The Self‐Care of Psychologists and Mental Health Professionals: A Review and Practitioner Guide

Abstract

It has been documented in the professional literature that psychologists and mental health professionals in general tend to neglect their own mental health, despite serving in a field that promotes the health and well-being of others. Numerous empirical studies support the need for psychologists and mental health professionals to be more conscientious of the effect that stress and the nature of their work has on them. This article reviews some of the recent literature and discusses the pertinent issues at hand. A number of interventions are suggested along with tips for professionals to consider in order to function in a more productive and ethical fashion.

A measure to assess the workplace well‐being of psychological practitioners

“…Psychological practitioners are exposed to significant vicarious distress and may face limited resources and excessive demands (Rupert & Morgan, 2005). They may experience anxiety, depression, occupational stress, vicarious traumatization, compassion fatigue, and ultimately burnout (Dattilio, 2015).…”

“…This may be linked to recent cost savings and performance targets (Hall, Johnson, Watt, Tsipa, & O'Connor, 2016), which engender low staffing levels and heavy workloads (Stevens, 2014). The well-being of psychological practitioners is an area of particular concern (Dattilio, 2015;Dosanjh & Bhutani, 2017;Rupert & Morgan, 2005), but there is currently no workplace well-being measure for this group.…”

The effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a dialectical behaviour therapy skills training group in reducing burnout and psychological distress in psychology trainees: A pilot study

“…These include the emotional demands of client work (Dattilio, 2015), the challenge of work life balance, and the impact of work stress on home life (El-Ghoroury, Galper, Sawaqdeh, & Bufka, 2012). These include the emotional demands of client work (Dattilio, 2015), the challenge of work life balance, and the impact of work stress on home life (El-Ghoroury, Galper, Sawaqdeh, & Bufka, 2012).…”

Comment on “The Self‐Care of Psychologists and Mental Health Professionals” (Dattilio, 2015)—Working With the Mentally Ill Is a Mental Health Hazard: What Can We Do About It?

“…The article “The Self‐care of Psychologists and Mental Health Professionals” by Dattilio (in press) presents a recent review of the literature on the mental health hazards associated with working as mental health professionals (MHP). In particular, the review highlights the paradox that MHPs often neglect their own mental health while helping to improve the mental health of their clients.…”

“…As noted by Dattilio (in press), it is imperative that as psychologists and other MHPs, we first take care of our own mental health before we engage in helping others with their mental health. Indeed, in Australia, it is an ethical and legal requirement that psychologists do not practise if they have a “physical or mental impairment, disability, condition or disorder (including substance abuse or dependence), that detrimentally affects or is likely to detrimentally affect a registered health practitioner's capacity to safely practice the profession or a student's capacity to undertake clinical training” (Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act [HPRNLA], ).…”