Supervision

Counsellors and therapists in training or working in the human services field – whether in private practice or within an agency structure – are continually exposed to stories of pain, tragedy and often trauma. It is not uncommon in the face of so much human pain to become despondent or cynical; what is often referred to as compassion fatigue, burnout or at its worst vicarious trauma.

What leads to this situation and how can the worker be helped?

Most of us trained in the helping profession are taught to rely on our empathic response to our clients, to “walk in their shoes”. This engages our empathic parts and those parts are extremely helpful in aiding our understanding of another’s distress. For a time. But when these parts are constantly engaged they can become overwhelmed and traumatised; or protector parts can step in and no longer allow the open engagement with the client. “Fix-it” parts may then come to the rescue, projecting out the counsellor’s own needs onto the client and not allowing the client to be witnessed.

Therapists and counsellors may also become blended with parts that are angry at life, bitter about their work, and blaming of their clients. This impacts negatively on their personal lives and the spiral of unhappiness then continues to feed itself.

Supervision with an IFS therapist provides the opportunity to become aware of the parts in the counsellor/therapist’s own system that are getting activated in the work and to help parts that are experiencing aspects of the work as burdensome to relieve themselves of their burdens. What would happen if the empathic part didn’t work so hard? What is its concern about stepping aside?

As a counsellor/therapist becomes more Self-led the quality of compassion emerges as the empathic part no longer needs to take the lead. Compassion is able to witness, to attend, without moving to “fix” or change the other in any way. When a person, or a part is witnessed in this way then they/it are no longer alone in their distress. The comfort of being witnessed under extreme distress promotes the resiliency inherent within the system and facilitates parts within the client that can find their own solutions.

And compassion – unlike the empathic part – is boundless and cannot be overwhelmed. It cannot be burnt-out, fatigued nor traumatised.

If you are interested in learning more about how to become more Self-led in you work then please contact me.