There are five freedoms: the freedom to see and hear what is; the freedom to say what you feel and think; the freedom to feel what you actually feel; the freedom to ask for what you want; the freedom to take risks on your own behalf. – Virginia Satir
The better we take care of ourselves and maintain a professional separation from our clients, the more we will be in a position to be truly empathetic, compassionate, and useful to them. – Babette Rothschild
Much of the potency of your helping relationships lies beneath the healing tasks you consciously undertake. As a helping professional, your inner world overlaps your client’s. The more you “grok” your own experience of that intersubjective space, the more you can:
- Soothe your own nervous system in order to “share” that calm.
- Create safe containers and clear boundaries.
- Recognize the intelligence of your own hidden parts.
- Connect personal typologies to better self-care.
- Befriend the inner critic.
- Uncover the wisdom of “body talk.”
- Apply a “systems-approach” to understanding helping-relationship dynamics.
- Reduce your vulnerability to compassion fatigue and burnout.
- Gain insight into your clients’ worlds.
For the rest of 2023, you’re invited to a free “Calm Call” on the second-Friday-of-the-month, noon to 1:00 p.m., PST, to explore the back-and-forth of emotional regulation with clients. Contact Carolyn to be on the Calm Call Zoom invitation list.
Carolyn McVickar Edwards, M.Ed. B.C.E.T. provides help for the helper through affordable coaching, mentoring, and supervision. Contact her at 510.482.1301 or carolynmcvickaredwards@gmail.com