It’s OK to be human:
Therapy for Therapists
As therapists, we are often highly empathic and sensitive individuals, trained to help others navigate life's complexities. However, we are not immune to the challenges that life presents. Despite our skills in cognitive meaning-making and emotional expression, many of us still feel deeply impacted by our own experiences.
In therapy, we learn to support others with a wealth of knowledge and compassion—but sometimes, the tools we have don't fully address the body’s role in processing trauma and stress. This is where somatic therapy can make a significant difference.
I work with therapists who are seeking to deepen their understanding of the body’s wisdom and integrate somatic practices into their own healing journeys. Whether navigating burnout, parenting, personal trauma, or simply the ongoing impact of empathic work, we can collaborate to build resilience and find balance, supporting your personal well-being.
Supporting Therapists in Their Own Healing Journey
Click on the button below to see the following research article:
“Effect of Somatic Experiencing Resiliency-Based Trauma Treatment Training on Quality of Life and Psychological Health as Potential Markers of Resilience in Treating Professionals”
As therapists, we are constantly exposed to the emotional and energetic lives of others, holding space for their pain, grief, trauma, and healing. While this is an incredible privilege, it can also leave us feeling emotionally drained, overwhelmed, or even disconnected from ourselves. In a profession that demands so much from us, it's easy to forget that we too need support—not just intellectually or emotionally, but also physically.
The physical toll of trauma work, long hours, and emotional exhaustion can manifest in the body, whether through chronic tension, burnout, or the lingering effects of vicarious trauma. These experiences can create patterns of disconnection from our bodies or cause us to repress the very feelings and sensations that we encourage our clients to explore. Somatic therapy offers an opportunity for therapists to reconnect with their bodies, heal from the strain of empathic work, and process the somatic impact of the emotional labor we carry.
Through somatic practices, we can help you:
Release physical tension that accumulates through empathic listening and holding space for others' pain
Reconnect with your body and intuition, allowing for a deeper understanding of your own emotional landscape
Build resilience to stress and burnout, fostering long-term well-being and balance in your personal and professional life
Cultivate self-compassion and emotional boundaries, ensuring that you can continue your work while also protecting your own mental and physical health
We can also explore the development of your personal therapeutic toolkit, integrating somatic practices that not only support your own healing but also enrich the work you do with your clients. In this space, you can feel supported in nourishing yourself, allowing you to return to your practice with renewed clarity, energy, and compassion.
Supporting Body-Centered Practitioners: Deepening Your Understanding of Trauma
The integration of somatic psychology can be incredibly beneficial for a wide range of practitioners who work directly with the body, such as physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, yoga instructors, and personal trainers. While these professionals excel in addressing physical symptoms, they often encounter clients whose trauma—whether physical or emotional—manifests in the body. Understanding how trauma affects the body is essential, but it is equally important for practitioners to address their own physical and emotional experiences to foster long-term resilience and well-being.
By engaging in personal therapy sessions, you can explore how your own body responds to the emotional and physical demands of your practice. In a safe, supportive space, you can deepen your awareness of any tension, stress, or residual trauma that might be impacting your work with clients—and your own personal life. Working through these somatic experiences can help you build a stronger connection to your own body, set better emotional boundaries, and reduce the risk of burnout, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue. Additionally, by understanding how trauma can be stored in the body, you gain tools to approach your clients with a deeper empathy and insight, improving the overall effectiveness of your care.
This work isn’t just about enhancing your professional practice—it’s about supporting you as a person. By prioritizing your own healing, you can return to your work with greater clarity, energy, and a more sustainable approach to caregiving. Somatic therapy provides a holistic approach to nurturing both your personal well-being and your capacity to care for others, leading to a more integrated and fulfilling professional life.
