling for individuals who are either indifferent to humanity or unable to stay planted in one mental or emotional state for very long. I would probably insist that pharmacological therapy also be used for these clients.

Settings such as crisis programs or rotating shifts might be difficult for me because it would mean that I am not really in control of an environment. I would probably feel overwhelmed if there is a constant stream of distress calls, and I think that could be one of the most difficult experiences requiring adjustments. I could definitely see myself needing some time away from work to unwind and take care of myself if I were working in a setting like this.

I do not think I would mind having mandated clients or perpetrators of violence, abuse or bullying. To me, part of counseling is the ability to address issues like this; so what matters to me is having the ability to be open to the experiences of others. If I found myself only handling certain cases out of fear or out of distrust in my own knowledge or ability as a counselor I would have to wonder how effective I really am overall.

Self Care Strategies

To avoid becoming fatigued, burned out or ineffective in working with various trying clients or environments, I would engage in a variety of self care strategies, including physical self care, emotional self care, cognitive self care, social self care, financial self care, and spiritual self care. I think that issues like having enough time for friends and setting enough money aside for one’s own well-being can become problems that affect one’s ability to work in trying situations if they are also not considered. That is why I would make them part of my self care strategy, even though they might not seem at first to have anything to do with working with difficult clients. If one is stressed about finances, he is not going to be focused on the client’s issues as much as he would be if he were comfortable on that front and able to concentrate on the issues of the client without distraction.

Physical Self Care Strategies

Physical self care strategies will include dieting well, getting in a routine of low-impact exercise, such as hiking at least once a week, and making sure I get sufficient rest each night. Sleep is important to me and to my overall health, so I do not want to cheat myself on sleep by staying up late to indulge in some sort of activity that might seem tempting at the time but that I would regret the next day and perhaps the whole week long as it would deprive me of needed rest (Schubert & Broom, 2020).

Emotional Self Care Strategies

Emotional self care is important so that one can stay centered, positive, and helpful for others, especially in trying cases. If one’s emotions are not centered, reactions can be disastrous. For this strategy, my goal is to remained centered by conducting emotional self care exercises such as journaling in the evening, so as to facilitate self-reflection and meditation; send loved-ones messages of warmth and affection at least once a week so as to feel connected to a good spirit; and take part in some form of dramatic catharsis once a week so as to cleanse the emotions regularly, whether this is by viewing a film, reading, listening to music, or creating something on my own.

Cognitive Self Care Strategies

Cognitive self care keeps the mind strengthened so that one can focus and respond to others’ needs with precision. What I like to do to stay cognitively sharp is to practice logic problems, listen to podcasts that explore history, and respond to questions related to my field of knowledge in online forums. By staying engaged in the world via a cognitive dimension and by exercising my mental muscle, I can stay mentally fit. It is important to challenge myself this way so that when I do become challenged at work, I am ready to respond because I will not feel overwhelmed mentally speaking. The more time I can give to preparing my mind to respond to issues logically and with precision, the better able I will be to help clients who pose some difficulty for me in the future. This is why being mentally tough is so crucial.

Social Self Care Strategies

Social self care strategies will provide me the social support system I will need to maintain myself. Social support is important for everyone and one’s social support system should be maintained regularly, just as one maintains a house, car, body, and so on (Pluut, Ilies, Cur?eu & Liu, 2018). To maintain my social support system, I will invite a friend to go on one of my weekly hikes; I will talk to a friend online or via the phone at least once per week; and I will set aside one night each week to catch up with a friend in person. I will also make sure that I am setting time aside for family on the weekends so that I do not become distant from them.

Financial Self Care Strategies

My financial self care strategies will focus on giving myself peace of mind so that I am unencumbered by worries of debt or financial instability. The first step here will be to set aside at least $500 every month and put it into a savings account. The second step will be to pay off credit card debt each month so that I am not paying interest on purchases made earlier. The third step will be to budget my money each month by planning out what expenditures I will have and what my priorities are going to be for saving.

Spiritual Self Care Strategies